Shaping Future-Ready Students: Taking an Ecosystem Approach to Designing and Implementing the New Outcome-Based Education (OBE) Framework

An interview with Shalina Nandwani, AUN Programme Officer; ASEAN University Network

Shaping Future-Ready Students: Taking an Ecosystem Approach to Designing and Implementing the New Outcome-Based Education (OBE) Framework

In today’s dynamic and fast-evolving world marked by rapid technological advancements and unexpected global challenges, higher education must embrace innovative approaches and stay aligned with these conditions to prepare students for the complexities in the modern world. This includes implementing frameworks that equip students not only with specialised knowledge in their respective fields but also the resilience and adaptability needed to thrive in the face of navigating these complex circumstances, such as providing them with complementary courses to enhance their digital and environmental literacy. Educational frameworks should also align similarly by being future-oriented and filled with initiatives that shape students into well-rounded individuals who are capable of thriving in the competitive job market.

Considering this landscape, the ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) and Education Quality International (EQI) co-organised the 7th Outcome-Based Education (OBE) Workshop, from 8 October to 11 October 2024, led by Mr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin, AUN-QA Expert and Principal Consultant of EQI, and Dr. Nguyen Thi My Ngoc, AUN-QA Assessor and OBE Case Author. In this interactive workshop, attendants were introduced to the OBE framework and explored the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into the updated version.

Prior to the workshop, the AUN Secretariat had the privilege to conduct an interview with Mr. Johnson who walked us through the new framework and provided us with enlightening insights into the developments made.

Mr. Johnson opened the conversation by providing backgrounds as to what motivated him to update the framework in the first place. He highlighted the wave of disruption caused by generative AI, Covid-19 and Industry 4.0 which affected the world economy and redefined the way different sectors operate. In higher education institutions (HEIs), the pandemic had a tremendous impact, but through the use of technology, it transformed our thinking as to how education should be conducted. The mission was therefore to design a framework that encourages students and educational institutions to be responsive to unexpected changes.

During the interview, Mr. Johnson articulated his concerns regarding the limitations of conventional educational models–it is student-centric and focused on measurable student-learning outcomes. He pointed out that traditional curricula often follows a linear approach, which does not reflect the complexities of real-life situations where problems cannot be solved with black-and-white solutions. Today’s educational system must therefore not be too fixated on achieving a high GPA, but it must cultivate students’ critical thinking abilities and bring out their inner creativity. By doing so, education systems will follow a more holistic approach, allowing students to explore diverse perspectives and solutions.

Exciting Developments

Mr. Johnson proposed adopting the “ecosystem perspective” to curriculum design, emphasising the need to prepare students for the rapidly-evolving world. By “ecosystem perspective”, he refers to a process of analysing the broader environment and educational landscape to shape the curriculum. This means universities cannot be the stand-alone player but must actively collaborate with stakeholders–including businesses and industries–to understand their expectations and incorporate their insights into the process of programme planning.

Integrated Curriculum Design Framework

Mr. Johnson introduced a concept of “Philosophy of Complexity and Possibilianism”. This refers to having more than one idea and shying away from being fixated on one concept. For instance, it is now important for the engineering major to promote an interconnected mindset for engineering students by introducing courses related to sustainability and green technology given that infrastructures have an impact on the environment. It is this kind of transformative learning that allows an individual to see the world through a broader lens, ultimately adding value to the student.

Introduction of AI into the Framework

The updated framework incorporates the use of generative AI in lesson planning, creating class contents, quizzes and rubrics. It is capable of analysing lesson topics and recommending relevant teaching materials, articles, group discussion topics and class activities. Mr. Johnson used ChatGPT as an example of a tool that is capable of performing such tasks. However, he also stressed that for AI to yield desired outcomes, it is important for those providing the input to give precise and detailed instructions. Moreover, the framework encourages educational institutions to equip students with fact-checking skills to ensure accuracy of information provided by AI. This confirms that human screening remains essential both in the process of providing prompts and in verifying the accuracy of inputs.

The new OBE framework paves the way for designing a forward-looking curricula in educational institutions. As the digital landscape continues to grow, preparing students to adapt to evolving societal norms is increasingly important. Taking an ecosystem approach allows these frameworks to be highly adaptive and responsive to external changes while also fostering inclusivity by bringing students, teachers, universities and stakeholders into the curriculum design process.

By Shalina Nandwani, AUN Programme Officer; ASEAN University Network

https://www.aunsec.org/news/new-obe-framework