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Shannon College of Hotel Management: Review Report 2007
An Coiste Feabhais Acadúil
The Committee on Academic Quality Improvement
The Academic Quality Assurance Programme, 2006–2007
Review of
Shannon College of Hotel Management
Final Report
19th June, 2007
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Shannon College of Hotel Management: Review Report 2007
This report arises from a visit by a review group to the Shannon College of Hotel Management
(SCHM) on 13th-15th March, 2007. The College had already prepared and submitted a 'Self
Assessment Report' that, with other documentation, was made available to the Group in advance
of the visit.
The Review Group consisted of: Mr. Donagh Davern, General Manager, The Heritage Golf &
Spa Resort, County Laois (Chair); Professor Peter Jenner, Chair of School of Hospitality and
Tourism Administration, Endicott College, Beverly MA, USA; Dr. Stuart Jauncey, Head of
School, School of Hotel and Catering Studies, Galway/Mayo Institute of Technology, Prof.
Catherine O’Brien, Department of Italian, NUI Galway (Cognate); Dr. Martina Prendergast,
Development Manager, Environmental Change Institute, NUI Galway of the CFA acting as
rapporteur.
1.
Organisation and Management
The Review Group was particularly struck by the commitment of staff to the College, including
their involvement, availability, and accessibility to their students both within and outside of
formal class times. The ancillary relationship established between past graduates, alumni
association and staff has beneficially brought significant funding to the College and provides
continual quality placements for undergraduate students. Past graduates felt that the Shannon
College was seen as a strong brand, and as an asset to the hotel industry. Equally impressive
was the educationally nurturing environment created by the close rapport that exists between
students and staff, a feature identified by students from focus groups as a fundamentally positive
part of their experience in the SCHM. The ethos of the college and the disciplinary code has
meant that there are few disciplinary issues which arise.
The SCHM has reached a critical point with regards to its development. The air of
uncertainty catalyzed by the dissolution of Aer Rianta and future consolidation with NUI
Galway, is natural during a period of change. It should be noted that during this period, staff at
the College are very focused on their work, remain fully committed to their students and are very
positive about the proposed NUI Galway merger.
The teaching staff continually demonstrated their full commitment to the students and
College; this was especially illustrated through student focus groups that met with the Reviewers.
They appear to carry out many duties beyond the role of classroom instruction. Their bond with
the student body exemplifies what is unique about SCHM.
The Advisory Board of SCHM is to be commended for their estimable work in both
operational and strategic governance. Since 2004 there has been no Advisory Board to oversee
the running of the College, and this has affected decision making. The bureaucratic systems
which were part of the old Aer Rianta system have not allowed flexibility for the College
administration. Resources and facilities within the college are strained; consequently there is no
doubt that this is affecting staff moral and, thus, the student experience. In a recent staff survey,
63% of staff reported high levels of dissatisfaction with the available facilities. In addition, there
is no clear means or process by which the teaching staff can acquire essential teaching materials.
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Administrative staff are also concerned about their particular roles after integration with
NUI Galway. In terms of functionality, the process of administrative staff integration should
mirror that of the teaching staff.
The current lack of common rooms for both staff and students detracts from effective
informal communication, and has negatively affected the community spirit for which the College
is renowned. In addition, the lack of proper staff facilities such as a canteen, private meeting
places and the disbursement of staff offices over two buildings, is an important issue for staff,
and has resulted in a lack of professional connection that was articulated by some staff who
described themselves as akin to academic ‘sole traders’.
1.1
Students
The students with whom we spoke appeared to be mature, professional, and highly focused on
their success in the industry. This professionalism was also displayed through their impressive
personal presentation and their practical application of service in the restaurant.
Although staff and students have a very close relationship there is no formal student
support or counselling officer in place. Tasks relating to counselling, placement, and special
needs, are allocated to individuals who already have large teaching and administrative loads.
These members of staff have limited formal training in the provision of these services.
First year students are housed in Bunratty and are very pleased with the standard of
accommodation and facilities provided. This has given them an area for relaxation, leisure and
residency. The only negative comments relating to this provision was the lack of an internet
service. The current first year students have formally asked to return to this accommodation in
their third year, following their placement. The current system of accommodating students in
different years in different locations has however been criticised by all student year groups. They
felt that it has resulted in a loss of inter-year community spirit (for which the college is
renowned). The lack of a student common room, along with the different accommodation
provision for different classes, is a major factor affecting the integration of 1st, 3rd and 4th years.
The students pointed out that there is nowhere they can make a cup of tea and that there is also
no vending machine in the college. Printing facilities for students are inadequate and internet
access should be available at the college accommodation.
