Constructive Alignment

1. Constructive Alignment

3. Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here? The Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to. Alice: I don't much care where. The Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.

4. Think about it • Your doctor tells you to lose weight in a month. • He gives you indications of what to do • What do you expect him to tell you?

5. how much you have to lose Outcomes

6. how he will tell when you get there Assessment

7. how to lose weight The process

8. Losing weight: Outcomes Processes Assessment

9. Ideal Alignment Outcomes Processes Assessment

10. ‘Constructive Alignment is an example of outcomes based education (OBE)…’ www.johnbiggs.com.au/constructivealignment.htm

11. References • Biggs, J.B. (2003). Teaching for quality learning at university. Buckingham: Open University Press/Society for Research into HigherEducation. (Secondedition) • Spady, W. (1994). Outcome-based education: Critical issues and answers. Arlington, VA: American Association of SchoolAdministrators. • Spady, W. (1998). Paradigm lost: Reclaiming America’s educational future. Arlington, VA: American Association of SchoolAdministrators.

12. THE “EDUCENTRIC ICEBERG” Information Age challenges With a BUREAUCRATIC AGE CULTURE And an INDUSTRIAL AGE DELIVERY SYSTEM Governed by an AGRARIAN AGE CALENDAR And a FEUDAL AGE AGENDA Adapted from Spady (2002) Princ Leader Jan02:57

13. Here is Edward Bear coming downstairs now Bump, Bump On the back of his head, Behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, The only way of Coming downstairs, But sometimes he feels, That there is another way, If only he could stop Bumping For a moment and Think of it. (Winnie-the-Pooh by Christopher Milne)

14. New ideas aren't always readily accepted

15. What is the first thing that teachers think about when planning their teaching? PROGRAMME /CONTENT

16. Alignment?

17. Alignment?

18. Teacher - knows all- is active Student- passive Student- passive Student- passive Learned helplessness

19. Designing backwards in curriculum development 1. Starting with clarifying the outcomes that students are to achieve 2. Thenorganising the curriculum, instruction, and assessment

20. What is Outcome-based Learning ? • Do we know where we are going to ? • Learning outcomes-aims and objectives • How are we going to get there ? • Teaching and learning activities that facilitate the attainment of such outcomes • How do we know that we are there ? • Assessment of the learning outcomes • Motivation for learning and a measure of learning effectiveness

22. Learning Activities: “Connecting Spokes” 1. Learning Objectives 3. Learning Activities 2. Learning Assessments

23. Constructive Alignment(Biggs) Support Desired Learning Outcomes Teaching & Learning Activities Assessment Methods Ensuring learning outcomes

24. 4 basic principles of OBE 1.Clarity of focus/outcomes 2.Designing Backwards 3.Consistent high expectations of success 4. Expanded opportunity

25. Good ‘Outcome statements’ Outcome statements • are broad statements of key learning achievement • Articulate performance of students in terms of action verbs • sometimes also specify the levelof performance

26. Learning outcomes Learning outcomes encompass: • What students should know/understand • What students should be able to do • What students should be like

27. Implementation Process 1) Think carefully about: overall goal of course operationalization 2)Operationalize these goals: and express them as intended learning outcomes alignment 4)Choosecarefully the form(s) of teaching 3)Choosecarefully the form(s) of examination

28. Aligning Course Design Components ‘….researchers have found that lack of excellence in [student learning is] caused, not so much by ineffective teaching, but by misalignment between what instructors intend to teach, what they actually teach, and what they test…’ S.A. Cohen, Instructional Alignment: Searching for a Magic Bullet

29. Content vs. Outcome Focus on Content What to eat in the diet What topics to teach Focus on outcome What the dieter will achieve • Appropriate level of understanding of knowledge • Capacity to perform • Affective attributes

30. EmphasisonLearning Learning is a change in understanding and behavior that result from encountering new experiences (Spady 2001:18) • Learning is about what the they do, not what the teachers do (Biggs

31. Definition A design for teaching calculated to encourage deep engagement (Biggs, 2003)

32. Deep Learning • An intention to understand material by relating ideas to previous knowledge and experience • Searching for patterns and underlying principles • Seeking evidence and relating it to conclusions

33. Principles:teaching for quality learning • Education is about conceptual change not just the acquisition of knowledge (deep vs. surface approaches to learning) • Teaching for conceptual change ( what the teacher teaches vs. what the student learns ) • Understanding knowledge is key (declarative vs. • functioning) • Biggs’ (2003)

34. Constructive alignment Alignment refers to what the teacher does: • set up a learning environment … • that supports learning activities … • that are appropriate to achieving the desired learning outcomes

35. Understanding the curriculum Constructive alignment The constructive aspect refers to what the learner does: • construct meaning through relevant learning activities JOHN BIGGS. Teaching for quality learning at university (2003)

36. Quality programme design Outcome-Based Education (Spady) PRODUCT of learning Aligning assessment Aligning teaching & learning PROCESS of learning Constructive Alignment (Biggs)

38. 1Pre-structural: here students are simply acquiring bits of unconnected information, which have no organisation and make no sense. 2Unistructural: simple and obvious connections are made, but their significance is not grasped. Biggs’ SOLO Taxonomy Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome Have the student do something, and then measure productand/or process

39. 3Multistructural: a number of connections may be made, but the meta-connections between them are missed, as is their significance for the whole. 4Relational level: the student is now able to appreciate the significance of the parts in relation to the whole. Biggs SOLO Taxonomy Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome

40. 5 At the extended abstract level, the student is making connections not only within the given subject area, but also beyond it, able to generalise and transfer the principles and ideas underlying the specific instance. Andrew Lloyd Webber Cat’s Eyes Nine Lives Top Cat T. S. Eliot Puss in Boots Le Chat Noir Cat O’Nine Tails Cools Cat William Blake Owl and the Pussycat Tiger, Tiger, Burning Bright Biggs SOLO Taxonomy Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome

41. Create Formulate Generate Hypothesize Reflect Theorize Analyze Apply Argue Compare/ contrast Criticize Explain causes Relate Justify . . . . Combine Describe Enumerate Perform serial skills List Identify Name Follow simple procedure The SOLO Taxonomy with sample verbs indicating levels of understanding Competence Fail Incompetent Misses point Incompetence one relevant several relevant integrated into generalized to aspect independent aspects a structure new domain PrestructuralUnistructuralMultistructural Relational Extended Abstract Slide extracted from presentation of Biggs and Tang, 2006

42. In conclusion: Education must enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the legitimate goals of his life. Martin L. King Jr 1948, Morehouse College

43. Prepared and presented By T.B.Harden Cert. Ed. B.Ed. (Hons.) MA (London) tonyharden@hotmail.com www.windsor.edu.mx