LTSN Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Assessment Workshop 14/03/03, London

1. LTSN Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Assessment Workshop 14/03/03, London Constructive Alignment in Practice John Buswell LTSN Liaison Officer for Leisure and Sport

2. By the end of the session, you should be able: • Critically understand the nature and principles of constructive alignment; • Contextualise the developments in an outcomes based approach to learning within the national agenda of higher education and the philosophy of constructive alignment; • Reflect on the appropriateness and effectiveness of teaching and learning methods in Network 22; • Appreciate the implications of constructive alignment for teaching methods and student (and tutor!) learning.

3. Why Constructive Alignment in today’s session? • Subject Review Overview Report • TLA and especially assessment * “weaknesses were frequently evident in the relationship between learning outcomes, assessment criteria, marking and the written feedback provided for students” • Critical thinking …..”a lack of academic challenge for students in some of the provision” * ‘assessment is usually where alignment is destroyed’ Biggs 1999)

4. Changing HE system • Numbers, diversity, AWP • Employability and vocationalism • Technology • This requires a “robust system of assessment’”(Elton and Johnson 2002) “If you want to change student learning, change the methods of assessment” (Brown 1997) • Outcomes based approaches to learning and recent national developments

5. Are we ready for constructive alignment? • The move towards an outcomes based approach • to learning • 1. early 1990s Employment Department initiatives • 2. early-mid 1990s modularisation of HE curriculum • 3. 1995-97 HEQC Graduate Attributes • 4. 1997 Dearing - Programme Specifications, • Subject Benchmarking and Progress Files • 5. 1997-2000 QAA - development of policies • LTSN- work on Subject Benchmarking Statements, the • Imaginative Curriculum Project and more emphasis on • enhancement (continuous improvement)

6. Alignment between Student and tutor perceptions Learning outcomes and all TL activities and assessment What the learner does in relation to learning outcomes Alignment with national agenda and institutional culture/policies-the learning environment What the teacher does`to create a learning environment What is constructive alignment?

7. Constructive because: • The emphasis is on student learning. Students construct their own meaning and apply the knowledge learnt in particular contexts • Not de-contextualised elements of knowledge but holistic, complex knowledge and skills • It is functioning knowledge rather than declarative knowledge • Perhaps also what the teacher does to extend their own learning

8. Yet it is a major challenge • “embedded within this sensible, rational approach to the design, delivery and assessment of students’ learning are complexities that will take many years to work through. At the most basic level the outcomes approach is alien to many teachers. We should not underestimate the amount of work and cultural change required in order to reconceptualise learning in the way that subject benchmarking and other QAA policies encourage” (Jackson 2002) • Critics of OBL – positivist, mechanistic and containing banality, instrumentalism and epistemological problems (Eccleston 1999)

9. Role of QAA policies in constructive alignment (Jackson) reference points design tools and curriculum representations Programme Specification * Learning Outcome * Teaching, learning and assessment processes that enable intended outcomes to be achieved and demonstrated * Curriculum structure (may include curriculum maps) Module specifications subject benchmark statements requirements of professional and statutory bodies institutional policies teaching system what the teacher does learning system what the student does what is actually taught and learnt

10. How does it work? • Decide on learning outcomes/content – skills emphasis Verbs are the key -Biggs’ SOLO taxonomy, Bloom’s taxonomy, Level Descriptors What level of understanding do we want from our students (in the context of hospitality, leisure, sport and tourism)? 2. Design teaching and learning activities to reflect the learning outcomes Identify assessment methods which are embedded in the TL activities

11. How does it work (cont.)? • Assessment “The assessment is the curriculum as far as the student is concerned” (Ramsden 1992) Match with learning outcomes and teaching and learning activities Criterion-referenced process with clear criteria and grade descriptors Qualitative? No compensation?

12. Implicit in programme specification -the need to show how/where learning outcomes are achieved (Jackson) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 etc curriculum building blocks Bench marks programme outcomes A B C D E F G H 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 etc TPA TPA P TPA P TPA TPA TPA TPA TPA P TPA TPA P TPA TPA TPA TPA PA TPA PA TPA TPA TPA TPA P P T=taught P= developed through practice A=assessed

13. Implications (issues) for practice • Diversity to reflect student intake and range of learning outcomes • More portfolios (PDP) and reflection • Balance across the four QAA aspects including the skill of transfer • Key (transferable) skills taught, practised and assessed? Progression through the levels? • Importance of formative feedback including examination scripts handed back with full comments?

14. Comprehensive and explicit documentation Programme specifications Module guides with alignment clearly demonstrated and especially clear assessment tasks, assessment criteria (weighted?) and grade descriptors (how many bands) • Verbs in assessment to encourage deep learning and to match learning outcomes • All learning outcomes assessed? • John Buswell 13/03/03