The College should consider making the purchase of laptops essential for all students,
especially as direct access to on-line learning resources would mitigate against the limited library
resources. In the short term, students should be facilitated with proper connectivity and power
points for the use of laptops in the library, as the lack of these items has led to a decrease in the
usage of this area, which has further damaged the integration of the student body.
1.2
Administrative Staff
Under the guidance of Mr. Phillip Smyth the College has continued to thrive and grow. Since
2004 there has been no Board of Governance to oversee the running of the College, and this has
affected decision-making. The future roles of administrative staff after the NUI Galway merger
are not clear. Administrative staff are also concerned over their particular roles after integration
with NUI Galway. Management should attempt to explore the impact of the merger on
administrative work and job responsibilities and to communicate this to the appropriate staff as
soon as possible. In terms of functionality, the process of integration should mirror that of the
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teaching staff. It is understood that different peripheral dynamics would exist.
The current SAA electronic billing and transfer system used to allocate funds and track
student accounts is inefficient. There is considerable frustration with the read-only access to
financial and other SAA systems and this is resulting in a duplication of work and in excessive
time delays in completing tasks.
1.3
Student Support
Although staff and students have a very close relationship there is no formal student support or
counselling officer in place. Tasks relating to counselling, placement, and special needs, are
allocated to individuals who already have a large teaching and administrative loads. These
members of staff have limited formal training in the provision of these services.
The Librarian feels that the NUI Galway connection would offer huge benefits; however
the nature of the reporting relationship and the extent of support that NUI Galway will provide
needs to be clearly established. She is also the Disability Officer, and whilst fully committed to
this role, the Review Group was very concerned that no formal training has been provided and
that no budget is available to provide resource materials or access to relevant expertise.
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Programmes and Instruction
This quality review did not focus explicitly on the content of programmes as this is a matter for
course validation and programme review exercises.
2.1
Placements
The Review Group were particularly struck by the effort put in to finding work placements for
students both in Ireland and elsewhere and found the dedication of those involved in this work
laudable. In order to ensure that each student got the most out of the placement experience, it
was felt that early monitoring of each placement would ensure that students are treated fairly by
the host organisation. If problems arise, then early monitoring would help to reduce the
instances of students not being offered a variety of relevant and useful work during the
placement experience.
Only 10% of programme marks are currently allocated to the placements, and this does
not seem to reflect the extent of learning obtained by students whilst on placement, nor does it
adequately represent the emphasis or importance that is placed on placements by both students,
teachers and the industry sector.
2.2
Languages
Language is a crucial part of the educational and applied learning of the Shannon experience.
Language teachers identified problems within the timetable that mitigate against effective
language instruction. These include too many language hours in a row on Mondays, and the
timetabling of these classes too late in the day.
Serious resource deficits have been identified in the internal provision of foreign
languages. In some cases staff have had to purchase essential teaching materials themselves
assuming no hope of reimbursement. Management should not allow this to happen, and a process
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must be put in place to facilitate the requisition of essential class and office materials.
An English certificate foundation course is now being delivered in China and additional
programmes of this nature are being considered for the future. Also language preparation was
viewed as being sufficient for placement by both the students and by the graduates.
The Review Group was struck by the dedication of the Language teachers (French,
German, Spanish and EFL) and by the efforts made to provide an updated, relevant course to all
students. Although the College has an excellent Language Laboratory facility the Review Group
was somewhat surprised to discover that the College does not provide satellite connection to
French, Spanish or German television channels.
2.3
Progression
Cognate groups of staff at NUI Galway and Shannon should be encouraged and facilitated to
meet regularly to share ideas, pedagogic approaches and subject knowledge.
2.4
Focus on Programmes
The College offers a large number of varied subjects over the time that students spend in
Shannon. These effectively prepare them for a future career as leading managers in the hotel and
hospitality sector. Past graduates felt that the Shannon student was seen as a strong brand, and as
an asset to the hospitality industry. Some concern was expressed that recent graduates (who
pursued the B. Comm) seem to have been recruited away from the hospitality industry into other
areas such as banking and are actively pursued by financial institutions.
The review group recognises that the College is highly effective in the development of
Food and Beverage operational competence and knowledge. However, many of the parties
consulted during the review process highlighted the need for a greater emphasis on Front Office
hotel operations.
Concerns were also raised about the increasing numbers of patrons and students that
utilise the SCHM dining facilities. However, the meals prepared and table service provided at the
facility are applied components of the students education. Those students involved in performing
these tasks are in a sense partaking of the operational practicum garnered from theoretical
instruction.
2.5
Entrance Requirements
The entrance requirements to the college must be clearly stated, and detailed criteria provided for
the interview assessment. The review group was concerned that the entrance interview carries
up to the equivalent of 300 CAO points, and yet is conducted over just 20 to 30 minutes and does
not have adequate written criteria to ensure its objectivity and fairness.
