The Relationship between Industry-Expert Team Teaching and Students’ Cognition and Learning Attitudes in Tourism Information Courses

Abstract

Delivering education that truly connects theory with practice has long been a public expectation, yet universities are often criticized for a theory–practice gap and graduates’ weak employability. At the classroom level, instructors’ practical expertise therefore deserves close attention. In a tourism-information course, weaving real workplace issues into the curriculum can link learning to students’ future career skills, making the course a cornerstone for developing basic labor knowledge. However, the explosion of knowledge, the instantaneous spread of information, and rapidly advancing educational technology have outpaced any single instructor’s capacity to stay current. Collaborative teaching has emerged in response: rather than “lone-wolf” teaching, a team of educators augmented by industry experts works together, leveraging collective strengths to raise instructional effectiveness and enhance learning outcomes. This study surveyed undergraduates in southern Taiwan, distributing and collecting questionnaires on-site. A total of 436 valid responses were obtained, representing an 87 percent return rate. The results show that (1) industry-expert team teaching is positively related to students’ learning cognition; (2) learning cognition is positively related to learning attitude; and (3) industry-expert team teaching is positively related to learning attitude. The paper concludes with a discussion of these findings and offers practical suggestions for diversifying teaching approaches to spark student interest and, ultimately, improve learning performance.