Constructive Alignment

Constructive Alignment Towards a Learner-centered Undergraduate Education Edmond Ko City University of Hong Kong 26 March 2004

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

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

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?

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

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).

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/assessment • gather evidence to show effectiveness in adding value

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”

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

Constructive Alignment