Recent Experiences in BCH on the Implementation of OBTL

1. Recent Experiences in BCH on the Implementation of OBTL

2. RECENT ACTIVITIES • Visits to The University of Sydney and Deakin University, Australia related to Implementation of OBTL by BCH coordinators (Drs. B. Richardson and P. Shin in February 2008) • Purposes: • Use of learning outcomes, • Constructively aligned teaching and assessment activities, • Online learning, • Evaluation and assessment procedures.

3. The University of Sydney • The Faculty of Veterinary Science has been a “champion” in implementing constructive alignment (i.e., the principles of OBTL) in its curriculum and has improved substantially in staff teaching performance since 1999. • The Veterinary Science curriculum incorporates a set of Graduate Attributes (i.e., “Ideal Graduates” in the Hong Kong parlance) which cover 5 major areas: Research and Inquiry, Information Literacy, Personal and Intellectual Autonomy, Ethical, Social and Professional Understanding, and Communication. These attributes provide a framework for the design of the curriculum with learning outcomes (skills).

4. Online Learning & Assessment • Staff members accept and integrate e-learning as part of their teaching practices. • Use of WebCT (now Blackboard), plus in-house developed Resource Builder for case studies and PBL (problem-based learning) approach. • Assessment criteria set in each course unit but may be difficult to follow depending on nature of the assignments.

5. Key Success Factors • The curriculum is professionally oriented, with very few elective choices offered to the students, and learning outcomes can thus be clearly set. • Strong leadership and commitment from the Dean towards building an agreed teaching and learning culture among staff. • Formal training to prepare staff to lead change, especially the Graduate Certificate in Education Studies (Higher Education) providing empowered staff to challenge existing practices and implement change.

6. Key Success Factors • Reduction of timetabled teaching by 25% to create time for active student learning, including new, interdisciplinary units of study and professional practices to enhance generic skill development and leadership training. • Responsiveness to students’ feedback; students made aware of the principles and benefits of the outcomes-based approach to teaching. • Recognition of staff in improved teaching through gaining funds for teaching innovation, scholarship and performance, promotion based on teaching excellence, and faculty and external teaching awards.

7. Other Faculties/Departments • The Faculty of Science has not fully adopted OBTL as such, and is still mainly content-driven in its teaching; partly due to the diversity of programmes being delivered in the Faculty, which may make the development of Graduate Attributes more complicated than that in the Faculty of Veterinary Science. • The Faculty of Engineering has performed the mapping to align teaching and learning, but has not moved further forward. The pressure from outside (e.g., government) and competition with other universities can be seen as the driving force for eventual changes in teaching and learning.

8. Deakin University • The introduction of Graduate Attributes (i.e., OBTL or constructive alignment in learning) in their courses (programmes) was implemented a few years ago, following the results of an Australian Universities Quality Audit. • Staff accepted the change only “semi-willingly”. • As a result of changes implemented, all new staff members have to undertake a Higher Education teaching-related course. This, however, does place a heavy workload on new faculty members (i.e., mostly younger staff members), especially regarding the perceived competition in time devoted to teaching and research.

9. Experience of Implementation • Much paper work is involved and there were many complaints from staff in the first year, but this became easier as implementation progressed. • Students should be shown why OBTL is relevant to their study and be informed as to how changes in teaching and learning are implemented. • There is a need for champions in promoting OBTL and for change of the mindset of staff – OBTL does not necessarily change what a faculty teaches, but changes how teaching staff present their course material to the students.

10. Experience of Implementation • Reward for good teaching by the university, faculty and/or school, such as teaching and learning grants, time relief for teachers, etc. • The unit document (i.e., Form 2B in our case) is too long (it can be up to 20 pages in some instances) and students do not read most of the information therein; this led to a waste of staff’s time in preparing the document for each unit of study. • NOTE: The implementation of OBTL in Western Australian schools appeared to fail, and has been replaced by the system that proceeded it.

11. Experience of Implementation • There is a need to look into how students can show to potential employers what skills that they have acquired. The use of an ePortfolio as a depository of students’ work may provide the evidence, but students have to communicate and verbalize what they have achieved. To this end, students need to fully understand what they have learned effectively. • Did OBTL work? For staff who are doing this successfully, this will improve their teaching performance. • Students’ workload has not been increased since implementation of OBTL.

12. Key Observations from the Visits • OBTL is more effectively applied to professional programmes such as engineering, veterinary science or medicine in which graduate attributes can be more easily and clearly defined than in general science disciplines. • Building a consensus from staff on the need for changes in their teaching practices is essential, in addition to institutional support. • Students need to be fully aware and understand why OBTL is implemented. • Provision of staff development in the scholarship of teaching, especially for the new staff, is extremely important. • Equitable rewards for scholarship in teaching should be put in place. • Periodic revisions of outcomes-based learning documents through experience gained in the implementation process are necessary.

13. ONGOING ACTIVITIES IN BCH • The last of our courses being converted to OBTL format • Dr Richardson and Dr Shin will visit UC Davis (Dept. Environmental Toxicology) on an OBTL-related visit during 25/04-02/05/08 • BCH plans an OBTL workshop in June, 2008.