Title: The AI pedagogy dilemma: when innovation meets integrity at Kathmandu College

Authors: Shwadhin Sharma

Addresses: College of Business, California State University Monterey Bay, 100 Campus Center, Seaside, CA 93955, USA

Abstract: The rapid diffusion of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is challenging universities worldwide to redefine learning, authorship, and academic integrity. This case study examines how Kathmandu College, a mid-sized private institution in Nepal affiliated with Tribhuvan University, confronts these tensions as its Department of Data Science advocates for the formal integration of AI tools such as ChatGPT and Copilot into teaching and assessment. University administrators perceive the same tools as a threat to honesty and credibility. The disagreement exposes a governance vacuum typical of developing-country higher-education systems, where innovation outpaces institutional readiness. Drawing on the technology acceptance model (Davis, 1989), diffusion of innovations (Rogers, 2003), transformational and adaptive leadership (Bass and Riggio, 2006; Heifetz, 1994), and institutional theory (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983), the paper situates the conflict within Nepal's policy and resource constraints. It offers analytical insights into how leadership, ethics, and policy interact when universities attempt to incorporate AI responsibly.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; academic integrity; pedagogy; higher education; Nepal; digital policy; leadership.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTCS.2026.153083

International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 2026 Vol.16 No.2, pp.146 - 162

Received: 25 Oct 2025
Accepted: 07 Nov 2025
Published online: 21 Apr 2026 *

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