COLLEGE DURING COVID Why This New Generation of Event Management Grads May Be More Prepared Than Ever

By Tim Otteman, Ed. D & Lori Irwin, Ed.D.

While the entire world has been impacted by COVID-19, higher education is no exception. Students, faculty, staff and administrators are not only dealing with the health and safety concerns associated with the virus but are also attempting to manage the myriad of challenges related to the “new normal” of life within a pandemic. But there may be an unforeseen benefit for students enrolled in event management programs during this health crisis – they may be even more prepared to enter the profession due to the change in teaching methodologies and practical experiences. This case study article will highlight the modifications made to curriculum and internships and resulting successes within the recreation and event management (REM) program at Central Michigan University (CMU), a 2019 IFEA Gold Pinnacle recipient.

As the whispers of the virus began to leak into our everyday conversations early in 2020, it hit home at Central Michigan University on March 11th as the university announced that it would be moving to remote learning after the spring break holiday. At this point, eight weeks of the semester had been completed via traditional in-seat delivery. Initially publicized as a one-week online adjustment, eventually the entire Spring, 2020 semester was shifted to an online format.

Pivoting Content Delivery and Outcomes

Due to the switch to an online platform, there was a huge pivot in how to effectively provide important deliverables and outcomes in core and elective classes such as programming, risk management, budgeting and funding, tourism, marketing, meeting and convention planning and managerial issues. As these courses were designed to be delivered in a classroom, with a heavy emphasis on group work and hands on, practical experiences, the biggest challenge was how to accomplish this without losing quality and with less than a week to prepare.

With an intentional examination of each course, we really focused on eliminating non-essential material and concentrated on how to emphasize the key content remaining in the semester. For example, we utilized the Lightboard Maker Space, a self-booking, user guided recording studio located within our Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support. This allowed us to create unique videos from old lectures and embed whiteboard style content within PowerPoint presentations to deliver class material in a more interactive and entertaining way and also in “weekly real time” as things constantly changed due to the progression of the virus.

We also adapted the outcomes of courses to fit an online format more effectively. In our meeting and convention planning class, the final project is normally a 60-minute professional presentation delivered by a group of five students in a 200-seat lecture hall. This presentation highlights every component of a national/ international convention they have planned from an assigned request for proposal such as host city and hotel; theme, logo, slogan and tagline; registration procedures; gala dinner and keynote speaker; exposition hall; educational sessions; sightseeing tours and convention guide. The modification we implemented was 1) a choice of a 60 minute video replicating the presentation, 2) a “screenplay” of the presentation with scene settings, specific dialogue, assigned “actors” and performance timings or 3) a complete registration website with additional “instructor tabs” to explain how the content would have been delivered in the presentation.

While these types of approaches did take a substantial amount of additional time to produce and deliver, the outcomes surely proved to be worth the effort. Students constantly commented how important these instructor-recorded videos were in keeping them focused on learning and also how it made them still feel connected to their classmates, faculty and department due to the creativity and practicality of the videos and the flexibility in completing capstone projects. Not only did they learn and retain the material, they produced high quality products in courses across the curriculum.

But some of the most important take aways were related to the critical soft skills students learned through this forced pivot. Students truly wanted to achieve their course outcomes and experiences in spite of the pandemic and they showed resiliency, adaptability, attention to detail, perseverance and adherence to excellence in the face of not only an international health crisis, but also through a major disruption to a learning model they have followed since kindergarten. We cannot imagine a better learning outcome for undergraduate event management students than being able to pivot at a moment notice and being highly proficient in “adjusting on the fly.”

Face to Face and HyFlex Platforms

As the university prepared for the Fall, 2020 semester, the goal was to make every effort for a traditional face-to-face delivery, but with a variety of options to insure maximum flexibility for students. CMU settled on the HyFlex model developed by Brian Beatty at San Francisco State University and started the semester two weeks early. In the simplest terms, HyFlex is a course design and delivery model that brings together in-person, classroom-based instruction and synchronous (real-time) internet-based instruction (Beatty, 2019). The largest benefit of this model for students was they could opt in and out of in-seat learning for any reason because each class was also being live streamed to anywhere with an internet connection.

