INNOVATUR – Expected Impacts of the Project

 

 

This project was expected to positively impact the quality of teaching skills of academic staff from both universities and the learning outcomes of undergraduate students in sustainable and smart tourism. It also aimed to enhance cooperation between the universities and local external stakeholders to improve the tourism sector.

The four intellectual outputs of the project were made freely available through this project website and the websites of both universities to all stakeholder groups after the project’s conclusion.

Intellectual Outputs and Their Expected Impacts:

Intellectual output 1: Sourcebook of Innovative Higher Education Approach towards Smart and Sustainable Tourism (SSmT)
Contribution in Terms of Impact and Innovation:

    • Introducing New Curricula: Offers a blueprint for integrating sustainable and smart tourism concepts into existing curricula.
    • Providing Pedagogical Materials: Equips educators with innovative materials and case studies for engaging learning experiences.
    • Facilitating IT Tool Integration: Provides recommendations on IT tools and digital resources.
    • Assessing Learning Outcomes: Emphasizes methodologies to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching strategies.

Expected Impact and Transferability Potential:

    • Enhancing Education and Industry Collaboration: The sourcebook equips educators with innovative teaching methods and interdisciplinary learning approaches, enhancing the quality of tourism education and fostering stronger collaboration between academia and industry for experiential learning opportunities.
    • Promoting Sustainability and Employability: By emphasizing sustainable and smart tourism practices, the recommendations provided in the sourcebook to professionals in academia will help preparing their students to be responsible professionals, thereby increasing their employability and driving positive change within the tourism industry.
    • Global Adaptability and Knowledge Transfer: The comprehensive guidelines and practical examples provided in the sourcebook ensure that its best practices can be easily adapted and implemented by educational institutions worldwide, facilitating broad knowledge transfer and influencing tourism policy and practice.

Intellectual output 2: Textbook on Introduction to Sustainable and Smart Tourism for undergraduate students in higher education
Contribution in Terms of Impact and Innovation:

    • Enhancing Curricula: Supports the integration of sustainable and smart tourism concepts.
    • Supporting Pedagogical Development: Offers rich content for developing impactful teaching strategies.
    • Fostering Industry Relevance: Incorporates current challenges and trends to prepare students for real-world demands.

Expected Impact and Transferability Potential:

    • Inspires a shift towards modern, sustainable, and technologically savvy approaches in tourism education.
    • Provides valuable insights adaptable by other institutions and educators.

Intellectual output 3: Book of Teaching Case Studies in Sustainable and Smart Tourism
Contribution in Terms of Impact and Innovation:

  • Enhancing Learning: Bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.
  • Encouraging Analytical Thinking: Develops problem-solving and analytical skills.
  • Promoting Engagement: Fosters student engagement and active learning.

Expected Impact and Transferability Potential:

    • Serves as a dynamic tool for enhancing teaching and learning in tourism education.
    • Offers practical focus and real-world orientation beneficial for curriculum enrichment.

Intellectual output 4: Analysis of Collaborative Approach Between Higher Education Institutions in the Czech Republic and Norway with Other Stakeholders in Sustainable and Smart Tourism
Contribution in Terms of Impact and Innovation:

    • Guiding Collaboration: Offers a blueprint for effective collaboration between academia and the tourism sector.
    • Enhancing Educational Relevance: Provides insights into sector needs for better-prepared students.
    • Fostering Stakeholder Engagement: Encourages a multi-stakeholder approach to sustainable tourism development.

Expected Impact and Transferability Potential:

    • Serves as a guideline for collaborative efforts in sustainable and smart tourism.
    • Offers valuable insights adaptable by other regions or countries for enhancing tourism sector sustainability.

Additional Impacts

Academics with access to intellectual outputs are expected to be inspired by the new educational content, innovative teaching methods, and tools, driving a change in their current teaching approach. We expect they will also feel better prepared for future initiatives aimed at modernizing curricula by incorporating citizenship values, tourism inclusiveness, and sustainable entrepreneurship in rural and community-based tourism destinations.

The project’s expected impacts included developing generic skills related to interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral collaboration and challenge-based learning processes in sustainable and smart tourism.

After the project ended, both universities aimed to foster joint collaboration to enhance higher education in sustainable and smart tourism through other European grant schemes. These schemes would facilitate cooperation with partner universities and relevant entities in the tourism industry across Europe, beyond just Norway and the Czech Republic. The project also sought to deepen inter-institutional collaboration with external stakeholders in education and applied research related to smart and sustainable tourism.