8th Outcome-Based Education (OBE) Workshop: Interdisciplinary Curriculum Design

As technological innovation accelerates and artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes how different sectors operate, academic curriculum must remain flexible and adaptive to ensure students are ready to thrive in the unpredictable future. An inclusive education framework means being considerate of the potential obstacles as well as the needs of stakeholders who will collaborate with graduates in their post-academic journey. At the programme level, it is crucial that courses go beyond a linear approach, for example, by integrating ethical, environmental, and social considerations or any interconnected areas. This will ensure that students are not only specialising in their respective academic disciplines, but are also equipped with relevant hard and soft skills.

Considering this landscape, the 8th Outcome-Based Education (OBE) Workshop was jointly organised by Education Quality International (EQI) and ASEAN University Network (AUN) from 25 - 28 February 2025. OBE Workshop is among one of the main quality assurance initiatives under AUN-Quality Assurance (AUN-QA) aimed at fostering a comprehensive education framework. This framework takes an “ecosystem approach” by incorporating the ever-changing nature of the global landscape into curriculum design while  exploring strategies for translating the framework into practical actions in higher education. This workshop was led by Mr. Johnson Ong Chee Bin, AUN Quality Master and Principal Consultant of EQI, and Dr. Nguyen Thi My Ngoc, AUN-QA Trainer, Assessor, and OBE Case Author.

Cultivating a Holistic Learning Environment

Mr. Johnson, with his extensive knowledge in QA training and consultation, outlined the essential elements of what today’s OBE should look like. While supporting students to achieve good grades can pave the way for more opportunities, it is equally important to prepare them to thrive in those opportunities. To this end, he encouraged an “integrated curriculum design framework”, an approach that fosters an interconnected mindset among students regardless of their academic disciplines. Given the multifaceted challenges the world has faced and the impacts felt within stakeholders in numerous fields, encouraging students to map diverse sets of knowledge rather than being fixed on one expertise will allow them to navigate through complex problems with a holistic approach.

In addition, the integration of AI in curriculum planning has been introduced. With its ability to support academia in lesson planning, content planning and marking criteria, AI can be tailored to generate materials that align with the objectives of a future-ready education. However, before depending on the results generated by AI, one must come back and ensure prompts are articulately and precisely provided. This is only made possible if stakeholders in higher education have a clear understanding of learning outcomes. As AI continues to develop and go to unpredictable heights, human verification remains very relevant in the academic landscape.

The OBE Workshop highlighted the growing importance of holistic education that maps knowledge and research across disciplines. Issues of global significance have proven themselves to be multifaceted; therefore higher education must mirror this nature to ensure students graduate with an interconnected mindset and are not left isolated.

Interested higher education institutions looking to contribute to a future-ready education can look forward to our future OBE workshops scheduled throughout the year!