Industry involvement in curriculum development

Abstract

Tourism and hospitality management education is relatively new in Nepal, with only four major public universities offering a bachelor’s degree programme. The curriculum is generally focused on managerial training and has a business orientation. In addition, the curriculum development process in Nepal follows a standard content-based method whereby individual faculty members are assigned to develop courses based on their expertise. This process does not permit input and/or engagement from industry stakeholders, which, given the applied nature of the tourism and hospitality discipline, is a major limitation. Recently, there have been growing interactions, especially by private institutions, to develop linkages with industry with respect to internships and job placement; however, an active role in curriculum input and development is non-existent in the country. This article presents a case study of industry involvement in tourism and hospitality management curriculum development in Nepal. The author outlines the background of the partnership, the process and the final curriculum product. This project is the first case of industry involvement in curriculum development in Nepal and has significance for other such partnerships in the country.