BS Hospitality & Tourism Management | Assessment of Learning

Core Learning Goals & Objectives

Program Goal #1: Operations and Management: Students demonstrate understanding of fundamental aspects of hospitality operations and management  

  1. Use operating metrics to analyze operations of a hotel and recommend managerial actions to improve operations.
  2. Demonstrate and apply knowledge of food safety principles in the operation of a restaurant.
  3. Describe the roles of key participants in a typical hospitality project and how they interact to manage and complete projects.

Program Goal #2: Financial Tools: Students demonstrate knowledge and ability to successfully use financial tools to hospitality industry problem-solving.   

  1. Use hospitality financial statements such as the income statement and the balance sheet to identify opportunities and challenges for a business.
  2. Explain and calculate key operating metrics including RevPAR, check averages, labor cost/hour, occupancy, and recognize the impact of fixed and variable components of costs.
  3. Identify and manage the drivers of costs and profits in a typical F&B operation.
  4. Demonstrate the ability to estimate and manage costs in the operations of a restaurant or a hotel.

Program Goal #3: Marketing and Strategy. Students demonstrate understanding of fundamental aspects of hospitality marketing and strategy.   

 Formulate strategies using various tools including service blueprinting and value chain analysis to optimize customer experience.   

  1. Formulate strategies using various tools including service blueprinting and value chain analysis to optimize customer experience.
  2. Diagnose and measure the success of implemented customer experience design and processes.
  3. Using branding to define and create memorable luxury customer experiences.
  4. Conduct market studies and feasibility analyses.
  5. Connect F&B operations, management, and practices to organizational outcomes including guest satisfaction and profitability.

Outcomes Data

We have compiled data to assess competency objectives through our BS Hospitality and Tourism Management program courses, These course serves as a comprehensive tool for evaluating progress toward our key objectives and AACSB accreditation standards, as it is a mandatory requirement for all undergraduate students. We have outlined various assessment methods across different areas of the course, which allow us to collect data and measure performance against established benchmarks.

See program outcomes data here: BS Hospitality & Tourism Management

Closing the Loop & Continuous Improvement

When program objective assessments are submitted, the submission form includes a section for a "closing the loop" discussion. This allows for reflection on potential adjustments that could be made to enhance the ongoing improvement of the BS Hospitality and Tourism Management program. These discussions, along with other efforts, have highlighted areas where changes could be implemented.

Student performance

  • Technology Integration - The Advisory Board recommended an increased focus on technology through both a dedicated course and integration throughout the curriculum.
  • Certification Offerings - Advisory Board members advised the inclusion of industry-relevant certifications. In response, the SERVSAFE certification was introduced into the program.
  • Analytics Emphasis - Recognizing the importance of analytics skills, the Advisory Board suggested a dedicated analytics course, which was addressed with the college-wide addition of BANA-255 Data Literacy, Analytics, and Decision Making.

Potential changes to assessment methods

  • Differentiated Instruction and Course Creation – In collaboration with the Hospitality program in Croatia, two new luxury elective courses were created. HSPT-376 Hospitality Luxury Service Excellence and HSPT-377 Hospitality Luxury Operations Design. These courses helped differentiate the technology-focused Rochester program from the luxury tourism focus of the Dubrovnik campus.
  • Goal Remapping and Course Creation: Following the assessment of Program Goal 7: Marketing and Strategy, in which student performance met or exceeded the benchmark, a decision was made to discontinue HSPT-131 Lodging Operations Management and replace it with a more challenging, technically-oriented course, HSPT-315 Operations Analytics and Management to better align with operations management, focused on vision, mission and organizational structures.
  • Analytics Tool Use Enhancement: Following the assessment of HSPT-232 Hospitality and Real Estate Development, score distribution was examined and online course in Excel use through blended-Teching.com was added to help students improve their use of EXCEL for analytics.