Each campus classroom was retrofitted with new cameras, microphones and speakers with room size and function helping determine the types of upgrades needed. Tables and chairs were removed and replaced with chairs with arm desks, classroom capacities were reconfigured for the social distancing and Plexiglas screens were placed on teaching stations. Students were required to wear face coverings in all building on campus and faculty were instructed to teach in masks or face shields. Cleaning and sanitizing products were provided for students and faculty to individually clean desks before each class.

Based on valuable lessons learned in the Spring, 2020 semester, many methodological changes were adapted for Fall, 2020 implementation. New technologies were employed to engage students such as iPhones, laptops and handheld, portable cameras to film programs and small group facilitation. Group work, a staple of many core classes as we try and replicate real-life work and committee structures was reimagined using online platforms within and outside of scheduled class time.

In our 400-level programming class, students are traditionally placed in groups of four to five and have to plan a campus or community event, partner with a charity, execute the event and donate the proceeds of the event to that charity affiliate. Included in the planning of the event are mission statement, goals and objectives; estimated and actual animation plans; marketing strategies; risk management accountability; revenue and expense budgets; sponsorships; evaluation and self-reflection. The adjustment for the Fall, 2020 semester was altering the course and instruction to produce fully virtual events. Students were now learning to better acknowledge return on investments via social media platforms for sponsorships, animation strategies for creating and maintaining energy in shorter bursts of engagement, risk management plans that included pandemic language and tech support over facility walk throughs and equipment checks.

Again, the important take aways were hard skills learned in the in-seat/live streamed classroom, but also the soft skills acquired through implementation. While this generation of college students is very adept with technology, this pivot forced them to be even more aware of ways to effectively utilize communication (Zoom, WebEx, Microsoft Teams, Google Docs, etc.), social media and storage platforms. It has forced them think of the world of events not just as they experienced them in the past, but how they may be encountering them in the present and future and how that may be more challenging and difficult for consumers to accept. It forced them to work more independently with a greater sense of personal responsibility for not only their learning, but also with outcomes and experience they could take immediately from college directly into internships and post-graduation jobs.

Modifying and Emphasizing Internships

While the most challenging initially, our success in maintaining quality internships may be the most rewarding result of our efforts. The REM program at CMU has the only 30-week, 30 credit, 40 hours per week (1,200 hours) recreation and event management internship program in the United States. Interns have the option to do 30 weeks with one site or divide their internship into two 15-week experiences. They sign a Letter of Agreement with the site supervisor outlining specific foundation, program development, financial operations, management and administration, facility operations and strategic planning goals they must achieve and are assigned a faculty supervisor to academically oversee monthly progress reports, supervisor evaluations and site visits. Internships traditionally follow academic calendars with placements from January through August, May through December or September through May mirroring the three CMU graduation dates.

With internships during this pandemic, several modifications have been implemented to help students stay on track to graduation while maintaining the quality of the internship as the last educational stop before becoming a practicing professional. First, starting times for internships were altered due to better align with the needs of the hosting agencies. As the pandemic hit full steam in March, 2020, many sites needed to delay summer internships or suspend interns that had started in January. With the generous flexibility of students paired with their desire to want to complete their education with a quality hands-on internship experience, we modified experiences in a variety of ways:

• Delayed graduation to complete a full 30-week internship at their chosen site (i.e. - starting in Fall, 2020 with a May, 2021 graduation instead of starting in May, 2020 with a December, 2020 graduation due).

• Suspend an internship that already started and restart the 30-week clock after the site reopened (i.e. - started in January, 2020 – suspended for shutdown in March, 2020 – restarted in July, 2020 – completed and graduate in December, 2020).

• Continuation of the internship throughout the pandemic, but worked remotely connecting to the site via online platforms for video conferencing, one-on-one meetings, screen shares etc.

• Creation of academic Credit Modification Modules to replace missing weeks for students who were a handful of weeks short of the required 30 weeks. The modules allowed for an expansive review (based on number of weeks needed to complete) of rules, policies and procedures generated to deal with COVID-19 at their internship sites such as reopening procedures, welcome back events, programmatic modifications, operational changes, virtual event planning and execution, remote work culture, specific organizational needs assessments, etc.

