The Implementation of Online Blended Learning Best Practices within Hospitality Higher Education - Impacts on Student Engagement

In hospitality higher education, there remains a critical gap in understanding how to effectively measure student engagement within online blended learning environments within hospitality higher education. Existing methods overlook the complex behaviours, motivations and contextual influences that shape genuine, authentic participation. This study addresses this gap by applying Redmond's Online Engagement Framework (2018) to evaluate how best practice engagement strategies – incorporating cognitive, emotional, behavioural, social and collaborative dimensions in an online hospitality blended learning module impacts student motivation and engagement. The research aims to enhance and inform digital pedagogical approaches and offer transferable insights for broader implementation in hospitality higher education institutions.A mixed–methods research design was employed, involving analysis of learner logs, focus group interviews, discussion forums, Canvas LMS Data Analytics and student surveys from a small hospitality student cohort. Thematic content analysis revealed successful engagement outcomes such as enhanced active participation, strong peer support and increased student satisfaction in the delivery and module design. However, challenges were also evident, including student cognitive overload, emotional disengagement and technological barriers. The findings indicate a need for additional collaborative group tasks and assessments to deepen engagement and alleviate pressures on individual learners. This study contributes to the evolving landscape of online hospitality education by offering practical strategies that foster meaningful student engagement that informs future improvements in online hospitality higher education learning design, pedagogical practice and delivery.

在酒店与旅游高等教育领域，如何有效衡量在线混合式学习环境中学生的参与度仍是一个亟待填补的关键空白。现有方法往往忽视了塑造真实参与行为的复杂行为模式、动机及情境影响因素。本研究通过应用Redmond的在线参与框架（2018）填补这一空白，旨在评估在线酒店与旅游混合式学习模块中整合认知、情感、行为、社交及协作维度的最佳实践参与策略对学生动机与参与度的影响。研究旨在优化并完善数字化教学方法，为酒店与旅游高等教育机构的广泛应用提供可迁移的洞见。研究采用混合方法设计，包括对学习者日志、焦点小组访谈、讨论论坛、Canvas LMS数据分析及小规模酒店与旅游专业学生群体的问卷调查进行分析。主题内容分析揭示了成功的参与成果，例如主动参与度提升、同伴支持增强以及学生对课程交付与模块设计的满意度提高。然而，研究亦发现明显挑战，包括学生认知过载、情感脱离及技术障碍。研究结果表明，需增设协作小组任务与评估，以深化参与度并减轻个体学习者的压力。本研究通过提供能促进有意义学生参与的实用策略，为在线酒店与旅游教育的发展格局做出贡献，为未来在线酒店与旅游高等教育的学习设计、教学实践及课程交付改进提供参考。