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and a number of elective courses that focus on
areas of specialisation in Destination Management.
The distinguishing characters of this programming
is its emphasis on training senior managers to view
the destination as a complex whole, and to make
decisions that integrate both competitiveness and
sustainability concerns.
Both professional and academic experts in
tourism have identified the quality of educators
and the quality of the educational material they use
as being among the most important determinants
in the success of a tourism education system. They
have further identified a number of issues effecting
the success of efforts to prepare educators.
Structural issues involve a range of contextual
factors that create somewhat unique problems.
These include the late arrival of tourism as a field
of education and training, a lack of industry
consensus on the need for education, the diverse
nature of tourism/hospitality education and training,
the multiple educational demands of a rapidly
growing industry, the lack of institutional structures
to support tourism education, a shortage of
positions of tourism educators, and the lack of
advanced level programmes to properly train
tourism educators.
In addition, there are a range of professional
issues that must be taken into account by
individuals interested in pursuing a career in
tourism education. The most significant of these
are the lack of clear career path for tourism
educators, and the conflict between the demand for
a strong academic training as well as practical
experience. These combined, create powerful
forces that impact heavily upon both current and
future educators. In addition, the need to develop a
specialised disciplinary expertise, while achieving a
broad interdisciplinary understanding of tourism,
must be addressed by the committed educator.
All of the foregoing, combined with pressure to
gain international experience, while at the same
time demonstrating a strong local commitment,
creates strong pressures on the young instructor/
scholar. These pressures, added to a lack of welldeveloped
supporting teaching materials, creates a
serious challenge for administrators who seek to
support the educational goals and efforts of future
faculty members. A critical principle underlying
efforts to educate future educators is the need to
education, computer-assisted 169
ensure that their training is sensitive to the needs of
the industry. At the same time it is essential to stress
that academic programming in tourism should not
be totally driven by industry. In addition to their
pragmatic responsibilities, the educators of tomorrow
must be prepared to provide intellectual and
conceptual leadership to a rapidly evolving industry.
See also: cross-cultural education; crosstraining;
curriculum design; education,
entrepreneurial; executive development; human
resources development; learning curve; modular
programme
J.R. BRENT RITCHIE, CANADA
education, computer-assisted
Computer applications in education include �1)
computer-assisted instruction which use this as a
self-contained teaching machine to present discrete
lessons through drill and practice, tutorials, simulations
and games, and problem-solving; �2) computer-managed
instruction which helps to organise
instruction and track student progress; �3) computer-mediated
communications which use software
applications such as electronic mail, computer
conferencing, groupware and electronic bulletin
boards; and �4) computer-based multimedia which
integrate various voice, video, and computer
technologies into a single, easily accessible delivery
system, including voice recognition and language
translation features. A major advantage of using
computers to facilitate learning includes an enhanced
capacity for self-paced learning on an
individualised basis with immediate feedback. A
limitation of this system is the cost of software and
the need to motivate and train educators to
develop instructional packages and networks in
the face of rapidly changing information technology
advances. Widespread computer illiteracy
still exists, in addition to those who even do not
have access to computers or computer networks.
The explosive expansion of the Internet has
emphasised its remarkable ability to link colleges,
universities, schools, companies and private citizens
with learning systems and resources. The Internet
is a revolutionising force for improving the