Third International Conference on Tourism & Leisure Studies

Abstract

Research in robotics is progressing rapidly, diffusing beyond the traditional domains of engineering and computer science, and opening new possibilities for education. Educational robotics refer to the application of robotic equipment as a teaching resource, often through design, programming, building, and/or implementation, to facilitate students’ learning and development in an (inter)disciplinary manner. Despite increasing research into this area, the pedagogical implications of applying educational robotics in hospitality and tourism education remain under-studied. To address this gap, this working paper first reviews select applications of educational robotics from different disciplines within higher education, and then considers the range of salient opportunities and challenges that may affect the deployment of educational robotics in tourism and hospitality. In doing so, this paper contributes to hospitality and tourism education by highlighting experiences from outside of the field that could inspire potential applications for our field.