Preprint
Reimagining hospitality and tourism education: The impact of an immersive block model at The Hotel School Australia (Practice report)
SSRN, Vol.Series Paper No. 61
Elsevier
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Abstract
This practice report evaluates the impact of an immersive block teaching model known as the Southern Cross Model (SCM) on hospitality education at The Hotel School Australia (THSA). The SCM was implemented as a response to changing industry expectations of graduates, increasing diversity in student demographics, and calls for more flexible and engaging ways of learning. Instead of the traditional semester structure, the SCM offers six-week terms in which students focus their studies intensively on two units at a time. Using quantitative measures and institutional data, this study examined changes in student success, grade point average (GPA), progression, and satisfaction before and after implementation (2022–2025). Findings show that overall success rates increased from 75.9% to 91.5%, GPA rose significantly and absent fail grades (where students do not submit any assessment tasks) declined. Student satisfaction with both units and teaching also improved. Notably, equity cohorts such as First Nations students, and those from low socioeconomic status backgrounds, demonstrated strong improvements. Some challenges were identified for staff, and for those students whose studies were undertaken during the time of transition to the SCM; however, overall, the SCM shows significant promise for enhancing engagement and achievement in contemporary hospitality higher education contexts.
Details
- Title
- Reimagining hospitality and tourism education: The impact of an immersive block model at The Hotel School Australia (Practice report)
- Creators
- Judith Mair - Southern Cross UniversityClare du Plessis - Southern Cross UniversityDamian Fernando - Southern Cross UniversityYu (Jack) Qin - Southern Cross UniversityErica Wilson - Southern Cross UniversityElizabeth Goode - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- SSRN, Vol.Series Paper No. 61
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Identifiers
- 991013396252202368
- Copyright
- Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Inc., its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. For all open access content, the relevant licensing terms apply.
- Academic Unit
- SCU Ventures; Office of the PVC (Academic Innovation); The Hotel School; Office of the PVC (Academic Quality)
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Preprint
- Local Fields
- Original Research - SoLT