Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT as a teaching aid for front office subject in community college. Specifically, this study has three objectives, namely: (i) To identify students' perceptions of using FOTOKIT as a teaching aid for Front Office subject in community college; (ii) To determine the relationship between the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT and products assessment; (iii) To determine the differences in the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT as a teaching aid for front office subject in community college based on gender. A total of 54 respondents, the Sungai Petani Community College students were selected to answer the questions in the questionnaires distributed by the researchers. This data has been analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 21.0. The results showed that the level of perception of students on the use of FOTOKIT as a teaching aid for Front Office subject in community college was at high level (M = 4.72, SP = .31). T-test found that there was no significant difference between gender and the effectiveness of FOTOKIT as a teaching aid for Front Office subject in community college, p> .05. The Pearson Correlation Test found that there was a strong (positive) relationship between the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT with the product assessment (r = .700, p <.01). In conclusion, the innovation of FOTOKIT still can be improved in order to enhance students learning performance in Front Office subject.

Introduction

Fulfilling the requirement of hotel industry career, it demands the dynamic and skillful candidates’ especially at Front Office Department. The Front Office course offered at educational institution based on the basic procedures usually practiced at the department. For instance, taking reservation, handling check in and check out, and settling the bill. Community College in Malaysia had produced a syllabus on Front Office course based the industry requirement and workplace. This practical oriented subject consist of several important task and procedures that must be provided with teaching aids based on Front Office working environment.

Teaching aids are instructional materials for ‘hands-on’ simulation process for classroom application used and demonstrated by students based on subject requirement 1 ;2 ;3 The purpose is to enhance the skills of student on conducting the tools and improve the quality of themselves. Many researchers agreed that this activity contributes efficiency towards students that comprehend their understanding on the essential of cooperative teaching tools in class4 .

Besides, virtuous method of teaching aids will lead for better knowledge during learning and valuation process5 ;6 and lecturers who got the expertise to ensure it function efficiently 7 ; 8 . Thus, in developing skills and better attitudes, students are urged to practice their not knowing talent by applying the tools in order to meet up the level hotel industry requirement as a whole.

The lack of experienced and qualified Front Office lecturers may contribute to main problem of delivering better teaching and learning the subject. However, lecturers are the individuals who conduct the class and they will remark the learning outcomes through activities and methods used in class. In addition, through observation for example, it could help the lecturers to foresee the problem arouse and it will assist them to figure out with strategies. The effort of lecturers on innovating teaching tools are highly recommended in order to avoid boredom among student during lecture class9 .

Problem Statement

Taking reservation, handling check in and check out procedures become the toughest topics for student in Front Office subject. The lack of teaching aids in class may affect the students’ performance and their level of understanding 6 . Conservative classroom practiced by lecturers without teaching aids did not assist to enhance the capability of students on mastering the skills. Besides, long hours (6 hours) of the lecturing the topics can create boredom among students. Consequently, there are amounts of students could not perform the task during their practical training that may lead to poor perception from industry. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT as a teaching aids for front office subject in community college. In particular, this study has three objectives:

1. To identify students' perceptions of using FOTOKIT as a teaching aids for Front Office subject in community college;
2. To determine the relationship between the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT and products assessment;
3. To determine the differences in the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT as a teaching aid for Front Office subject in community college based on gender.

Literature Review

Every educators have their own skill and practice when comes to teaching. Applying different techniques and methods based on course are part of strategy to ensure those students would cope for subject teaching. The application of teaching aid would enhance the capability of students especially for subject taught which focuses on hands skill and efficiency. Therefore, western scholars urged the educators to innovate their own teaching aids with meeting up the local challenges at reasonable cost or without cost.

The scholars had defined the teaching aids as a tool to assist the students to comprehend the subject taught where it made with accessible material. The focus of developing the teaching aids are to help students for better training and achieve proficiency. As a teaching instrument especially for Front Office subject, it will increase the learning ability of students to master the process of working procedures as a result that will replicate their productivity during internship or work with industry.

In ensuring effective learning of Front Office subject, any teaching aids should not focus only towards using power point presentation, white board or projectors but introducing the usage of basic tools involved in Front Office work procedures. Lecturers’ supervision needed to guide the students to familiarize the function of teaching aids as it is a subject that apply practice and skill. The outcome based learning for Front Office subject could not achieved if the use of practical instruments or materials does not applied.

