National University of Laos Curriculum Development

There is support in Laos, both at central and provincial levels, to upgrade the curricula of the National University of Laos that relates to the sustainable management of wetlands and aquatic resources.

Lao government staff want to see improvements at the BSc level and the development of an MSc curriculum. There is a clear demand and Activities in this group are designed to complement existing initiatives by AIT and other academic institutions, programs and projects already working with NUOL. AIT’s experience in providing support to university capacity development programs shows that it is important to ensure the effort can be justified in terms of where graduates from an academic program end up. WAP support for improvement in NUOL curricula must be complemented by tracer studies of where students work after graduation.

AIT will establish a field presence in Laos through the Aqua Outreach Program, which will function as a point of contact and information about AIT as well as a focal point for the coordination and facilitation of AIT activities in Laos.

This initiative has a high level of support from the Ministry of Education, who want to work with AIT on the development of a joint MSc between AIT and the NUOL. AIT School of Management has already made advances in this area by teaching some of their courses in Vientiane.