Second – or third – thoughts on alignment

1. Second – or third – thoughts on alignment John Cowan Academic Development Edinburgh Napier University

2. 4 questions: • Should we still be checking alignment? • Can learning outcomes and assessment be integrated? • What does reflective practice offer aligned learning for higher level abilities? • What future is there for full integration of LOs, Assessment and Learning Activity?

3. First question: • Should we still be checking alignment? • Can learning outcomes and assessment be integrated? • What does reflective practice offer aligned learning for higher level abilities? • What future is there for full integration of LOs, Assessment and Learning Activity?

4. It all began for me at CNAA with a quote from Joanna Tait’s granny

6. If you don’t know where you’re going, any bus will do

7. Representing Ideal Alignment Outcomes Learning & T Assessment All within FHEQ requirements

8. Valid questions Outcomes ? ? Learning & T Assessment ? All within FHEQ requirements

9. It’s not easy to get alignment mismatches acknowledged! There’s a proverb to remind us why this is so

10. A nod’s as good as a wink to a blind drunk

11. I worry about Outcomes Learning & T Assessment

12. What is teaching, for you? Please take a moment to think how you would answer that question

13. Teaching, for me is: - the purposeful creation of situations from which motivated learners should not be able to escape without learning or developing

14. So: • …we (as teachers) should set out purposefully to create situations in which the desired learning and development should happen • – and should be assessed accordingly

15. Common mismatching Outcomes Nothing in the programme to ensure the learner should learn T & Learning Assessment

16. Examples: • “Students will learn to work effectively in groups, to manage teamwork, and to resolve difficulties and differences” • The already-able do well; the less able do poorly. • “During their placements, students will ask, and obtain answers for, useful questions” • Teaching input restricted to feedback on quality of final questions

17. Also: Outcomes Outcomes not assessed; assessment subversive T & Learning Assessment

18. Recent examples: • “Students will be able to solve demanding problems” • By regurgitating PowerPoint notes? • “Students will formulate critical judgements and analyses” • By explaining familiar analyses and judgements?

19. Common mismatching Outcomes Assessment drives wrong learning T & Learning Assessment

20. Examples: • Teaching devoted much time to explaining the meaning of key concepts………. • Assessment called for accurate use of familiar algorithms • “All my teaching brings the students to think, to the required FHEQ level • One final year question called for, and then generated, and rewarded, the same points and examples from most students.

21. At higher levels, are our current curricula aligned? • In the 1990’s, they certainly often weren’t! • This was a common weakness in courses in HE • It was evident in: • QAA baseroom evidence • module boxes • internal programme review • external examining visits • These suggested considerable scope for consequential enhancement

22. Question: Hand on heart, are your curricula currently fully aligned?

23. Image: 'elephant talk' http://www.flickr.com/photos/47968145@N00/325235488

24. What might a rigorous reviewer still question in our provision?

25. BUT.......... Once we align assessment and outcomes, is there any need to distinguish between them?

26. Question 2: • Should we still be checking alignment? • Can learning outcomes and assessment be integrated? • What does reflective practice offer aligned learning for higher level abilities? • What future is there for full integration of LOs, Assessment and Learning Activity?

27. “John, we haven’t done the outcomes yet, but I’ve forwarded the draft assignments to you ....... It’s OK, I can deduce the outcomes!

28. Best practice in 2009 features: • Rigorous programme specifications • Carefully detailed outcomes • Fairly appropriate and clear assessment demands and criteria

29. Consequently: Assessment tasks and criteria often spell out the learning outcomes clearly – and adequately

30. So there’s movement ...... Outcomes T & Learning Assessment

31. Outcomes and assessment come together! Outcomes T & Learning Assessment

32. - to give us ….. Outcomes and Assessment T & Learning

34. What do you and your neighbour think? • Should outcomes and assessment convey the same message about intended learning? • If so, is the separation of these, conceptually, now somewhat artificial?

35. Question 3: • Should we still be checking alignment? • Can learning outcomes and assessment be integrated? • What does reflective practice offer aligned learning for higher level abilities? • What future is there for full integration of LOs, Assessment and Learning Activity?

36. Self-directed learning entails: • Pedagogically sound direction and management by the learner • Understood, and often negotiated, outcomes • Teachers merely facilitating • Carefully defined tasks and roles • Valuable unintended learning outcomes • Aligned assessment, formative and summative • Reflective practice

37. Tomorrow’s graduates should : • Know where they want to get to • Know how to get there • Notice when their progress is ineffective • Adjust their plan accordingly • Exploit formative self-assessment • Collaborate in socio-constructive settings • Enhance self-assessment from formative peer-assessment

38. So today’s students should : • Know where they want to get to • Know how to get there • Notice when their progress is ineffective • Adjust their plan accordingly • Exploit formative self-assessment • Collaborate in socio-constructive settings • Enhance self-assessment from formative peer-assessment

39. Why depend upon reflection? • It is widely advocated • It is widely practiced • It seems to be effective for higher level outcomes • It’s really the only pedagogy we have at the moment for the purposeful development of abilities • Some of our colleagues endorse it from personal experience!

40. But another familiar proverb .....reminds us of learners’ initial resistance when asked to reflect

41. Learners, too, will manoeuvre to avoid demanding tasks The wisest farmers children are the ones who never learnt to milk

42. Reflection means …….. • Seeking an answer or part answer to a question • - a question for which we don’t have an answer at the moment • - and a question whose answer seems likely to be useful to us

43. Constructivist pedagogy Experiences Actively Experimenting Asking How Generalising

44. We know that: • Learners who are prompted to think about HOW they do something, improve that ability • Example 1: Oxford Brookes and preparing for exams • Example 2: Using search engines

45. We know that: • Learners who think about HOW and HOW WELL they do something, improve that ability • Example 1: Golfers on a driving range • Example 2: POPBL students at Aalborg

46. We know that: • Reflection is more effective if we make time and set tasks accordingly • Example: Critical incident analysis – and rewards!

47. We know that: • The process is enhanced if conclusions are to be tested out – iteratively • Example: Abilities in consecutive modules

48. We know that: • The process works better when learners integrate with peers • Example: Any enriched application of Kolb

49. External inputs? Experience Actively Experiment Reflect Socio-constructivism Generalise

50. Example: Enquiry Skills learner • Identifies desired outcomes • Plans to achieve them • Monitors progress • Assembles self-assessment within group • Identifies useful development • Identifies and plans for next development