DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR E-TOURISM

The course falls within the area of ICT technologies. Specifically, it covers the foundational notions of computer science technologies at the core of the digitalisation processes in the management of the hospitality sector, including the use of social media, online booking and travel portals.

1) Knowledge and understanding: students will develop knowledge and will understand the main digital technologies for the digitalization of processes in the hospitality sector, including the use of social media and online reservation systems.

2) Applying knowledge and understanding: the students will be able to apply algorithmic and quantitative methods for the analysis of data collected by a company or on the social media.

3) Making judgements: student will be able to choose the most appropriate method to a given problem and to evaluate its performance.

4) Communication skills: reporting a sound and comprehensive comparative analysis among different data analysis methods

5) Learning skills: being able to autonomously adopt new techniques and methods.

The student will acquire the necessary skills to:
- master the basic terminology of computer science and ICT
- understand the importance of ICT in the tourism sector
- acquire knowledge about databases and data-warehouses for the management of touristic data
- acquire the basic notions on networks, distributed systems and services, including the Web, Web search engines and social networks.

No prerequisite is required

- Digital data representation, binary encoding
- Computational thinking: problem solving, algorithms, data structures
- Operating systems (file system and directory)
- Information systems and databases
- Basics of networking and cyber-security
- The world wide web
- Social networks, web search engines, cloud platforms
- E-tourism applications.

Teaching material made available by the teacher.
Computer Science Illuminated (7e), Nell Dale, John Lewis. Jones & Barlet Learning, 2019

Optional readings:
Computational Thinking: First Algorithms, Then Code. By P. Ferragina and F. Luccio. Springer, 2018.
Zeldman, Jeffrey; Marcotte, Ethan (2009). Designing with Web Standards (3rd ed.). Berkeley: New Riders. ISBN 978-0-321-61695-1.
Computing Essentials 2021, by Timothy O'Leary, Linda O'Leary, Daniel O'Leary. McGraw Hill, ISBN10: 1260323994, ISBN13: 9781260323993, 2021.

Learning outcomes are verified by a written exam and a the discussion of a lab project.

The written exam consists in questions and short exercises regarding the theory of the subjects discussed during the course. The written exam evaluates the achievement of the learning outcomes 1, 2 and 3.

The lab project requires to implement a data analysis algorithm. Students must motivate their implementations and deliver a report, to be discussed with the teacher. The project work evaluates the achievement of learning outcomes 3, 4 and 5

The final grade is calculated as a weighted combination of the exam (70%) and project work (30%).

written

Regarding the grading scale, regardless of whether the student is attending or non-attending:

Scores in the 18–22 range will be assigned when there is:
sufficient knowledge and applied understanding of the course content;
limited ability to interpret results;
sufficient communication skills, especially in terms of command of language and technical concepts.

Scores in the 23–26 range will be assigned when there is:
fair knowledge and applied understanding of the course content;
fair ability to interpret results;
fair communication skills, especially in terms of command of language and technical concepts.

Scores in the 27–30 range will be assigned when there is:
good or excellent knowledge and applied understanding of the course content;
good or excellent ability to interpret results, especially within the framing of the hospitality sector;
good or excellent communication skills, especially in terms of command of language and technical concepts.

30 "cum laude" will be awarded in cases of excellence across all these aspects.

Frontal lectures, laboratories, and seminars