A Ref efer eren ential tial Me Meth thod odol olog ogy y fo for Edu ducat atio ion n on on Sus usta tain inabl able e Tou ouris ism m Dev evel elop opment ment Burc rcin in Hatipoglu poglu 1, , , Bengi i Ertuna na 1 1 and Vinod d Sasi sidh dharan aran 2 1 Bogazici University, Department of Tourism Administration 2 San Diego State University, School of Tourism and Hospitality Management
An education system that embraces the values of sustainability starting from pre-school and continuing into university education can act as “a motor for change” (UNESCO, 2013).
Through their education students need to gain alternative values, knowledge and skills for integrating sustainability into their daily lives. Higher education institutions should have an active role in this transformation and prepare the future citizens and professionals to face the challenges of 21 st century.
Sustainable tourism is widely accepted and advocated as a tool for sustainable development of local communities by international organizations and scientific community. Achieving multiple goals of sustainable tourism seems to require human human res esources ources that can assume effective leadership in sustainable development.
Su Sustai taina nability bility ed educ ucat atio ion n in tourism is “any level of education or training related to environmental, socio-cultural, and economic issues in the conduct of tourism enterprise and tourism development” (Canziani et. Al., 2012).
Sustainability and global citizenship share some similar aims and values such as care for the larger community and the environment. Global citizens are people who are aware of the wider world (Oxfam, 2013), and they take responsibility about social and environmental issues both at local level and international level (Hanson, 2010).
Gl Global obal Citize tizenship nship Morais and Ogden (2011) describe global citizenship in terms of three dimensions: Social responsibility is the perceived level of interdependence • and social concern to others, to society and to the environment. (global justice and disparities, altruism and empathy and global interconnectedness and personal responsibility) Global Competence having an open mind while actively seeking • to understand others’ cultural norms and expectations ( self- awareness, intercultural communication and global knowledge). Global Civic Engagement is the demonstration of action and/or • predisposition toward recognizing local, state, national, and global community (i nvolvement in civic organizations political voice and glocal civic activism).
Le Lear arni ning ng fo for Sus usta tain inab able le Tou ouris ism m Dev evelo elopme pment nt A “ sustainability literate person ”, should be able to conceptualize the relationships between the three dimensions of sustainability and make knowledgeable decisions based on the whole system (Lugg, 2007). For transformation to happen there is need for: – Participative learning – Deep learning – Higher level learning
A Ref efer eren ential tial Me Meth thod odol olog ogy y fo for Edu ducat atio ion n on on Sus ustai taina nable ble Tou ouris ism m Dev evel elop opme ment nt The educational program that is presented is here is: • a joint program of the Department of Tourism Administration at Bogazici University, Turkey and School of Tourism and Hospitality Management at San Diego State University, USA. • has been applied for the first time in year 2013.
Learning arning Go Goals ls of f th the Program gram Attain cross-cultural Define sustainable understanding and tourism engage in bi-national collaborations Discuss and recommend how sustainable rural tourism development can aid improvement of Quality of Life in a destination
Tw Two o com ompo pone nents nts of of th the e ed educ ucat atio iona nal l pr prog ogram am The field based The first component component, which is takes place in a part of a study abroad classroom setting program, focuses on before and after sustainable tourism travelling to the development at a destination. single destination. (Figure1-next slide) The field study took place for twelve days in August 2013 in the study setting of Kastomonu, Turkey.
Figure 1: A Learning Methodology for Education on Sustainable Tourism Development and Global Citizenship Classroom Environment Faculty Led Field Study Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Learning of Core Concepts Learning Method of Site Specific Goals Field Study Content Learners Learners USA Turkey Feedback Local Stakeholders Step 5 Step 7 Step 6 Evaluation of the Field Study Results & Process & Learning & Project Generation Presentations Observe, Discuss, Ask, Participate & Learners Learners Learners Reflect Learners USA Turkey USA & Turkey USA & Turkey Adopted from (Canziani, Sönmez, Hsieh, & Byrd, 2012) .
There were 15 American students and 13 Turkish students in the program. Of all the students, 25 of them were at different stages of their four year undergraduate tourism management education and 3 Turkish students had completed their first year in the sustainable tourism management graduate program.
Is Istanb tanbul ul The first two days of their stay students were in Istanbul. As a part of the Istanbul portion of the program students were exposed to cultural pluralism in Turkey, from both historical and contemporary socio-political perspectives. The Istanbul experience established the academic foundation for the students to engage in enchanted, meaningful cross-cultural interactions in preparation for their field study. 14
Kastamonu Faculty members have specifically chosen the region for field study. The area is rich in cultural, natural and historical resources and yet tourism is underdeveloped. Migration into larger cities for work and education is Kastamonu is one of the areas designated for tourism an ongoing concern and development according to development of tourism is Tourism Strategy 2023 Report of seen as a panacea to this the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. problem. 15
Im Impa pacts cts of of th the e pr prog ogram am to to th the e ho host t com ommunity munity Logistics component of the field study have been meticulously planned to give the minimum negative effect to the environment and the host communities. The group lodged at a historic Konak (Ottoman style mansion) in Kastamonu, which gave them a deeper understanding of old Ottoman lifestyle and cultural values. The group had eaten locally prepared food both at the hotel and also at the sites visited during their stay.
In Intercu tercult ltural ural Understanding erstanding Student activities were planned so that intercultural understanding happened at several levels. Bi-national groups of four: enabled them to understand other nationalities’ study methods and work habits. Self selection of group members: ensured that they felt comfortable working in their groups. Meet seperately with stakeholders and interview the stakeholders with their group members. 17
Stu tudent dent Ass ssign ignment ment Students were asked to “Examine how sustainable rural tourism develo elopm pment ent could be achiev eved ed in Ka Kastam amon onu u provin ince ce, , through gh the improvement of Quality of Life of the region’s reside idents nts ”. 18
Stu tudent dent Ass ssign ignment ment Students were recommended to use Se Seattle le Area Happines Ar ess s Initia iative tive to explain quality of life improvements in Kastamonu region The Happiness Initiative measures happiness along nine domains of well-being (indicators). 19
Kastamonu Educational Program In the pre-planning stage of the project, faculty members had carefully chosen the sites to be visited in Kastamonu. For instance the visit to Loc Valley ey was structured so that students could study four indicators of the Happiness Index at the same time: 1. 1. Commun unity: ity: Hydro-electric power plant project, meet with activists and NGOs 2. Environ 2. ronme ment: nt: Canyon visit 3. 3. Culture ure and Time Balance: ce: Taste local food 4. Psycholo 4. chologica ical Wellbein ing: g: Visit villagers in their own houses, opportunity for interactions 20
Kastamonu Educational Program The visit to Taskop opru ru was structured so that students could study three indicators of the Happiness Index at the same time: 1. 1. Material erial Wellbeing eing: garlic harvest as an economic activity 2. 2. Governan ernance: ce: meeting with the Municipality 3. 3. Culture ure/ / Time Balance: ce: Visit archeological site at Pompeipolis, meet with the archeologists, Visit Taskopru Festival area. 21
Stude dent nt Learning The types of student learning observed by the faculty were as follows: Observe local community traditions, food preparation, economic activities, religious practices, and arts and folkloric dances Ask questions to stakeholders and community members Participate in a local festival and community service Discuss issues with group members Reflect alone
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