2.6
International Students
International students seem to be satisfied with their integration and their expectations for the
course seem to have been met. Some concern was raised regarding their fees as they perceived
that the agreed fee structure had changed as they progressed through college. This may be due to
the changing costs of accommodation rather than to the actual tuition fees being varied. We
would recommend that a transparent fee statement be produced and issued to students prior to
their arrival and that if possible that fees for accommodation should also be clarified in advance.
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2.7
Learning Support
The approachability of staff and their willingness to help students requiring additional support is well
above and beyond the call of duty.
Students greatly appreciate the help offered by the Library but feel that greater resources need to
be put in place to meet the needs of increased numbers of students in recent years. Access to databases,
greater provision of modern language material, more text books, further space provision and the ability to
connect to power points in the Library, were all identified by the students as being of immediate concern
to them in accessing relevant information and in preparing their assignments, reports and theses.
Formal Learning supports are provided by the Librarian who has no formal training in this area
and is not allocated a budget for this activity. Access to expertise at NUI Galway should be provided in
this key area at the earliest opportunity.
2.8
Industry
Support from industry partners is strong and this is apparent through quality placement opportunities and
the investment industry partners have made in upgrading facilities in the College. The “Shannon family”
referred to by one student leads to opportunities to raise funds for development in the future.
The existence of class patrons for each year is an excellent initiative and seems to work well by
offering students a direct link to industry and good role models for them to emulate in the future. Shannon
appears to be well branded and highly respected within the industry.
2.9
Student Feedback
Students felt that staff took appropriate action on student surveys and that staff were always responsive to
student feedback. The role, function and purpose of the Class Representatives and Student Council should
however be reviewed in order to develop one transparent and effective system for communication and
formal training should be offered to each Class Representative.
3
Scholarship and Research
Staff need to be supported to be fully aware of developments in their subject area. To do this they need to
be helped to attend appropriate professional conferences and events. Financial assistance should be made
available for such professional development.
Equally important is the area of research both in terms of higher degrees and published output.
Once the integration with NUI Galway is complete, the progression of individual members of staff will be
dependent on the excellence of their teaching (60%), their contribution to scholarship and research (20%)
and their contribution to the wider community (20%). Therefore staff must be encouraged and supported
to develop all three areas while realising that the area of research (higher degrees, contribution to
scholarship and published research) must now be targeted in particular, but proportionally.
There is no great sense of collegiality among staff and several members of staff referred to themselves as
‘Sole Traders’, meaning that they have no one with a common discipline background with whom to share
academic interests or pedagogic matters. This is a great shameand as previously suggested, a plan must be
developed to allow for the full integration of staff from Shannon with other staff with a similar discipline
focus
at
NUI
Galway.
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4
The Present Position and the Future
4.1
Plans
The advantage of the link with NUI Galway (in existence since 1991) is significant given the
recent dissolution of DAA and the current plans to integrate Shannon with NUI Galway. Because
of this the College no longer has a Board and currently finds itself in a difficult decision making
and planning position. This will not be resolved until the link with Aer Rianta is fully dissolved,
property issues are clarified, and the ground cleared to advance the integration. Discussion with
the senior management of NUI Galway revealed that this integration is likely to continue to take
time and that a realistic target date for integration will not be prior to September 2008. The
intervening period can and should however be used to develop clear operational plans for
integration and to train staff in the use of NUI Galway systems, policies and procedures. It may
also be possible to transfer several of the administrative systems before full integration and it
should be feasible to facilitate joint staff meetings to remove the current sense of isolation being
experienced by some academic staff.
4.2
Progress
The Review Group was impressed with the progress made under current aims and objectives and
with the well rounded development of students during their time at the Shannon College of Hotel
Management. It noted that considerable progress had been made in attracting Irish students to the
College and that a high conversion rate from first preference applications to enrolment was being
achieved. Retention rates also appear to be very good.
4.3
Physical and Technical Resources
Student Residences are dislocated from the academic campus. This causes some disadvantages
over the use of study facilities and may also be causing a loss of a sense of community.
However the current location of first year students is reported to be satisfactory and later years
would also like the opportunity of living in the same place, where sports and recreational
facilities are also available. There were some issues reported relating to the timing and
availability of transport.
The College has many fine resources at its disposal particularly in terms of the recent
building which is bright and airy with a fine atrium, and provides well equipped classrooms,
theatres, language laboratory, library, offices etc. Lacking however in the new building, are
social facilities for staff and students and both groups see this as having a large negative impact
on their experience of daily life in the College. Students, in particular, are disadvantaged in that
they do not have access to tea and coffee making facilities, vending machines or a common room
where they can meet.
