Innovative Teaching and Creative Learning in a Sport Tourism Curriculum: A Portuguese Case of Experiential Learning

Abstract

Higher Education institutions are complex but optimal organizations for innovation and creativity to grow and flourish. To achieve this, teaching staff should stimulate students’ active engagement in their own learning processes leading to transformative student learning. This chapter focuses on an innovative pedagogical approach, which has been consistently implemented for the last three academic years in the 3rd year module “Sport, Leisure and Tourism” within Sports undergraduate degree at the University of Algarve (Portugal). The case study method and reflective portfolio were used to create an authentic, enriching, and transformative learning experience for all students. These teaching, learning, and assessment methods are, within the context of the module, underpinned by experiential learning theory. Meta-reflections of 92 students’ portfolios showed their views about the entire process and their perception of skills they gained: (i) scientific and academic; (ii) professional; and (iii) intrapersonal and interpersonal. The innovative pedagogy presented in this chapter aimed to impact on students’ ability to understand and navigate through complexity – both in a teaching and learning environment and in a real organization.

Citation

Baptista, A. and Pereira, E. (2022), "Innovative Teaching and Creative Learning in a Sport Tourism Curriculum: A Portuguese Case of Experiential Learning", Sengupta, E. and Blessinger, P. (Ed.) Innovative Approaches in Pedagogy for Higher Education Classrooms (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 42), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 11-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120220000042002