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What will I cover?
What is constructive alignment?
What students say help them learn
Supporting staff in developing aligned courses
What is constructive alignment?
Constructivism"They (forms of constructivism) have in common the idea that what the learner has to do to create knowledge is the important thing"(Biggs 2003 P12)
"....education is about conceptual change, not just the acquisition of information"(Biggs 2003 P13)
Therefore:
what you ask students to do
must align with what you want them
to learn
Biggs: a system where components need to be in balance
curriculum teaching methods assessment procedures climate of interactions with students institutional climate (Biggs 2003 P26)
What students say help them learn
My research. Method:
structured group sessions
up to 25 students
worked in small groups on a question, review in large group, repeat.
3 Questions
What are the main LOs from your course?
What has helped you achieve them?
What has hindered you in achieving them?
FindingsMix of student and contextual factors
Student Context Self management Course organisation/
resources/facilities
Motivational needsAssessment
Understanding
Support Learning activities and teaching
Context impacts on student factors
Student Context Self management Course organisation/
resources/facilities
Motivational needsAssessment
Understanding
Support Learning activities and teaching
Supporting staff in developing aligned courses
In the LTI, I work:
with course planning teams
with Registry on course planning/validation templates, guidance etc.
Strategy
Module description to encourage good design
Examples and guidance
Support for course planning teams
Review by validation panels
Joined up approach
Module description, examples and guidance reflect
eg Key Skills policyLearning from Work policyAssessment policyLTA strategyQAA Codes of Practice
Aims
Learning OutcomesWhat should the students be able to know, understand, do?
Standards
Learning and TeachingStrategy
What methods will help students achieve the learning outcomes?
Assessment CriteriaOn what basis will youjudge if students have
met the learningoutcomes and how well?
Assessment StrategyHow will you assess ifstudents have met the
learning outcomes? Rosie Bingham 2001
3 Key Shifts
Shift 1 - Learning Outcomes
Verbs
Biggs (2003) - very important
- delineate levels
- can suggest surface or deep approach
Example
Student will be able to understand how a
car works
????
What does it mean?
Students will be able to:
- describe how a car works- explain how a car works- discuss the critical aspects of how a car works
- drive a car
???
Other Problem Verbs
Be aware of Know Develop an ability to Demonstrate the ability to
Issues
Staff I think I don't care about understanding!
Implicit LO's – you can spot them in:
learning and teaching methods assessment methods
Support for LO Development
Booklet for writing LO's – lists of verbs
SHU generic LO's by level
Workshops with course teams
Feedback on module descriptions & programme specs
SHU Generic LOs
Based on: Framework for HE qualifications
QCA Key Skill specifications
Common items in benchmark statements
+ a bit of Bloom's taxonomy(Bloom 1956)
SHU Generic LOs. Example
Describe the essential
facts
principles
concepts
theories
values/beliefs/ethics/
aesthetics
Identify and explain the essential
facts
principles
concepts
theories
values/beliefs/
ethics/aesthetics
Identify and explain, in sufficient detail for the purpose, essential and other important
facts
principles
concepts
theories
values/beliefs/
ethics/aesthetics
Select and explain those appropriate from the range of
facts
principles
concepts
theories
values/beliefs/ethics/aesthetics
current problems/issues
current research and advanced scholarship
new insights
Shift 2 – Assessment criteria
Require pass descriptors in module descriptions
Staff find this very hard
Pass descriptors linked to the LOs
Start with the verb eg describe
Criteria might be - range of features covered; level of detail;
accuracy
Pass level - what range will be covered?
in how much detail?
how accurate?
Problems
Instead of pass descriptors:
- repeat LOs
- write tasks
Writing pass descriptors means:
You clarify what the LO means
Need to write them together
Leads to rethinking assessment
Support
Booklet on writing criteria
Exemplars of criteria against SHU LOs
Workshops with course planning teams
Feedback on planning documents
Exemplar
LO Pass descriptor
describe the essential descriptions cover principles the main, essential concepts aspects and are theories mostly accurate values/beliefs/ethics/
aesthetics facts
Shift 3 - Format of the module description
Wording it for students
Old Headings
Rationale Aims Anticipated Learning Outcomes Indicative content Teaching and Learning Strategy and
Methods Assessment Strategy Criteria for Assessment Indicative Reading
New Headings
These are the aims of this module...
The reason for having this module and for having it at this level or point in the course is...
By the end of the module you will be able to...
These are the main ways of learning and teaching which will help you to achieve the learning outcomes...
This is how the learning outcomes will be assessed...
This is how and at what points you will be given feedback on your performance...
To achieve a pass..
These are examples of the content of the module...
These are examples of the main learning resources you will use...
Support
Guidelines are within the template
Workshops with course planning teams
Feedback on draft module descriptions
Summary:
Module description to encourage good design
Examples and guidance
Support for course planning teams
Review by validation panels
Aims
Learning OutcomesWhat should the students be able to know, understand, do?
Standards
Learning and TeachingStrategy
What methods will help students achieve the learning outcomes?
Assessment CriteriaOn what basis will youjudge if students have
met the learningoutcomes and how well?
Assessment StrategyHow will you assess ifstudents have met the
learning outcomes? Rosie Bingham 2001
ReferencesBiggs J (2003, 2nd ed.) Teaching for Quality Learning at
University. Buckingham, SRHE and OU Press
Bloom B S (1956) Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. New York, David McKay Co, Inc.
Drew S (2001) 'Student perceptions of what helps them learn and develop in Higher Education' IN Teaching in Higher Education 6, No 3, 2001 pp309-331
