A Study of Higher Education Curriculum and Instruction in Response to Demand of Knowledge and Skills for the Future Food Industry

Abstract

Thailand is continuing to experience a vertical and horizontal mismatch between educational provision and demand of the labor market due to ineffective labor supply management of the higher education sector.

The country’s investment in education is subsequently in vain. Therefore, the objectives of this research are 1) to analyze higher education curricula and professional standards that are related to the Future Food Industry; 2) to analyze the relevance of those curricula and professional standards to knowledge and skills that are demanded by the Future Food Industry; and 3) to offer recommendations regarding curriculum development and measures, mechanisms, or systems needed for developing knowledge and skills of higher education graduates to thrive in this disruptive era.

Research methods included analysis of Program Specification of 115 relevant curricula, semi-structured interviews with three experts, and focus group interviews with 12 key informants by integrating nominal group technique and card sort technique. The curricula documents were analyzed by content analysis and descriptive statistics while the primary data from key informants were analyzed by thematic analysis.

Although the research revealed several enablers of those curricula, several weaknesses were observed. Considering the relevance of curriculum objectives, name of offered courses, course descriptions, PLO, and related professional standards to the demand of knowledge and skills for the Future Food Industry, the expected match has been found the most at course descriptions. Bachelor’s degree curricula can well respond to the demand of the Future Food Industry in terms of food science while graduate degree curricula can well respond in terms of food technology and innovation. However, food design ability is neglected in curricula at all degree levels.

This research suggested that higher education curricula should be adjusted by reducing irrelevant courses. They should be more personalized and prepare students for diverse job positions. Thinking skills and soft skills should be curricula’ prime attention. It is important to create a guidance system that helps students to find their interests and potentials. Curricula should also develop collaborations with the industry. At the macro level, the Thailand Qualification Framework for Higher Education should be more flexible and should tailor to the demand of students and the rapidly changing circumstances. Ultimately, lecturers should be developed both in terms of qualifications and competencies to be in parallel with global changes.