Constructive Alignment

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Constructive Alignment
Towards a Learner-centered Undergraduate
Education Edmond Ko City University of Hong
Kong 26 March 2004
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What is constructive alignment?

• A good teaching system aligns teaching method
  and assessment to the learning activities stated
  in the objectives, so that all aspects of this
  system are in accord in supporting appropriate
  student learning. This system is called
  constructive alignment, based as it is on the
  twin principles of constructivism in learning and
  alignment in teaching.
• John Biggs (1999). Teaching for Learning at
  University. OUP

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What does it mean?

• Where are you going?
• Learning outcomes
• How are you going to get there?
• Teaching and learning activities that facilitate
  the attainment of such outcomes
• How do you know that you are there?
• Assessment both as a motivation for learning and
  as a measure of learning effectiveness

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So what is new about constructive alignment?

• Constructive alignment is common sense, yet most
  university teaching is not aligned.
• Biggs(1999)
• Examples of misalignment
• Learning outcomes not articulated
• Teacher-centered approach to teaching
• Assessment methods that promote surface learning
• The need for proper alignment is more urgent now
  than before. Why?

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Changes in the landscape of higher education

• From elite to mass education
• From teacher-centered to student-centered, as now
  there are students who can benefit from effective
  pedagogy
• From local to global

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Some consequences of globalization

• Companies can base their operations anywhere, and
  can hire graduates from anywhere.
• People with the right knowledge and skills are
  highly mobile.
• The pace of change is a lot faster than before.
  Many people will change careers/disciplines over
  time.
• There is convergence of what global
  competitiveness means, in terms of the desirable
  learning outcomes of university graduates (a form
  of international benchmarking).

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Implications for university education

• Universities that do not produce competitive
  graduates are not competitive in their delivery
  of education.
• With the increasing diversity of student intakes,
  it is important to
• understand and develop the learning
  skills/attitude of the students
• maximize student learning through a good
  alignment of outcome/learning environment/assessme
  nt
• gather evidence to show effectiveness in adding
  value

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New Role Statement of CityU

• pursues the delivery of teaching at an
  internationally competitive level in all the
  taught programmes that it offers
• emphasizes high value-added educational
  programmes for whole person development and
  professional competencies and skills

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Ideal graduates of CityU

• Qualified, competent professionals
• Proficient communicators, equipped with a range
  of disciplines and skills, computer literacy and
  language proficiency
• Able to think quantitatively and analyze problems
  critically
• Confident to enter a more international and
  culturally diverse workplace and to take up broad
  responsibilities in their community
• Able and willing to continue to learn
• Able to appreciate the wider world of
  scholarship, and their own culture and history

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A call for action

• The challenge is clear, if CityU is serious about
  producing ideal graduates, then we must
• articulate and communicate the desirable learning
  outcomes
• make available learning opportunities that are
  most likely to produce such outcomes
• produce evidence of students having achieved such
  outcomes

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A new paradigm

• Traditional approach
• Emphasis on content and coverage
• Teacher centered
• Separation of in-class and out-of-class learning
• Assessment of learning
• Evidence in the form of a transcript
• Aligned approach
• Emphasis on maximizing learning
• Student centered
• Seamless learning
• Assessment for learning
• Evidence in the form of a learning portfolio,
  most likely in electronic form

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Not starting from scratch

• As noted before, constructive alignment is common
  sense and there are numerous examples of good
  practice at CityU
• Mentoring Scheme
• Leaning to Learn
• Industrial Attachment Scheme/Co-operative
  Education
• Whole Person Development Awards
• Reward Scheme for Academic Departments
• Need better integration, assessment methods and
  evidence gathering overall a more systematic
  and proactive approach.

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Lesson we learned from the recent TLQPR visit

• Departments that did well share the following
  characteristics
• Well-defined learning outcomes based on input
  from all stakeholders
• Choice of appropriate teaching and learning
  strategies
• A wide variety of assessment methods, with an
  emphasis on continuous assessment
• Judicious use of co-curricular activities (many
  of which are academic in nature)
• Reflective and self-critical, with sound decision
  making based on good evidence

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Lesson we learned from the suspension of classes
due to SARS a case study of responding to change

• Courses that responded well
• Focused on learning
• Taught in small groups
• Emphasized continuous assessment
• Adopted technology
• Courses that did not respond well
• Focused on coverage of materials
• Taught in large lectures
• Emphasized end-of-semester examinations
• Used very little technology

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Benefits of constructive alignment

• It provides a conceptual framework for planning
  education quality work.
• It can be extended to other areas of
  learning/development, such as career planning,
  organizational planning, etc.
• It can lead to better results.

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Objectives of this workshop

• Take stock of current practice
• Identify better alternative practice and
  obstacles in getting there
• Arrive at concrete action plans

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Desirable outcomes

• At the end of the workshop, participants should
  be able to
• explain to others what constructive alignment is
  and why it is important
• begin to think about the desirable learning
  outcomes of their programmes
• appreciate the current practice at CityU and what
  could be done to make it better
• make specific recommendations to the University
  on how to move forward, upon reflection of their
  own experiences

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Small group discussion

• Each group will have a
• Facilitator/Reporter
• Timekeeper
• Notes-taker (EDO staff)
• Each group will give a 5-minute presentation to
  the main group.

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Assessment of outcomes

• Small group reports
• Post-workshop report
• Action plans
• Agents of change
• Projects
• Timeline