Koa Academy sets AI rules for pupils

South African online school Koa Academy has launched an AI Compass framework that sets out when and how students can use AI in their schoolwork. The framework features four levels of permitted use ranging from independent assignments to AI-assisted content creation.

Seven out of 10 employers regard analytical thinking as an essential core skill, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025. More than half (57%) of employers consider creative thinking essential, while 51% identify technological literacy as a core skill. Koa Academy says young people will need to use technology confidently, but also with judgement, creativity and independence.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Digital Education Outlook 2026, generative AI can support learning when used alongside effective teaching practices. However, students who rely on AI to complete tasks may produce better work without necessarily improving their understanding of the subject.

AI Compass is an internally developed framework and set of teaching guidelines designed to help students, parents and teachers understand responsible AI use, rather than allowing unrestricted use or banning the technology entirely.

The Compass is integrated into coursework, tasks and assessments, making the expected use of AI explicit for each activity. It outlines four modes: independent, explorer, collaborator and producer.

Independent tasks require students to complete the work without AI. Explorer tasks allow AI to help students investigate ideas or clarify difficult concepts, while the final work remains their own. Collaborator tasks use AI for feedback and refinement, such as reviewing writing, debugging code or testing an argument. Producer tasks invite students to use AI to create a final product, requiring them to prompt, direct, select and edit the output.

Mark Anderson, Koa Academy co-founder, says: “The AI Compass is not a blanket permission to use AI, and it is not a blanket ban. It gives students clear guidance for each task: should they work independently, use AI to explore a concept, collaborate with it to improve work they have started, or use it intentionally to create a final product?”

The framework is designed to provide clear guidance on acceptable AI use for individual tasks, while helping students develop the skills to use the technology responsibly in higher education, the workplace and daily life.

A task might, for example, specify: “Collaborator: Before you submit the final task, use Gemini to suggest where you can improve your paragraph construction and grammatical structure”. The instruction identifies the permitted role of AI and the student’s continuing responsibility for the work.

The AI Compass has been introduced through teacher training, parent engagement and student sessions, with an emphasis on developing responsible AI use across subjects and learning activities. The approach aims to address concerns about plagiarism and academic integrity while helping students develop practical AI skills beyond compliance with school rules and detection tools.

South Africa is already seeing a shift in this conversation, says Koa Academy. The University of Cape Town discontinued Turnitin’s AI-detection score in October 2025, citing reliability and fairness concerns. UCT’s approach instead places greater emphasis on the learning process, including oral assessment, observed group work and students’ critical reflection on AI use.

“A polished final answer is not always proof of learning,” says Anderson. “We need to pay closer attention to how students approach a task, the decisions they make, the questions they ask, and whether they can explain and apply what they have learnt.”

According to Koa Academy, the school’s teachers assess learning as it occurs, not only through a final submission. This places emphasis on the process behind the outcome, including the reasoning, decisions, information and tools a student used, and whether they can defend and apply their learning.

The approach is designed to develop critical thinking, communication, ethical judgement, curiosity, collaboration, problem-solving and leadership.

“AI makes these skills even more important. When producing an answer becomes easier, the real differentiator is whether a young person can evaluate that answer, improve it, apply it and use it responsibly.”

* Visit the Koa Academy website here.