Erasmus+ project „Key Skills for European Union Hotel
Staff”
(Project No: 2014-1-HR01-KA2014-007224)
Pedagogical and Technological Guidelines
Authors:
Erna Vöröš (researcher, project manager, Ekonomska šola Murska Sobota)
Dejan Petje (technical personnel, Ekonomska šola Murska Sobota)
Manuela Menolascina (teacher, IPSSA NINO BERGESE)
April 2015 – October 2015
O2 project activity
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects
the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.
Page 1
Contributors
Hilarija Lozančić Benić (Croatia, TUSDU)
Marina Kristić-Kulušić (Croatia, TUSDU)
Gordana Vučurović (Croatia, TUSDU)
Manuela Menolascina (Italy, IPSSA NINO BERGESE)
Pellizzari Simona (Italy, IPSSA NINO BERGESE)
Prof. Palermo Pierpaolo (Italy, IPSSA NINO BERGESE)
Dr. Ineta Luka, professor (Latvia, Turiba University)
Valerija Malavska (Latvia, Turiba University)
Sandra Smilga (Latvia, Turiba University)
Anda Komarovska (Latvia, Turiba University)
Sundars Vaidesvarans (Latvia, Turiba University)
Dr. Zsuzsanna Ajtony (Romania, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania)
Zsuzsánna Dégi (Romania, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania)
Árpád Kémenes (Romania, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania)
Dr. Enikő Pál (Romania, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania)
Dr. Enikő Tankó (Romania, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania)
Dr. Erika Tódor (Romania, Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania)
Erna Vöröš, (Slovenia, Ekonomska šola Murska Sobota)
Dejan Petje (technical personnel, Ekonomska šola Murska Sobota)
Karina Kreslin Petković, (Slovenia, Ekonomska šola Murska Sobota)
Cvetka Mencigar Rituper, (Slovenia, Ekonomska šola Murska Sobota)
David Sephton (United Kingdom, Primrose Publishing Ltd)
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects
the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.
Page 2
Plan
Introduction
Course Methodology
Technological Platform
Technological Guidelines
Introduction
Linguistic and cultural diversity is one of the EU's major assets but probably also its main
challenge. Nowadays, the growing mobility of the labour market and the ongoing process of
globalisation require enhanced skills in languages other than one's mother tongue.
Furthermore, the serious economic crisis which has affected most European countries for nearly
a decade is leading a very high number of young, educated people to leave their home
countries to seek jobs abroad. A lot of these youngsters, however, experience difficulties as far
as the linguistic and cultural adaptation to the foreign professional environment is concerned.
How can we help language learners?
Teaching a foreign language is always a challenge. It is not only about adapting the source
language to the structures of the foreign language but it also requires familiarity with the cultural
background of the foreign people whose language is learnt (their customs, habits and attitude to
life)
The specificities of teaching a foreign language to hotel staff and / or in hotel and catering
schools
It has been observed that the process of learning and acquisition of a second language in a
professional school / environment strongly differs from more generic education pathways. When
teaching a language with professional purposes it is essential to work on motivation. People
choosing a professional education course of study need to be confronted with the practical
implications of the subject they are learning. Therefore, language teachers should place
particular emphasis on the way in which learning a foreign language may help the student's
future career.
It is worth motivating the learners on the level of the awareness of getting a better job (well-paid
and / or in a more stimulating environment) thanks to the knowledge of one or more foreign
languages. As well as motivation, ambition is a key factor in the learning and acquisition of a
foreign language and it has been demonstrated that learners show a growing interest in the
subject if they are made acquainted with the career opportunities that the fluency in a foreign
language may offer.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects
the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.
Page 3
On the level of methodology teaching a foreign language with professional purposes represents
a further challenge. In this case, language is not the final goal but rather a medium to achieve
all the communicative and operational skills required to get into the job market.
In an English course aimed at tourism and catering students, for instance, the focus should be
on effective communication and teaching methods should be mainly target-oriented.
Consequently, the approach we have chosen to use in the KeySkills4EUHotelStaff project is
inductive (or bottom -up). This means that learners will be first confronted with professional
situations and once they have become familiar with the linguistic clichés of those situations,
they will be “induced” to theory and grammatical structures.
