Faculty share learning insights from regenerative tourism field school

As part of their course offering, Professors Rebecca Wilson-Mah and Ann-Kathrin McLean create experiential learning opportunities for Royal Roads University Master of Arts in Tourism Management students. One of these opportunities was a recent field school to northern Vancouver Island.

“A lot of the learning for our students happens outside the classroom,” McLean says. “In the real world, that's where we can bridge together theory and practice and engage in applied learning opportunities.”

This new course was taught by Pam McGarel who owns Mosaic Earth Travel tour company. Students spent three weeks in the classroom learning about regenerative tourism, eco-tourism, and sustainable tourism before heading out on a five-day field school. Regenerative in design, the field school included a beach clean up, a visit to the Marine Education Research Society and a wildlife and cultural tour with Homalco Wildlife & Cultural Tours.

“This field school was designed with students,” Wilson-Mah says. 

She explains that Royal Roads conducted a study with students who attended a previous field school. Their input was then utilized in everything from assignments to values to logistics when designing the north Vancouver Island field school.

“I think it's always important…[that] our students ask questions about the [operational side] but they also experience it from the personal side as a guest,” says Wilson-Mah.

The north Vancouver Island field school was an incredible success with two upcoming research studies being formed on how an experiential learning course like field schools inform the student learning experience.