Transforming Teaching Practice into Blended Learning: A Case Study on the Role of Values and Influence

This chapter explores the impact of values and influence on the success of designing and implementing a new blended learning concept for the module Cleaning Services Management in the bachelor’s programme in Facility Management at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences. This new concept focuses on the potential to improve blended learning concepts within higher education. This chapter will discuss a case study that is based on a learning sequence of eight units, where students were tasked with developing a cleaning concept using project-based learning and is characterised by an intuitive writing narrative based on experiences, as well as on critical peer feedback. The findings reveal that personal values and traditional power-play in higher education impact effectiveness in both positive and negative ways because they influence underlying driving principles which one cannot easily change. Therefore, the approach to a change intervention should involve more than only the tangible concept. This chapter sheds light on the practical implications of values and influence and therefore also student-focused learning in Hospitality Management. The insights gained will assist stakeholders in designing and implementing new learning concepts in a more successful way.