Some thoughts on teaching ...

Like I mentioned up front, teaching was not what I had in mind when it was time to say goodbye to high school.  It took one "Aha" moment for me to realize where my path would lead me after looking back on an array of experiences in the travel industry.   I believe that your teaching style is greatly influenced by past teachers you had through school, college and in life.  Unfortunately, the "bad" ones come to mind immediately, but thankfully also all the outstanding good ones.  As every teacher would tell you, you try to pick the best from both groups - how to teach and what to avoid.

My favourite part is when I can take students out of the classroom.  Nothing I can discuss in the classroom compares to the learning curve that happens when hands-on experiences are happening.  That moment when you see the lights go on is the moment when I feel "yes, that's why I do this".   It involves some risk taking (after all, taking 40+ students out of the comfort zone of the classroom is a leap of faith), some planning, but the pay-off is huge. 

Another area I like to experiment in is creating differentiated evaluations.  More when you leaf through this chapter.

What courses do I teach?

My colleague Dr. Snider keeps saying: "what course has Anke NOT taught yet?" :)  Hey, there are a still a few left, but yes, I have got a good number under my belt by now.   Here is a list of what I have taught so far:

In the Tourism Diploma Program:
Sustainable Tourism
Niche Tourism
Marketing for Tourism
Entrepreneurship
All three Selling Destinations Courses
Business Practices
Tour Guiding
Sales and Service Excellence
Careers and Certifications

In the Bachelor Degree Program:
Intro to Tourism
Canadian and International Travel
Service Quality Management