Course Methodology
The purpose of the project is to provide students and people employed in the hospitality and
tourism industry with appropriate material for their everyday work tasks and the target is A2 and
B1 level according to the Common European Framework or Reference for Languages.
The skills that have to be attained according to the CEFR for A2 and B1 are:
RANGE
A2
Uses basic sentence patterns with
memorised phrases, groups of a few
words and formulae in order to
communicate limited information in
simple everyday situations.
ACCURACY
Uses
some
simple
structures
correctly, but still systematically
makes basic mistakes.
FLUENCY
Can make him/herself understood in
very short utterances, even though
pauses, false starts and reformulation
are very evident.
INTERACTION
Can answer questions and respond
to simple statements. Can indicate
when he/she is following but is rarely
able to understand enough to keep
conversation going of his/her own
accord.
Can link groups of words with simple
connectors like ‘and’, ‘but’ and
‘because’.
COHERENCE
B1
Has enough language to get by, with
sufficient vocabulary to express him/
herself with some hesitation and
circumlocutions on topics such as
family, hobbies and interests, work,
travel, and current events.
Uses reasonably accurately a
repertoire
of
frequently
used
‘routines’ and patterns associated
with more predictable situations.
Can keep going comprehensibly,
even though pausing for grammatical
and lexical planning and repair is very
evident,
especially
in,
longer
stretches of free production.
Can initiate, maintain and close
simple face-to-face conversation on
topics that are familiar or of personal
interest. Can repeat back part of what
someone has said to confirm mutual
understanding.
Can link a series of shorter, discrete
simple elements into a connected,
linear sequence of points.
Source: CEFR, Table 3: Common Reference Levels: qualitative aspects of spoken language use, p.28-29
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects
the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.
Page 4
As people employed in the hospitality and tourism industry and students studying in this field
are the target group of this project it is clear that oral production and spoken interaction is the
most important skill as they will have to take part in transactions, casual conversations, informal
discussions, interviews, negotiations and similar. Another important view is aural reception or
listening skill as obviously speaking does not function without listening, especially when work
tasks are mainly based on conversations or dialogues. In a working environment such as a
hotel or a restaurant, spoken production will not be satisfactory if listening comprehension is
weak. If, for example, a receptionist does not understand what a hotel guest asks, he will not be
able to reply in a proper way. Or, if a waiter in a restaurant does not understand what a guest
wants, the conversation will not be very successful or satisfying for neither of them.
Besides speaking and listening skills also reading and writing skills are important. Everyday
tasks of people working in this industry involve reading emails, business correspondence and
reports. Moreover, people employed in the hotel, catering and tourism industry also need writing
skills when they need to answer emails or other business correspondence, confirm bookings,
answer enquiries, pass and exchange notes or memos and similar.
People working in the tourism and hospitality industry need to develop key knowledge such as
culture general and specific knowledge to perform their work tasks in a proper way and to
satisfy the tourists’ needs. They also need to develop key skills such as language skills,
listening skills, information-gathering skills and problem-solving skills as these are skills very
much needed in their field of work. Also key attitudes such as respect, open-minded, curiosity
and empathy are important when working in the tourism industry as people from all over the
world, from different cultures and traditions meet and cooperate.
Taking all these descriptions in consideration we have created a course which included all the
above mentioned elements, different tasks such as simulations, role play, classroom
interactions and similar, goals, input and outcomes, activities, roles, monitoring and evaluation
as suggested in the CEFR on page 55.
In the A2/B1 Joint Course Syllabus produced within the project there is a more detailed
description of the course syllabus with the topics and goals of the course, the intercultural
competence to achieve, the predicted learning outcomes and the methods applied listed in the
table “Table with course content”. In the additional table “Course syllabus – literature” the
literature and online-resources suggested for the course are listed.
Technological Platform
To attain learning outcomes it is essential to design a learning management system (LMS) that
handles all aspects of the learning process. The most popular and common LMS is Moodle
because of its accessibility. Its open source nature makes it very easy to customize and brand.
Its advantages are free and simple use and as the most popular tool among teachers and
students it is well-known in the learning and teaching field. Moodle enables fast searching for
web content and materials connected to the learning topics or subjects. It integrates interactive
activities combining simulations, short videos, virtual experiments, games and more, in order to
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects
the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.