Many recent studies suggested that the materials used for teaching aid should be viable developed and innovated by constructing the idea practically for students learning process10 . Not only as an appropriate teaching aids that used by lecturers for comprehensive practical class but also as an instruments applied for spreading better learning.

Although the teaching aids contributes positive teaching and learning in class, some researchers have called into question about the constructiveness of using this materials as it does not reliably used to guide superior results of learning11;12. Consider the situation in which the learners could promptly project their self-belief in their performance with the support of training where they might not paid attention during applying the instruments13.

Henceforth, the most important is the capability of lecturers in conducting the materials that can enhance the fulfillment in classroom training. This is because Front Office lecturers can determine the competency of applying the teaching aids in Front Office simulation class. Along similar line, the main factor of operative teaching and learning development is depend on lecturers in leading the materials in creative ways and competent. According to Eraut, it means the skill of doing thing based on standard requirement. Furthermore, to have effective teaching and learning in Front Office subjects, it might not successfully completed without applying the teaching aids14. Many people assume that in developing inventive abilities and originality vision, the participation of lecturers and students are crucial in order to create innovative teaching aids15. For example, the lecturers must integrate those teaching and learning approach based syllabus in sequence of enhancing students’ skills in communication, management and common concurrently.

Early research stated that the genuine supportive learning is to help students to deliberate while lecturers monitoring the aids efficiently used instead of depending on textbook. Thus, in producing active and talented generation, lecturer have to urge the students to act productively and efficient by thinking effectually. It follows by handling practice learning with students participation in class then they would be able to magnify their thinking and practicing skills.

FOTOKIT (2 In 1) for Beginners

The benefits of implementing FOTOKIT (2 in 1) for Beginners as teaching aid is very crucial to support the knowledge of the students. It makes teaching and learning process more interactive, practical and impactful. This proven by conducting survey on students who had went through the classroom simulation by using FOTOKIT (2 in 1) for Beginners. FOTOKIT stand for Front Office Learning Tool Kit. It built with two version which manual and online based hotel system features. It is an interactive teaching aid in order to help students to get better understanding and practical training regarding reservation, check in and check out, and billing procedures.

Recent studies of education suggested that the involvement of teaching aids in the classroom would enhance the efficiency of students16. Therefore, the purpose of developing this teaching aid is because of the cost of buying hotel system is expensive. Hence, with the little budget the lecturers involved in innovating FOTOKIT (2 in 1) for Beginners. It had been implemented which is students are able to learn and work like receptionist as this teaching aid allows student to visualize the concept and practice their skill in class. Nevertheless, the teaching aids do not effective if without lecturers’ assistant. The lecturers play an important role to ensure the materials integrated well for students’ training. On the other hand, through this activity the four elements for example communication, creativity, critical thinking and cooperative skills should be highlighted in students training progress.

Figure 1.(a)Manual tool, FOTOKIT (2 in 1) for Beginners’interfaces.

Figure 2.(a)Manual tool, FOTOKIT (2 in 1) for Beginners’interfaces.

Figure 3.(b)Online tool, FOTOKIT (2 in 1) for Beginners’ interfaces.

Methodology

This is a descriptive study using quantitative approaches and data collected through questionnaires answered by respondents. The population of the study was all 4th semester students with a total of 54 students. The sample size determination in this study was based on the methods used by Krejcie and Morgan that the respondent should be at least 50 people. In this study, the data were obtained through a questionnaire which was distributed to a total of 54 students17. All 54 submissions have been received. The study was made using Likert Scale where there are five types of Likert Scale used, which are very disagreeable, disagreeable, uncertain, agreeable, and strongly agreed. The instruments used in this study were designed and reviewed by statisticians Dr. Hj Abd Latif Ahmad. Validation and reliability of questionnaires was conducted on 26 students as respondents through pilot test method. The reliability of this questionnaire was tested using Cronbach's alpha (α = .90) which is greater than α> .70. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive analysis (personal details of students such as gender), Pearson correlation analysis (relationship between the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT and product efficiencies), and t-test analysis (difference between gender and FOTOKIT effectiveness as a teaching aids for Front Office subject).