1. The Library is greatly under resourced in terms of space, IT and material budgets. Further
provision must be made to provide additional laptop power points both in the library and
elsewhere in the College
2. Poor printing facilities are a source of concern for students.
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5
Concluding Remarks and Recommendations
The Shannon College of Hotel Management has a unique ethos and culture that should be
preserved into the future regardless of integration and accommodation issues. The maintenance
of this will require strong management and high levels of industry involvement.
Full integration with NUI Galway requires the early development of an integration plan
covering all areas of policy, teaching, research and administration. The development of this plan
will require the establishment of a working party including representatives from all sectors of
Shannon and at least one senior representative from NUI Galway.
The Quality Review Group recognises the lack of capital investment and support and
acknowledges the negative impact and frustration this is having on staff who in some cases are
lacking appropriate teaching aids and essential materials. In order to help to address this issue
and to prepare for the future, the college management should develop transparent processes for
the request and allocation of resources.
Recommendations
 The Review Group feels that it is imperative that the College form a Collaborative
Transitional Panel that facilitates partnership and communication between NUI Galway
and Shannon College. The panel should consist of teaching staff and administration staff
from both organisations. The purpose of this panel would be to develop an integration plan
and to communicate this plan to all stakeholders.
 In order that the use of existing resources and, in particular the acquisition of teaching and
office materials, is equitably and transparently managed, a formal system for requesting
class materials should be developed and clear criteria for prioritising their procurement be
drawn up. This could form part of the annual or periodic budgeting process. This will
also provide the management team with a listing of required teaching resources that could
be presented to those wishing to provide sponsorship.
 All staff should fully understand that their remuneration will improve as a result of the
merger with NUI Galway, but care needs to be taken to ensure that all terms and
conditions between the two institutions will be equitable after full integration. They must
be equally aware of the new demands this will place on them in terms of postgraduate
qualifications and academic research.
 In addition to teaching in their own professional areas, staff are required to undertake a
range of administrative and other duties. This may mean that some staff have high
workloads. These workloads may need careful examination in the light of parity with other
university and third level teachers.
 Management should attempt to explore the impact of the merger on administrative work
and job responsibilities and to communicate this to the appropriate staff as soon as
possible.
 A common area should be provided for College staff.
 The College should review the role, function, effectiveness and development of student
representation, including student class representatives and the student council.
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 The college could consider making the purchase of laptops a recommendation for all
students, especially as direct access to on-line learning resources would alleviate problems
with limited library resources.
 A common area for students should be provided.
 An IT system that allows real-time access to files would help with timely execution of
billing and student accounts, thus making the organisation more efficient.
 The Review Group feel that the current annual Library budget of approximately €19,000 is
completely insufficient. The group recommend that this budget is increased.
 The Placement Officer should be advised to join an association of placement officers so
that current best practice in methods of assessing and administrating placements can be
shared.
 A policy or contract should be developed that explicitly states the minimum requirements
and expectations for the placement experience, i.e., rotations through departments and
terms and conditions of employment. The real and extensive work that occurs through
placements is recognised as an essential part of the Shannon education experience and yet
it is significantly undervalued in terms of its quantitative contribution to the final award. A
formal set of learning outcomes should be developed to enable a more realistic and
transparent assessment of this learning, and the impact of this learning on the final
classification of award should be increased.
 Because of the concentration and energy needed to successfully absorb language tuition
such classes should ideally be offered in the early morning or early afternoon slots.
 The College should consider installing a digital satellite dish for extra curricular language
practice and comprehension.
 The College should investigate and purchase technology systems including the use of
contemporary property management systems and point of sales software. We suggest they
support this investment with class time and training.
 Pursue the opportunities that exist with the integration with NUI Galway in terms of
library material and resources.
 Recent research support has proved successful in terms of encouraging staff to obtain
Masters qualifications. However, resources and time allowances for staff development and
research are poor and this may limit the ability of some staff to be successful in obtaining
further and higher qualifications in the future. This situation may also generate a lack of
parity with colleagues post NUI Galway integration.
 In order to facilitate this change, the College should consider developing a Research
Strategy.
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Comments on the Methodology of the Review Process
The attempt to integrate this report with the headings provided in the self-assessment document
has created a considerable degree of repetition, and it may have been better to encourage the
group to state its five or six principal concerns (as stated in the exit meeting), and then to list
secondary issues. It is also unfortunate that a review of this nature tends to focus attention on
negative issues, for in the case of Shannon College of Hotel Management, there is a very great
deal to be positive about.
Every member of the review group would like to wish the college and its staff and
students the very best for its future and especially wishes it a successful and rapid full integration
with NUI Galway.
Mr Donagh Davern (Chair)
Prof. Peter Jenner
Dr. Stuart Jauncey
Prof. Catherine O’Brien
Dr. Martina Prendergast (Rapporteur)
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(19th June, 2007).
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