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University of Florida

Students Link for International Cultural Knowledge


UF Faculty: Heather Gibson
Department: Department of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management
College: College of Health and Human Performance

Partner Faculty: Mohammad Meraj
Department: Business School
Partner Institution: Middlesex University Dubai

Partner Faculty: Cody Paris
Department: Business School
Partner Institution: Middlesex University Dubai
Title: Slick: Students Link for International Cultural Knowledge
Project Description: Following orientation and ice breaker activities, UF MS students in Tourism and Hospitality and MBA students at Middlesex University Dubai will work collaboratively on developing and pitching a marketing plan for two state of the art hospitality (Hotel Eleo, US) and the Dubai Eye (UAE) entities.  In developing the marketing plan students will gather data by visiting the sites both in person and virtually (virtual tours and websites) and interviewing key staff (in person and by Zoom).  During a synchronous session, student groups will pitch their marketing plan to the faculty, who will role play hotel management or directors from the Dubai Eye.  “Marketing contracts” will be awarded to the groups  with the winning pitches for the hotel and the Dubai Eye.
Learning Outcomes:
  • Compare and contrast the marketing needs for two state of the art hospitality (Hotel Eleo) and tourism (Dubai Eye) entities. 
  • Develop skills to work collaboratively using digital platforms with an international project team.  
  • Demonstrate an openness to learn about differences in culture and values among the student participants
Participating Countries: United Arab Emirates
Discipline: Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management
UF Course Code & Name: LEI6326 - Sport Tourism
Project Duration: 4 weeks
Activity Type(s):
  • Student-to-Student Dialogue
  • Student-to-Student Project
  • Virtual Guest Speaker
Time allotted to each activity:
  • Synchronous activities: 4 hours
  • Asynchronous activities: 8-9 hours
  • Local group activities: 4 hours
  • Individual work: 4 hours
Technology Tools:
  • Zoom
  • Whatsapp
  • Canvas
  • Google Docs
  • Flipgrid
Sequence of Activities:
  1. Pre-VE reflection
  2. Synchronous icebreaker sessions
  3. Asynchronous Flipgrid introductions
  4. Students collaboratively design a data collection guide.
  5. Project teams develop a marketing plan. The collaborative group project which is the central part of this VE will entail developing a marketing plan for two tourism and hospitality agencies.
  6. Live presentations of groups' marketing plans.
  7. Post-VE reflection