NUR NADZIRAH BINTI NGAH IPG KAMPUS KOTA BHARU
Think Higher, Design Smarter: HOTs.ai Studio – An AI-Powered Pedagogical Design Ecosystem for Higher-Order Learning
Norma binti Yaakub (PhD¹), Aina Afiqah binti Abdillah, Iffah Syahmina binti Roslan, Nur Nadzirah binti Ngah , Wan Adina Nuha binti Wan Yusri, Wan Mohammad Atiqullah bin Wan Salleh
Department of Language, Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Kota Bharu, Pengkalan Chepa, 16109 Kota Bharu, Kelantan
Abstract
Developing Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) remains a national educational priority in Malaysia, yet many educators continue to face challenges in designing learning materials that align with the higher cognitive levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. This study introduces HOTs.ai Studio, an AI-powered pedagogical design ecosystem that supports educators in developing a wide range of instructional resources, including lesson plans, assessment questions, classroom activities, notes, assignments, digital games, and performance tasks. The innovation creates the formula of 2AVC (Action Verb + Content) framework for Lower-Order Thinking Skills (C1–C2) and the 3AVC (Action Verb + Content + Context) framework for Higher-Order Thinking Skills (C3–C6), enabling educators to systematically construct cognitively aligned learning experiences. The innovation was evaluated through an action research design employing a qualitative method. The participants were trainee teachers, lecturers from the Institute of Teacher Education (IPG), and teachers, who responded to the pre-test and post-test provided which proven the platform's usability, pedagogical effectiveness, cognitive alignment, and applicability across diverse educational contexts. The findings have shown that while average development time decreased from 45 minutes to 18 minutes, representing a 60% increase in efficiency. Participants have also reported enhanced confidence, metacognitive awareness, and consistency in producing HOTS-oriented instructionalresources. Overall, HOTs.ai Studio offers a scalable, sustainable, and curriculum-aligned solution that empowers educators to design high-quality learning experiences across diverse teaching contexts, supporting the advancement of AI-enabled pedagogy within the Malaysian education system.
Keywords: Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS), AI-powered pedagogy, instructional design, cognitive alignment, educational technology, Bloom's Taxonomy.
