Adjunct Associate Professor Lynda Wee brings a wealth of expertise to the Division of Marketing at Nanyang Business School, where her research focuses on retailing, mall management and workplace learning. A Certified Senior Practising Management Consultant and award-winning innovator who has led four national innovation grants advancing learning and technology, A/P Wee draws on her extensive industry experience developing corporate learning environments to address the critical question facing educators today: how do we design curricula that emphasise distinctly human capabilities in an AI-driven era? Her pioneering I.D.E.A.S. pedagogy demonstrates how educators can cultivate essential human strengths that machines cannot replicate.
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) accelerates the automation of routine tasks, educators face an urgent question: what should we teach that machines cannot do?
Traditionally, education emphasised knowledge transmission where students acquire, master, and apply information. In a world where AI can now analyse, learn, and even make decisions, the long-held assumption about what it means to be educated is disrupted. The late Sir Ken Robinson argued that uniformity over individual potential in the classroom kills creativity. In an AI era, education should unlock, not limit, human strengths.
Rethinking My Purpose as an Educator
As an educator navigating this transformation, I posed the following burning questions to myself:
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- What am I truly educating my students for? Historian Yuval Noah Harari warns about the jobs that machines will replace entirely: “just as mass industrialization created the working class, the AI revolution will create a new unworking class.”
- Is a degree still essential for employment and employability? In a world where self-taught skills, digital portfolios, and entrepreneurial experiences are accessible, can our students achieve the same outcomes without a degree?
- How do I teach in ways that unlock my students’ full potential? If we can no longer predict the exact careers for our students, how can we equip them with the skills and mindsets that will serve them well?
Developing Human Strengths as the New Curriculum
To prepare students for a future shaped by volatility and innovation, I need to go beyond academic content. To thrive alongside intelligent machines, I prioritised in my curriculum what machines and AI cannot do well: the very essence of being human.
“I am teaching what machines cannot do well: the essence of being human.”
Figure 1 shows the different levels of important and urgent tasks that I encounter as an educator. The top right hand corner lists my important and urgent tasks: the learning outcomes for my course, Channel Value Creation. My focus is on unleashing human strengths, namely: Empathy, Curiosity, Communication, Collaboration, Critical and Creative Thinking. This aligns to Howard Gardner’s “Five Minds for the Future” that machines cannot emulate. It also aligns with the most in-demand skills identified in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report: analytical thinking, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and creativity.
“Human strengths – empathy, curiosity, collaboration, communication, critical and critical thinking are the new curriculum.”
Cultivating a mindset of adaptability, cultural awareness, and digital literacy is also essential for my students, enabling them to tackle complex, multidisciplinary problems with agility, confidence, and resourcefulness.
To achieve my targeted learning outcomes, the I.D.E.A.S. Pedagogy was developed and adopted in my class (Table 1). My role shifted from delivering content to probing and facilitating deeper learning, enabling students to take ownership of their thinking and discovery.
Table 1: I.D.E.A.S. Pedagogy
| Spaces | Learning Activities | Abilities and Knowledge |
| I dentify key observations. |
Based on the assigned activity, students shall work in teams to engage in critical thinking – analysing and connecting the dots. They shall begin this process individually, then collaborate within their teams to clarify perspectives and reach a shared understanding. |
Abilities
Knowledge Topics from Channel Value Creation |
| D evelop ideas and learning issues. |
Based on their team shared observations, they shall generate ideas at individual level first, then at team level. They shall discuss to form shared ideas.
Finally, they shall determine what they need to learn to solve the problem. |
Abilities
Knowledge Topics from Channel Value Creation |
| E nrich with research and new knowledge. | Based on their shared learning issues, students shall develop an action plan for self-directed learning, ensuring that they consult a variety of resources. | |
| A ssess the accuracy of new knowledge and skills first, then apply. | They shall be assessed on the accuracy of their newly acquired knowledge and skills before applying them to address the challenge. | |
| S eek feedback to improve. | They shall create a prototype solution and present it to gather feedback for further improvement. |
Reshaping Content for Authentic Learning
As the majority of students will transition directly into the workforce after university, Authentic Learning which mirrors the realities of working, learning, and performing in the professional world became essential in preparing them for employment. Reshaping content through real-world challenges, to serve as meaningful frames for learning, became a winning move for effective teaching and learning (Figure 1).
