Culture-Based Gamification for Global Education

Abstract

This chapter discusses gamification as a viable strategy to deliver tourism and hospitality management curricula effectively at a non-public Western university in Vietnam. This chapter discusses how Western tourism and hospitality curricula, which aim at developing problem-solving skills, independent thinking, and individual initiative in a global marketplace, are at odds with the education system in Vietnam, and proposes specific strategies that can be employed by global educators to bridge this gap. A case-study with upper-level tourism management Vietnamese undergraduates is presented as demonstrative of the benefits of gamification of tourism and hospitality management curriculum delivery. Knowledge of Vietnamese behavioral mores, culture, and language are highlighted as conditions for the successful implementation of gamification efforts in this educational setting. Implications for educational praxis, suggestions and recommendations for best uses, common pitfalls, and directions for future research in light of extant literature are discussed.