Page 5
enhance interactive learning based. It offers multiple forms of data retention, communications
and course delivery and enables designers to use a whole array of learning models that
overcome the classic training routines and obstacles. It features a completely customizable wiki
system, forums, resource indexes, and multimedia course models that can be completely
reshaped depending on the style and materials the instructor wishes to use.
It is possible to share courses and work in a team. Peer and self-assessment is possible and
workshops and surveys encourage learners to view, grade and assess and work as a group.
When solving different tasks learners can monitor their progress by checking their score of
points and track their progress and success with a variety of options for tracking individual
performance. The score of points can be also checked by teachers so they can monitor the
students’ progress. Grades are automatically tallied, tracked and logged as well.
The platform created supports the language learners’ and teachers’ needs, including preparing
online blended courses with materials that can be downloaded, preparing guided dialogues to
listen with different tasks concerning hotel and catering situations for different accommodation
and facilities, preparing tasks to enrich the professional vocabulary and so on.
Technological Guidelines
ACCESS TO THE E-LEARNING PLATFORM
You can access the E-learning platform on the URL: http://esolams.si/elearning/
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects
the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.
Page 6
START PAGE
USER LOGIN
PROJECT WEB PAGE
MAIN TOPICS
ALL TOPICS
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held
responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Page 7
LOGIN TO THE PLATFORM
You will find the LOGIN button in the right top corner on the start page. Click on it. A login
window will open. Type in your login data and click on the arrow. The start page will appear
again.
Test
Username: user
Password: user
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects
the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.
Page 8
CHOOSING A TOPIC
a) On the start page we choose among 6 main topics: Hotel reception, Restaurant, Hotel
Business centre, Restaurant kitchen, City and Management offices. Clicking on them
will lead you to flags of 12 different countries and their languages.
b) Click on the language you would like to learn, practise or improve. Clicking on a flag
will lead you to study material and exercises in the chosen language.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication]
reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be
made of the information contained therein.
Page 9
USING THE STUDY MATERIAL AND/OR TASKS
Basic view
Forum
The user can make comments on
the chosen topic or point out
mistakes in the tasks.
Study material
All the study material for a chosen
topic is available in word or pdf
format.
Online tasks
These are tasks connected to the
chosen topic. The user gains a
score and grade after finishing
them.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication]
reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be
made of the information contained therein.
Page 10
SOLVING TASKS
How to start
a) Click on the Exercises button marked with an orange arrow.
b) To start solving the quiz click on the ˝Attempt quiz now˝ button. There is no time limit
for solving the quiz.
Basic view of the quiz
Start solving the quiz. When you come to the end of the first set of questions, click on the
NEXT button to get to the next set of questions.
Question menu
Information
Question
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication]
reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be
made of the information contained therein.
Page 11
How to finish
After solving all questions a confirmation window opens. If you want to check your answers
again, choose the ˝Return to attempt” button. If you want to check your answers and your
score click on the ˝Submit all and finish˝ button.
Correct answers are coloured green. Wrong answers are coloured red.
Final grade
Correct answer
Wrong answer
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication]
reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be
made of the information contained therein.
Page 12
Types of tasks
There are four main types of tasks. Multiple choice exercises where you have to find the correct
answer among three given options. True or false statement exercises that you have to check
according to the given text. Matching exercises where you choose from a drop-down menu.
Gap-fill exercises where you choose the missing words from a given list.
There are different tasks for the different topics. The topics Hotel reception and Restaurant offer
quizzes with multiple-choice answers. The topic Hotel Business centre offers various texts with
true / false statements. The topic Restaurant kitchen offers matching exercises using a dropdown menu. The topic Management Offices offers a mix of all types of exercises – multiple
choice, true / false statements, gap-fill and matching. The topic City is different from other topics
as it offers three different maps – village, seaside and ski resort – instead of texts (see e – map
exercise). The types of tasks are gap-fill and multiple choices.
a) multiple choice
b) true or false
c) matching
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects
the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.
Page 13
d) gap fill
e) map exercise
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects
the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the
information contained therein.
Page 14