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The marketisation of higher education fosters the notion of students as consumers, highlighting the shifting dynamics of student–teacher relationships. This paper aims to contribute to ongoing discussions about students as consumers and their involvement in pedagogical practices. We explore students’ experiences in short-term study abroad (SA) programmes that involve collaborative learning, examining how a consumerism-oriented approach affects students’ perceptions of their pedagogical identities and student–teacher pedagogical relationships.

A qualitative exploratory study was conducted to capture students’ rich and subjective perceptions and experiences. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 15 Chinese undergraduate students who participated in a short-term SA programme at a UK university. Following data translation and transcription, a thematic analysis approach facilitated our exploration.

Chinese students engage in SA programmes as a strategic investment in personal growth and transformation, with their consumer-oriented identity fostering a mutually beneficial relationship with educators and group members. This consumer mindset appears to enhance active student engagement and, to some extent, create reciprocal student–teacher interactions through power sharing and collaborative involvement.

This study presents empirical data exploring the impact of consumer identity on the dynamics of student–teacher relationships in the SA context. It provides recommendations for implementing pedagogical approaches designed to mediate the influence of consumerism on student engagement, particularly in shaping collaborative student–teacher relationships. This study offers insights for future research on the effects of consumerism in higher education within cross-cultural contexts.

Experiential learning is considered to be a crucial factor in students' perceived learning outcomes. This study aims to explore the development of a mechanism in hospitality education and to analyze the learning outcomes (i.e. perceived quality, perceived value and learning satisfaction) using experiential learning (i.e. previous learning experience and personalized learning environment).

The course design consisted of two activities (instructing and learning activities) and three phases (before, during and after class) using the Moodle version 3.5 online platform as the educational and training site to sustain e-learning archives and activities. A longitudinal survey using a sample of 207 hospitality students in blended e-learning environment indicates positive relationships among the previously mentioned factors.

Results indicated that both previous learning experience and personalized learning environment have positive direct effects on perceived quality and perceived value, while both perceived quality and perceived value have positive direct effects on learning satisfaction. Furthermore, both perceived quality and perceived value mediate the relationship between previous learning experience and learning satisfaction, as well as the relationship between personalized learning environment and learning satisfaction.

These findings sustain the value of experiential learning, particularly the curriculum, student and faculty development in sustainable development education for hospitality.