Second – or third – thoughts on alignment

John Cowan

Academic Development

Edinburgh Napier University

4 questions:

1. Should we still be checking alignment?

2. Can learning outcomes and assessment be integrated?

3. What does reflective practice offer aligned learning for higher level abilities?

4. What future is there for full integration of LOs, Assessment and Learning Activity?

First question:

1. Should we still be checking alignment?

2. Can learning outcomes and assessment be integrated?

3. What does reflective practice offer aligned learning for higher level abilities?

4. What future is there for full integration of LOs, Assessment and Learning Activity?

It all began for me at CNAA

- with a quote from

Joanna Tait’s granny

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

Outcomes

Assessment Learning & T

Representing Ideal Alignment

All within FHEQ requirements

Outcomes

Assessment Learning & T

Valid questions

All within FHEQ requirements

?

?

?

It’s not easy to get alignment mismatches acknowledged!

There’s a proverb to remind us why this is so

A nod’s as good as a wink

to a blind drunk

Outcomes

Assessment Learning & T

I worry about

What is teaching, for you?

Please take a moment to think how you would answer that question

Teaching, for me is:

- the purposeful creation of situations

from which motivated learners should

not be able to escape without learning

or developing

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

Outcomes

Assessment T & Learning

Common mismatching

Nothing in the programme to ensure

the learner should learn

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

Outcomes

Assessment T & Learning

Also:

Outcomes not assessed; assessment subversive

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?

Outcomes

Assessment T & Learning

Common mismatching

Assessment drives wrong

learning

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.

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

Question:

Hand on heart, are your curricula currently fully

aligned?

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

What might a rigorous reviewer still question in

our provision?

BUT..........

Once we align assessment and outcomes, is there any need to

distinguish between them?

Question 2:

1. Should we still be checking alignment?

2. Can learning outcomes and assessment be integrated?

3. What does reflective practice offer aligned learning for higher level abilities?

4. What future is there for full integration of LOs, Assessment and Learning Activity?

“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!

Best practice in 2009 features:

Rigorous programme specifications

Carefully detailed outcomes

Fairly appropriate and clear assessment

demands and criteria

Consequently:

Assessment tasks and criteria often spell out the learning outcomes clearly – and adequately

Outcomes

Assessment T & Learning

So there’s movement ......

Outcomes

Assessment T & Learning

Outcomes and assessment come together!

Outcomes and

AssessmentT & Learning

- to give us …..

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?

Question 3:

1. Should we still be checking alignment?

2. Can learning outcomes and assessment be integrated?

3. What does reflective practice offer aligned learning for higher level abilities?

4. What future is there for full integration of LOs, Assessment and Learning Activity?

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

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

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

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!

But another familiar proverb

.....reminds us of learners’ initial resistance when asked to reflect

Learners, too, will manoeuvre to avoid demanding tasks

The wisest farmers

children are the

ones who never

learnt to milk

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

Experiences

Generalising

Asking How

Actively

Experimenting

Constructivist pedagogy

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

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

We know that:

Reflection is more effective if we make time and

set tasks accordingly

Example: Critical incident analysis – and

rewards!

We know that:

The process is enhanced if conclusions are to

be tested out – iteratively

Example: Abilities in consecutive modules

We know that:

The process works better when learners

integrate with peers

Example: Any enriched application of Kolb

Experience

Generalise

ReflectActively

Experiment

External inputs?

Socio-constructivism

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

Example: Enquiry Skills learner

Identifies desired outcomes (LO)

Plans to achieve them (L & T)

Monitors progress (L & T/ Assessment)

Assembles self-assessment (Assessment)

Identifies useful development (Assessment)

Identifies and plans for next stage (LO)

Do you both agree that reflective learning brings the curriculum demands closer together?

Last question:

1. Should we still be checking alignment?

2. Can learning outcomes and assessment be integrated?

3. What does reflective practice offer aligned learning for higher level abilities?

4. What future is there for full integration of LOs, Assessment and Learning Activity?

We are moving from:

The status quo:

TEACHER

Plans and directs

LEARNING

LEARNER

and

Learner-directed learning

to:

LEARNER

Plans and directs

LEARNING

TEACHER

with facilitative support

which often implies:

LEARNER

must effectively consider

LEARNING

TEACHER

with facilitative support

OUTCOMES

ASSESSMENT

PLANNING

MONITORING

of

Example: CIPD membership

Parallel to MSc(HRM) Self-directed development Open-ended choice of outcomes Self-managed development Self-assessed development Formative peer assessment Claim with data and criteria and judgement Tutor facilitates – and checks peer audit

for inReflection on action

3 Reflections:WHAT and HOW and

HOW WELL? HOW? HOW WELL?

Needs Plans Exploring Review Developing

Self-assessment next plan

Surely a teachers’ job?

- and their responsibility?

What is the teacher’s role in this?

The teacher’s (influential) role in learner-directed learning is:

Planning tasks and mode of assessment

Planning resources

Negotiating outcomes and standards

Facilitating

Evaluating

Auditing?

In 2004, Dave Boud and I concluded that the next logical step will be:

To bring the two remaining process aspects more together

- with intrinsic self- or peer-assessing – happening as the learning progresses

Outcomes and

AssessmentT & Learning

Thus moving from here …

Assessmentand

Desired Outcomes and

Learning and Teaching

…. to here

Attractive?Yes, to me at least….

But we should always beware

unexpected risks!

Outcomes and

AssessmentT & Learning

Further integration will be risky and tricky ….

…. in matching higher level and interpersonal outcomes

with appropriate learning activities and assessment

What do you think of my final assertion?

Integration seems a viable and desirable next step in curriculum development.

After all, it’s how we manage our own CPD!

One last question to wrestle over, then

Please discuss with a neighbour

Should we consider this possibility further with

our colleagues?

Are you willing to rally to the banner of audited and fully

self-directed learning?

- or at least to explore what it might offer to you and your

students?

If you’d like any assistance from me, then please….

Contact me, and expect me to be interested and to wish to assist – in confidence

I am:J.Cowan@napier.ac.uk

One very last story

(I promise)