And through this all, interns thrived! One student secured a job as the events manager of a microbrewery and accepted the position on the day she turned in her final internship paper. She received the offer because of the all virtual events she helped plan as the alumni engagement intern at CMU. Another student locked down a job at the resort she interned at in South Carolina as a recreation and fitness specialist. She got the job because she had the foresight to identify a need with gyms closing nationwide and took the time to become a certified fitness instructor to create and run daily beach workout boot camps. A third intern at an organization that produces competitive statewide competitions was charged with developing and managing their registration website for a Winter Games competition because of what she was able to show regarding registration materials from events she executed in her classes at CMU.

So, as you can see, even with the challenges of internship placement and completion during COVID-19, the successes outshined the initial hurdles. Students have learned to be more resourceful and creative in finding viable solutions to very challenging problems, have pivoted from live to virtual events and have adjusted to thinking “outside the box” instead of the “this is just how we have always done it” mentality. Can we ask or want anything more from the young professionals entering our field?

Staying Connected and Fostering Relationships

We also determined that it was super important to buoy the spirits of the current students and alumni of our program as chaos of COVID altered our world in 2020. As our ability to connect to our current and prospective students and alumni face-toface was restricted, we were challenged to come up with new ways to help maintain a culture we worked so hard to establish. To that end, we implemented a variety of new engagement techniques in 2020:

• Creation of the “TWENTY in 20 Recreation and Event Manage- ment Alumni Video Series.” These 20 videos (60-90 seconds in length) featuring REM alumni discussing their careers were created to highlight the breadth of our industry and illustrate the value of a CMU REM degree and subsequent professional path. The videos were created cooperatively by the REM faculty and alumni at no cost, the entire library is hosted on YouTube and there is a call to action to the RPL website at the end of each video.

• The Design and Delivery of Stick- ers to Current Students, Interns and Alumni of the Program. Due to the popularity of stickers (for laptops, water bottles, etc.) with the college aged population, we used a caricature of one of our faculty members with motivational phrases to let students know we were “in this together.” Students were identified via social media posts and stickers were mailed direct to their homes to celebrate graduation, applaud internship placements and bolster students who appeared to be struggling.

• New Recruitment and Retention Materials for Hard Copy and Digital Delivery. We decided to focus on the “end of rainbow” jobs versus curriculum to better explain what the industry encompasses to students and parents. These materials came in the form of:

o Pay Scale Cards which have a photo of a facet of the industry on the front and entry level salary data on the back. These are used with tabletop easels at recruitment events, shown in introductory classes, highlighted in student/parent advisor visits and sent electronically to interested parties.

o 11x17 Foldable Brochures underscoring the top 16 categories of REM industry placements along with assigned advisors and CMU RPL website information. These are also used at recruitment events, shown in introductory classes, highlighted in student/parent advisor visits and sent electronically to interested parties.

o Social Media Posts showing success throughout the spectrum of our program such the REM Alumni Video Series, awards and acknowledgements, “Where Are They Now” alumni spotlights, etc.

All of these have proven to make students and alumni feel part of “the team” and better connected to their university, department and industry. Because of this bond and feeling of having a true academic support system, they have been more focused on completing their degrees, securing and completing quality internships and retaining a strong motivation for their next step toward entering the workforce.

Impacts for the Future

Without a doubt, the events industry has been one of the hardest hit by this global pandemic. But as this case study from CMU’s recreation and event management program illustrates, the future of the industry is in good hands. Current students and interns have not only proven to be adaptable and resilient but have experienced and embraced changes that will make them even better professionals than they would have been without the challenges presented by this virus. As our industry bounces back, and we know it will with forever altered changes and expectations, this new generation of event management graduates are more prepared than ever for whatever comes next.

REFERENCES

Beatty, B. J. (2019). Hybrid-Flexible Course Design. EdTech Books. Retrieved from https://edtechbooks.org/hyflex/

Tim Otteman, Ed.D., is a professor in the recreation and event management program in the Department of Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services Administration at Central Michigan University. He has authored several articles regarding event management and is a 2018 inductee to the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Festival Hall of Fame.

Lori Irwin, Ed.D., is an associate professor in the recreation and event management program in the Department of Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services Administration at Central Michigan University. She is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional (CPRP) through the National Recreation and Park Association and is expert in community recreation and grant writing.

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