ABSTRACT
In 2002 John Tribe made an impassioned plea in the Annals of Tourism Research for Philosophic Practitioner education, education designed to equip graduates to think and act in the best interests of tourism business and the ‘wider tourism society and world’. In recent times, however, ongoing socio-ecological issues related to tourism arguably point to a lack of Philosophic Practice. In this context, we examined the experiences of students and staff involved with teaching and learning for Philosophic Practice and highlight the need to (re)commit to the key principles underpinning Philosophic Practitioner education. The potential limitations of human-centred conceptualisations of Philosophic Practitioner education are also discussed and addressed.
ABSTRACT
As with most sectors, the Covid-19 pandemic has been a hugely disruptive force in higher education, with teaching and learning severely impacted. Out of necessity, there is an ongoing need for educators to employ emergency ‘hybrid’ teaching strategies in the hope that geographically dispersed cohorts may continue to be provided with equitable and meaningful learning experiences. A key finding to emerge from our exploratory research is that even when synchronous hybrid teaching is planned out with respect to nurturing an inclusive community of inquiry (CoI), inequities remain when it comes to learning. Whilst instigating informal ‘backchannels’ of communication can help reduce inequities, in-class students remain at a distinct advantage over online students because of their physical and social proximity to teaching staff. Therefore, synchronous hybrid delivery mode, whilst beneficial as an interim/emergency measure, may not be a suitable permanent delivery option for those wishing to maintain a strong and equitable CoI. Where adopting a hybrid approach becomes potentially unavoidable in the future, two recommendations designed to help strengthen a CoI are provided.