Results

Respondent Profile

Descriptive Analysis

Figure 4.DescriptiveAnalysis of the Effectiveness of using FOTOKIT

Based on Table 3, items A11 get the highest mean score (mean score = 4.85, standard deviation = 0.35). The highest second-highest score is item A9 (mean score = 4.78). Item A6 got the third highest mean score (min score = 4.76, standard deviation = 0.43). Item A10 got mean score of 4.74, A3 item (mean score = 4.72) and followed by A4 (mean score = 4.70). While items A2 and A5 got the same mean score of 4.69 and items A7 got the second lowest mean score of 4.67. Item A1 and A8 gets the same lowest mean score of 4.65. Although it gets the lowest mean score but this statement is still at a high mean level of interpretation. Overall, the mean value of the FOTOKIT effectiveness variable is 4.72. This shows that the use of FOTOKIT in reservation, check-in, check-out, billing procedures’ practice at Community College Sungai Petani is at a high level.

Figure 5.DescriptiveAnalysis of the Product Assessment - FOTOKIT

Table 4 presents data analysis for FOTOKIT product evaluation variables. Overall, the mean of all items in the variables studied is 4.69 and the average standard deviation is 0.49. This shows that students' level of product evaluation - FOTOKIT during practical work at Sungai Petani Community College is at a very satisfactory level of Item B6 to mean a high mean interpretation level of 4.76. Items B3, B1, B4, B7, B2, B8, and B5 show a very satisfactory min interpretation level of 4.74, 4.72, 4.70, 4.69, 4.67, 4.65 and 4.63 respectively.

The Relationship between the Effectiveness of using FOTOKIT with Products

The Pearson Correlation Test is used to test the relationship between the effectiveness of FOTOKIT use with the product. Table 5. shows that there is a strong (positive) relationship between the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT with the product assessment (r = .773, p <.01). This indicates that if the product does not meet the standard or student satisfaction then it will affect the effectiveness of FOTOKIT.

Figure 6.Pearsoncorrelation between the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT with products

The Difference between the Effectiveness of using FOTOKIT based on Gender

T-test is used to test the difference between the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT based on gender. Table 6 shows that there is no significant difference, p> .05 between the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT as a teaching aids for front office subject in community college. This shows that male and female students have the same perception of the efficacy of using FOTOKIT as a teaching aid for Front Office subject in community college.

Figure 7.Thedifference between gender and the effectiveness of using FOTOKIT

Discussion

The results showed that the overall mean was at a high level of 4.72. Hence, this illustrates that the use of FOTOKIT as a teaching aid for Front Office subject in community college is very appropriate. The findings also show that students strongly agree with FOTOKIT can be used repeatedly in the process of teaching and learning reservation practices, check-in, check-out and guest bills. In addition, students also strongly agree with the use of FOTOKIT can increase their confidence when conducting reservation procedures, check-in, check-out and guest bills. Furthermore, the findings also show that students strongly agree that FOTOKIT can make the process of teaching and learning for reservation practices, check-in, check-out and guest bills easily. The finding is supported by Alias et al. (2017) and Farah et al. (2018) which it stated involvement of teaching aids in the classroom would enhance the efficiency of students. With this innovative teaching aid, students also noted that their communication skills can also be improved with the use of this FOTOKIT.

Moreover, the process of teaching and learning for practice of reservation, check-in, check-out and guest bills will be more fun if FOTOKIT is used. The results showed that the overall mean for the product assessment was at a high level. From the findings, it was found that all items of the questionnaire were high mean interpretation. This suggests that product features such as easy to store, easy to use / friendly user, interesting layout design, easily modified for improvements, easy to carry everywhere, the arrangement of items in the FOTOKIT is very complete, can use at anywhere, and easy to share with other colleges will contribute to the efficiency of using FOTOKIT. In this regard, this proves that FOTOKIT is easy to use and can be used as a teaching aid for Front Office subject in community college.

Conclusion

Overall, this study suggests that the level of effectiveness of using FOTOKIT as a teaching aid for Front Office subject in community college is high. As this study is very useful for institutions in upgrading the teaching and learning process, further research is very important and useful to assist the Sungai Petani Community College Operating Unit especially in improving the quality of teaching and learning and students. Researchers recommend that the implementation of FOTOKIT should be continued to enhance the teaching and learning process.

Acknowledgement

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for profit sectors.

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