Bridging Skill Gaps in Future Workspaces: Promoting Creative Thinking in Classrooms Using Differentiated Assessment Methods

Abstract

India has a large population of educated youth, but India ranks 132 out of 191 countries on the World Human
Capital Index. This trend can be reversed if educational institutions focus more on skill enhancement than rote
memorization. This research aimed to develop creative thinking in graduates by implementing a differentiated
assessment pattern based on the ACER creative thinking framework. The age of rapid automation and AI poses
a threat to low-skilled labour, therefore educational institutions must focus more on developing skills that
machines cannot replicate. The exploratory case study over a longitudinal period of six months concluded that
science fiction writing and white paper projects develop higher-order thinking skills in graduate learners. This
study was also able to quantify data from the case studies, which could be used in transcripts to indicate skill
progress.