Learning, assessment and constructive alignment The alignment of course learning outcomes, assessment, and teaching and learning activities is a critical aspect of course, major and program design and a key indicator of the quality of a program. Assessment is both integral to the learning process and the way that students provide evidence that they have achieved the stated and intended learning outcomes or exceeded those expectations. assessment reinforces learning. Assessment is the senior partner in learning and teaching. Get it wrong and … the rest collapses. (Biggs & Tang 2001, p221) assessment is a way of teaching more effectively through understanding exactly what students know and do … not know… It is about measuring student learning; it is about diagnosing misunderstandings in order to help students to learn more effectively. It concerns the quality of teaching as well as the quality of learning… (Ramsden, 2003 p 177) These ideas are encapsulated in the term Assessment FOR Learning, as opposed to Assessment OF Learning. Students must know what is expected of them in terms of both process and product, before they begin. Assessment Rubrics are one common and useful way to provide these details. Feedback must provide students with timely and useful detail on what they did well, what they did well, what they did not do and how they can improve, all in relation to explicit, clear and relevant expectations that are directly related to the learning outcomes. Assessment is part of the learning process, but it can only be effective when: students receive timely and appropriate feedback, and the expectations of what they will do are made explicit and directly relate to the learning outcomes, and the teaching and learning activities are designed to students to develop the necessary knowledge and skills. The University of Technology Sydney Assessment Futures website, based on work by David Boud and others, has many useful resources on designing and reviewing assessment, and on the role assessment plays in learning. The Faculty of Professions Pedagogical Possibilities site also has useful discussion and resources concerning assessment. Effective assessment: is described in that are measurable uses a taxonomy to describe increasing complexity and of knowledge, skills and application across the duration of a program shows a direct correlation to the stated learning outcomes at both course and program levels, and applies contemporary and appropriate educational theory. Learning outcomes describe what students will know and be able to do upon successful completion of a Program or Course. Course Learning Outcomes are part of the University’s contract with students with respect to their achievement in a course. They are the basis for all learning activity in a course and they construct very specific
Learning, assessment and constructive alignment The alignment of course learning outcomes, assessment, and teaching and learning activities is a critical aspect of course, major and program design and a key indicator of the quality of a program. Assessment is both integral to the learning process and the way that students provide evidence that they have achieved the stated and intended learning outcomes or exceeded those expectations. … assessment reinforces learning. Assessment is the senior partner in learning and teaching. Get it wrong and the rest collapses. (Biggs & Tang 2001, p221) … assessment is a way of teaching more effectively through understanding exactly what students know and do not know… It is about measuring student learning; it is about diagnosing misunderstandings in order to help students to learn more effectively. It concerns the quality of teaching as well as the quality of learning… (Ramsden, 2003 p 177) These ideas are encapsulated in the term Assessment FOR Learning, as opposed to Assessment OF Learning. Students must know what is expected of them in terms of both process and product, before they begin. Assessment Rubrics are one common and useful way to provide these details. Feedback must provide students with timely and useful detail on what they did well, what they did well, what they did not do and how they can improve, all in relation to explicit, clear and relevant expectations that are directly related to the learning outcomes. Assessment is part of the learning process, but it can only be effective when: students receive timely and appropriate feedback, and the expectations of what they will do are made explicit and directly relate to the learning outcomes, and the teaching and learning activities are designed to students to develop the necessary knowledge and skills. The University of Technology Sydney Assessment Futures website, based on work by David Boud and others, has many useful resources on designing and reviewing assessment, and on the role assessment plays in learning. The Faculty of Professions Pedagogical Possibilities site also has useful discussion and resources concerning assessment. Effective assessment: is described in that are measurable uses a taxonomy to describe increasing complexity and of knowledge, skills and application across the duration of a program shows a direct correlation to the stated learning outcomes at both course and program levels, and applies contemporary and appropriate educational theory. Learning outcomes describe what students will know and be able to do upon successful completion of a Program or Course. Course Learning Outcomes are part of the University’s contract with students with respect to their achievement in a course. They are the basis for all learning activity in a course and they construct very specific
CR-ECMS-constr-alignmt.docx