Ng, David Foo Seong

As we increasingly emphasise the importance of developing future-ready outcomes for learners, we will need to also expand new capabilities to measure such outcomes. AI, big data, and analytics are examples of such new capabilities. Ideation is one of six habits of practice we have identified that will prepare students for the future. In this paper, we present a means to computationally appraise ideation quality as one such capability. We have developed a heuristic to appraise the ideation quality of university student essays using natural language processing, a branch of artificial intelligence concerned with the understanding of human languages. Our heuristic allows for ideation quality to be quickly quantified in the form of an ideation score. So, instead of going about the process blindly, we now have a means to provide a point of reference to allow students to give measured consideration to their ideation. Unlike a learning outcome, a future-ready habit is more of a predisposition. Consequently, it is not coherent with conventional assessments, which rather seek to evaluate than to guide. This heuristic represents an outcome of our evaluation of a new problem space in education and is, at the same time, a novel expansion into a space that exploits new capabilities.

This paper proposes a redefinition of successful teaching and learning within Australia’s evolving educational system, framed by the context of global economic, societal, and environmental changes. It highlights the interconnectedness of these shifts with the Australian education system and introduces six essential habits of practice that can effectively prepare learners to navigate and shape their futures. To ensure the success of education in Australia, it is critical not only to respond to current challenges but also to equip students with the ability to make contributions to society, the economy, and the environment. The paper emphasises the importance of embedding these six habits into educational practices, which are critical for fostering the necessary skills, knowledge, and values in students. Furthermore, it discusses how the economic, social, and environmental contexts of Australia will demand specific capabilities from individuals, which can be nurtured through targeted educational practices.