Preparing Students for Human-Robot Collaboration

Author: Kelly O'Neill (EdD)

Date Published: November 08, 2025

Lessons from Hospitality's Digital Transformation

I recently had the chance to meet with folks at Georgian College in Barrie, Ontario. The hospitality industry's integration of robotic technology offers valuable insights for higher education administrators considering similar innovations on campus. In hotels and resorts, robots now handle repetitive, detail-oriented tasks—delivering room service, transporting meals, and providing guest information—with remarkable speed and precision. This shift is reshaping the guest experience while highlighting crucial lessons about workforce preparation.

Rather than replacing human workers, this technological evolution is redefining their roles. As routine tasks become automated, the focus shifts to distinctly human capabilities: empathy, adaptability, and interpersonal communication. Hospitality guests increasingly seek authentic connections and memorable experiences that only skilled human staff can deliver, even when working alongside robotic systems.

Reimagining course curricula

This transformation is prompting forward-thinking hospitality educators to reimagine their curricula, moving beyond transactional skills toward advanced relationship-building and service excellence. With much of the guest journey occurring on digital platforms, the real value staff provide comes through exceptional, memorable interactions that exceed expectations. In an industry built on service reputation, these high-touch skills have become essential.

Arthemise Lalonde, the Program Coordinator for their Hospitality - Hotel and Resort Operations Management Diploma, leads the program after 20 years in hotel operations management. From the Georgian College website, their course already includes access to new technologies:

From day one, you’ll learn by doing—cooking and serving in a live campus restaurant, managing guest check-ins with hotel software, and visiting top regional resorts on exciting field trips. You’ll also complete a paid 560-hour co-op, connecting you directly with employers. Highlights include live training in restaurant, housekeeping, and front desk operations ... Learn from experienced professors and gain tech-driven training with tools used by major hotel brands.

The hospitality sector demonstrates that successful public area mobile robot (PMR) integration requires preparing students for collaborative environments where humans and machines each contribute unique strengths. The future belongs to graduates who can navigate both technological systems and human connections with equal skill.

Robots on Campus: Discovery Session

Student Affairs professionals, please join us online at the Communities in Focus Summit  November 18-20, hosted by the Canadian Association of College and University Services. Together with Lee St James, URF's Managing Director, I'll be presenting on Day 2 (November 19th) at 1:45pm: "Robots on Campus: A Discovery Session"