Moving away from siloed, one-size-fits-all content, I designed multi-disciplinary and application-driven learning experiences that reflected the complexity and dynamism of the workplace. At the workplace, there are problems waiting to be identified and solved. Each one is a learning opportunity in disguise. These opportunities are relevant, never static or outdated.
“Instead of static lessons, I design real-world challenges that mirror the complexity of the workplace.”
Together with Sephora, a leading global beauty retailer, we identified real-world challenges that resonated with students’ prior knowledge. This approach drew on the Constructivist Principle where Lev Vygotsky emphasised that learners build new understanding by connecting it to their prior knowledge. By starting with familiar concepts, students were better able to engage and construct deeper learning
Sephora supported the initiative by hosting an onboarding session and a store tour, helping to familiarise students with the business context and challenges (Figure 2). These experiences sparked students’ curiosity, turning them into activators of learning by asking questions at the start of the lesson.
Leveraging on I.D.E.A.S. Digital Platform
While the classrooms are still largely designed for one-way content delivery, student-generated learning demands flexibility, collaboration, and accessibility beyond physical and time boundaries. To support this demand as well as to elevate their digital literacy, the I.D.E.A.S. Digital Platform was developed and served as a virtual “basecamp”, a central hub where students can check in anytime, from anywhere, to collaborate and learn in their teams (Figure 3) (Salmon, 2000).
The platform includes integrated tools such as AI support, digital note-taking, and collaborative whiteboards, enabling students to brainstorm, conduct research, prioritise ideas, iterate, and document their progress (Figure 4). Whether working in person or via Zoom, students can pause, resume, and continue learning seamlessly. They can archive their work in a shared knowledge repository for future reference and continued learning.
Iterating Through Mid-Project Review and Final Presentation
Authentic Learning is non-linear. In navigating uncertainty and ambiguity, students have to rethink and explore alternative perspectives. Central to this process is the principle of “failing early and cheaply” by seeking timely feedback to refine ideas before investing heavily in final solutions. A 3-hour mid-project review was scheduled for students to present their progress, seek clarifications, and gather constructive feedback to plan their next steps (Figure 4).
“Authentic learning is non-linear. Real learning embraces ambiguity, iteration, and feedback.”
It wasn’t without challenges. Our mid-project check-in with the Sephora team brought tough, honest feedback, pushing us to rethink and refine. And that’s where the real growth happened. We learned to iterate, adapt, and push beyond our limits — developing key skills in innovation, creativity, and strategic thinking.
Victoria Vorobyeva
For the final presentation, a panel of four Sephora leaders served as assessors, offering valuable insights on the feasibility and viability of the proposed solutions (Figure 5). Their industry perspectives helped ground students’ ideas in real-world expectations and challenges, further reinforcing the authenticity of the learning experience.
Results and Reflection
Students’ Voices:
I appreciated the practical nature of the class – learning directly from industry leaders and visiting real-world business settings. Designing a solution for Sephora allowed us to apply critical thinking and creativity to boost customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. It was a meaningful project with takeaways I’ll carry into my career.
Noemi Turi
This wasn’t your typical classroom experience—it was hands-on, dynamic, and real. From the start, we were challenged to think like professionals, not students. I learnt the power of teamwork and creative thinking under pressure, taking critical feedback constructively—and using it to grow, understanding what it really means to create value in a fast-paced, customer-driven world.
Fatima-Zahra Iraqi
Industry Professional’s Voice:
I am thrilled to share the successful conclusion of a 13-week experiential learning where we guided students through the world of Sephora, culminating in final business case presentations to representatives from LVMH and Sephora. It was inspiring to witness the students’ growth and innovative ideas.
Vanessa Iloste
The future of education should not focus on outlearning the machines in efficiency. Neither are we educating for predictable careers. Instead, education can focus on honing the complex, adaptive and ethical human superpower to empower students to make meaning, build relationships, and shape a better world.
“The classroom must evolve from a place of content delivery to a hub for exploration, creation, and iteration.”
