Stakeholder-centered development of new curriculum content in higher education: a case study in creating a course on the green and digital transformation of SMEs

Universities should increasingly collaborate with industries and international counterparts to meet the needs of students, businesses and other stakeholders. However, the literature has not provided a comprehensive response to these aspects of curriculum development. This study has two objectives: to propose a method of curriculum content development in higher education according to the stakeholder-centered quality assurance model, and to verify this method based on a case study of a course on green and digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as a new development trend. Based on the collaboration of institutions from five EU countries, including faculties and students from four universities, representatives of SMEs, non-governmental organization and quality assurance institution, a curriculum development process is proposed, and tested, then, its implications are discussed. Including the perspectives of different international stakeholders, and integrating qualitative and quantitative methods, the process of curriculum content development is created. It consists of three stages: (1) the initial content proposition, (2) the initial modules and units proposals, and (3) the final curriculum content. This process benefits from considering the viewpoints of diverse educational stakeholders and ensuring international consistency in curriculum content. While testing this process, the program content in the field of green and digital transformation of SMEs is created, divided into four education modules, each consisting of three units, with all together 29 topics. Both the process of developing new curriculum content and the program for the green and digital transformation of SMEs can be implemented in business higher education context.