I have taught a full spectrum of courses (see list in PARSE) in the Hospitality Management Department at CUNY since my appointment in 2007, representing each of these course under the umbrella of hospitality and tourism management studies. Having a background in hospitality, culinary and tourism education and extensive experience in the industry including but not limited to training hospitality professionals for various companies, has augmented my training and teaching skills. In addition, this has provided me with an understanding of the needs of the students in the classroom with respect to the skills and knowledge required in the field. Since I began teaching at the college, I have diligently worked to provide the diverse body of our students with an education that meets the curriculum standards and program outcomes of the hospitality department. I strive constantly to update my course content – making it current and relevant –reflecting the dynamic changes in the hospitality and tourism industry. I am a strong believer of continuous improvement and making teaching and courses pertinent to the present and future needs of my students.
My Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) scores have been in the middle to high fours’ and the Peer Assessment of Teaching has been rated excellent for most of the semesters since my appointment at City Tech, details on my teaching philosophy, ratings, scholarly work and recognition as well as service to the department, college and the university can be reviewed in PARSE.
A brief summary of my teaching goals, philosophy and achievements and what defines me as an educator.
Fink’s model of Taxonomy (Fink, 2003) of learning divides teaching into six dimensions which complement the entire teaching process to make instruction effective and beneficial.
- Planning and Organizing: Focusing on Outcomes
“Outcome-based education is a method of teaching that focuses on what students can actually do after they are taught. All curriculum and teaching decisions are made based on how best to facilitate the desired outcome” (Lorenzen, 2004)
I plan the course content and delivery around the learning outcomes and objectives of each course. These outcomes define the degree to which students must acquire the knowledge and skills gained through the course. Furthermore, the students should be able to critically evaluate themselves and assess the teaching and learning process. In addition to the standard course evaluation at City Tech, I conduct an in-class formative assessment survey at the end of the class using a polling software. Furthermore, I have also introduced an online summative evaluation of all my courses using survey monkey. As part of my doctoral research I conducted a program assessment of City Tech’s hospitality management graduates for the years 2008-11. Such assessments have been strongly recommended the program’s accrediting body, Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA).
- Collaboration & Encouragement
“Collaboration is the social process that supports learners’ development of capabilities in which they learn to do without assistance things that they could initially do only with assistance. If learning really is a social process, then collaboration is required” (TLTC, 2003).
I believe that creating a collaborative atmosphere and providing an excitement during the teaching process is more effective than a regular lecture. For this purpose, I use various tools and components in the classroom such as films, field trips for place based learning, article reviews, case studies, group assignments, interviews and technology. These tools promote student engagement during the learning process and provide an understanding of the course in a broader scale. Most of all, it makes the course delivery using a team-based setting for the students with an interdisciplinary approach to teaching and learning. During the last 11 years I have collaborated with the Communication Design Department for the Menu Planning and Design course where the students from Hospitality Management and COMD come together to create customer ready menus. Additionally, I have presented and disseminated on these strategies at various conferences.
- Caring, Nurturing and Mentoring
I am a strong believer and proponent for developing professional and academic growth of our students. As a large section of the student population falls in the age group of 18-22, the need to care and nurture becomes imperative to the learning process. In an industry such as ours it is essential that the instructor is not just a source of knowledge in the classroom, but should also facilitate students in their overall academic and professional development. For example, I have mentored undergraduate students during the research seminar class and their work was accepted at prestigious conferences such as ASFS in 2011 (Association for the Study of Food and Society) and the I-CHRIE (International Council for Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education) in 2016. It was a rare honor for undergraduate students to present with many graduate students, and faculty.
- Using Current Resources and Technology:
“Education technology has been found to have positive effects on student attitudes toward learning and on student self-concept … this was particularly true when the technology allowed learners to control their own learning” (NSBA, 2004).
I am strong believer in the use of technology to augment the teaching and learning processes. All my courses are Blackboard enhanced including student grades and I extensively use emerging media and technologies to achieve this goal. My work has been recognized by not only the students and faculty within the Hospitality Management department – where I am the designated mentor for online and hybrid learning as certified by the Online learning Advisory Council (OLAC) – but also by the college, and the academic community at large. I have presented on technology and student learning at many conferences. I am particularly proud of my efforts and work in using technology to enhance student learning and engagement.
- Application & Integration:
My goal is for the students to learn the requisite skills and knowledge in order to be successful in the hospitality and tourism industry. The achievement of learning outcomes for the course are an important aspect of this process. In a number of my courses such as Hospitality Research Seminar, Hospitality Marketing, Parks and Recreation, Enterprise Development, Professional Alliances, Perspective in Hospitality Management and others, I have encouraged critical thinking, as well as researching and evaluating current issues and problems facing the industry where students were encouraged to collaborate with industry professionals, learn from the “real world” including but not limited to place based learning.
- Feedback and Assessment:
Feedback is a critical tool in continuous improvement and I use both formative and summative techniques to assess the teaching and course content and delivery. Platforms such as “Poll Everywhere”, “Survey Monkey”, “Facebook” etc.  have been used for this purpose. A snapshot of these strategies can be viewed on my Teaching Portfolio.
