Study Guide

Learning outcomes

The student is able to
- develop user-centric, value-added tourism and hospitality services
- design, conceptualize, productize and implement a service in practice
- evaluate and develop customer’s experience
- take into account the challenges and possibilities of the operational environment in tourism and hospitality specific service development
- work in a development team

Implementation and methods of teaching

The study unit leans on project-based learning. The learning methods range from inspirational lectures to case assignments and project work. Also, the students conduct a benchmarking study. In addition to teamwork, the students will learn via self-education.
Working life co-operation is done during the course. An authentic commissioner try to be found for every project. The commissions for the projects have been agreed by the teacher. A more focused task / challenge to be solved will be presented to the students.

Timing and attendance

The study unit starts with an introductory session and ends at a fair/seminar event. The commissions are presented to the students. The projects start immediately.
The students have to schedule from 2 days per week for the teamwork to complete the service development project for a real-life commissioner. This calls for commitment! Compulsory attendance in the lectures, the guidance meetings, and teamwork.Most part of these will be placed in M19. The schedule will be published in the Moodle page of the course.
The service development project will follow a more or less fixed schedule and process with four phases: User insight and customer understanding (Sept), Idea generation (Oct), Conceptualization, experimenting and finalization (Nov), and Presentation and pitching and reporting (Dec).

Learning material and recommended literature

For instance, sdt.fi/materiaali/ServiceDesignToolkit_english.pdf , https://leanservicecreation.com/.

Alternative completion methods

No alternative methods of implementation. No individual solo projects.

Working life cooperation

Working life co-operation will be done on the course. There will be authentic commissioners for the projects.

Learning environment

The study unit is based on an authentic service development project. Students will visit a place related to a commission and they will do development on a field. If contact classes are possible students will be working at M19 campus and face-to-face coaching sessions with the lecturer will be organized.

Student time use and work load

The service development project work requires approximately 20-25 hours work per week (in total about 240 hours from early Sept to early Dec). The project is mainly completed as a student team of 4-5 members.

Contents

During the study unit students will complete an extensive service development project for a commissioner.

The study unit supports the project work user-orientation in the tourism and leisure industry, in particular. The study unit coaches the project teams with a professional service design and lean service creation process and methods.

Assessment criteria

Evaluation is based on students learning in a) knowledge and information retrieval skills, b) practical skills and c) responsibility and team skills / leadership skills.
The evaluation is based 70 % on the process, that is, the process evaluation of the service development project: project and team work, learning, use of the themes and tools of the study unit, and use of methods and experimentation. 30 % of the evaluation is based on the final output and outcome of the project: learning, commissioner feedback, sales pitch and performance in the fair/seminar event, and the concept description report. All the assignments and "to dos" will deal with the service development project in its different phases. The study unit benefits from teacher evaluation, self evaluation and peer evaluation.

Assessment scale

1-5

Failed (0)

The student is unable to meet the requirements on level 1.

Assessment criteria: level 1 (assessment scale 1–5)

The student is able to search tourism service development related information from various sources about the project topic at hand.
The student is able to name and explain some of the professional tourism service/experience design related concepts.
The student is able to apply introduced service development and work methods according to the guidelines and rules.
The student is able to perform individual tasks and work in a team in an appropriate way.
All assignments are completed in time and according to the guidelines.

Assessment criteria: level 3 (assessment scale 1–5)

Also including the level 1 requirements.
The student is able to identify the need for professional tourism service development related information and evaluate the relevance of the sources.
The student is able to apply different suitable service development and work methods in a consistent and argumentative way.
The student is able to perform in typical service development situations both alone and as a member of a team with a goal-oriented and user-oriented approach.

Assessment criteria: level 5 (assessment scale 1–5)

Also including the requirements of levels 1 and 3.
The student is able to find professional tourism service development related information and justify and reason one's choices.
The student is able to expertly and creatively apply and justify service development and work methods in professional situations.
The student is able to organize team activities and act appropriately with different audiences in different situations.