The role of university–industry partnership in innovative curriculum development: A case study of South African universities in the fourth industrial revolution

This study was motivated by the need to strategically implement changes propelled by the advent of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) to meet the increasing demand for theoretical skills required by industries for regional and global competitiveness through a university–industry partnership among South African universities. A total of 22 out of 26 South African Universities were purposefully selected for the study. A survey design was adopted in which a structured online interview was conducted with 70 out of 188 Deans/Executive Deans of faculties through the Microsoft Teams and Zoom platforms. The results show that most of the academic faculties had implemented the specific guidance provided by industry partners and relevant associations into the curriculum for teaching and learning at the faculty level. However, only 18% of the Deans/Executive Deans had the 4IR as a separate strategy formulated in their institutions, while about 30% of faculty Deans/Executive Deans had 4IR strategies integrated into the existing institutional strategy. Further findings revealed the unwillingness of the faculties of Engineering and the Built Environment and the faculty of science to embrace any form of institutional guidelines for responding to evolutionary change and for implementing the 4IR in their activities. They preferred to remain open to innovation and respond in the best way possible rather than being stiffened by organizational policy.