Commentary: Curriculum Alignment and Aft er: Prompts, Positions and Prospects at La Trobe (original) (raw)
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Commentary: Curriculum Alignment and After: Prompts, Positions and Prospects at La Trobe University
Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice
The move to align curriculum has been an important aspect of endeavours to improve and reform higher education. This article places alignment reform at La Trobe University in its institutional context. The reform of generalist degrees programmes is emphasised. The article first traces a problem of curriculum anarchy which La Trobe shared with many other institutions. The paths and foundations of La Trobe's move to align its curriculum are then described, with a focus on their implications for generalist (i.e., nonvocational) programmes. The article concludes by suggesting and sketching a new agenda for reform after alignment: a focus on what students are actually doing now that their academics think they have everything properly aligned.
Alignment of developments in higher education
Higher Education, 2000
This study builds upon the concept of alignment within the curriculum (due to Biggs) and suggests, in the context of two current examples, an integrated methodology for effectively aligned development activities within universities. Higher Education institutions face important challenges. Firstly, quality enhancement of the curriculum is now an institutional concern, if not a priority, in the face of governmental pressure and in a competitive environment. It is no longer a matter of individual endeavour. Secondly, we now have a basic pedagogy for adult learning, and should put that into practice systematically. And thirdly, staff are now faced with the demand to commit themselves to professional development, and to determine what that means in terms of their particular profession. This paper considers these challenges, and relates them to the argument for an integrated methodology for institutional, staff and curriculum development, which aligns these activities rather more effectively than hitherto. At the same time, it advocates a logical model for curriculum development, as a complementary tool of alignment for student-centred curriculum development. The argument is illustrated by recent work in the Open University in the UK and in the Universidade de Aveiro in Portugal.
Introducing Constructive Alignment into a Curriculum:Some Preliminary Results from a Pilot Study
A common theme in the many challenges currently facing universities is the need for transparency and comparability within and between curricula. Emerging evidence from University College Dublin is starting to suggest that a constructively aligned curriculum can promote both of these features. In so doing, it can help students to study more efficiently, teachers to manage the learning of a diverse student population more effectively, facilitate better international comparison of courses, prompt innovative teaching and enable responsive management. However, these benefits only manifest fully when, and if, each of these groups deliberately acts to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the structure. In the case of students, it is important that they are kept fully informed and constantly reminded of how the intended outcomes wiII determine how they are assessed.
2014
Throughout the years, the age-old practice of higher education learning and teaching has evolved in different ways, benefiting some students and forsaking others. From the turn of the century, there have been fervent calls to reform the curriculum in such a way that all students benefit. In light of heated debates, ‘constructivism’ was embraced as the new learning theory that would cause an improvement in student learning outcomes. Much later, ‘constructive alignment’ emerged, which sought to revolutionise the curriculum, significantly modifying pedagogical practices. Consequently, this article seeks to address constructive alignment in the curriculum and the urgent need to improve didactic practices in higher education. To this end, a discussion ensues on the curriculum and its necessity in pedagogy. The different approaches to curriculum design are highlighted and briefly discussed. The theory of learning is discussed, with special emphasis on constructivism and its off-shoot, social constructivism. Outcomes-based education is discussed, paving the way for constructive alignment. The necessity of constructive alignment in pedagogical practices is highlighted, together with Biggs’ SOLO taxonomy. Information and Communication Technologies are presented as a prerequisite in a constructively-aligned curriculum. Further, educational leadership, pivotal to the entire process, is also considered, with special reference to pedagogic instructional leadership, as part of the management of change process. Conclusions are drawn from the information, establishing that a constructively-aligned curriculum has the power to maximise student learning outcomes. As an appendix, the design of one constructively-aligned lesson is presented, as an example, crystallising the relevance of constructivism in instructional practices. Keywords: higher education, curriculum, constructive alignment, curriculum planning, curriculum design, curriculum development, constructivism, intended learning outcome, learning-teaching activity, assessment task.
Academic Journal of Nawroz University (AJNU) Volume 7, No 3, 2018
The paper aims at highlighting the significance of alignment in teaching and learning (T&L) activities and processes. Focus is on alignment issues related to learning outcomes (LOs) and assessment at the course level of an undergraduate program in an outcome-based education (OBE) environment. Two tools commonly used at this level are focused on : the course plan (CP) and the course report (CR), the latter also assisting in providing feedback on the level of delivery and achievement of course LOs (CLOs). The general harmony of the contents of the tools with two academic accreditation criteria and standards is also considered. A number of mapping matrices and blueprints considered to be useful for aligning the various course level curriculum components are compiled to be included as part of the documents of the two tools.
2020
This systematic review synthesises research on curriculum alignment to suggest considerations for the implementation of the Senior secondary curriculum reform in Queensland, Australia. It focuses on the coherence of cognitive skills in the prescribed and enacted curriculum as these are typically the least aligned curriculum components. Search methods, which followed the PRISMA model, resulted in 108 relevant articles for qualitative synthesis. Results show that alignment after curriculum reforms is typically low. The use of educational taxonomies can support curriculum alignment. Marzano and Kendall’s (2007) New Taxonomy of Educational Objectives underpins the new Queensland Senior secondary syllabi which, in line with other Australian policy, encourage the explicit teaching of cognitive skills. Research is needed on the enacted cognitive skills curriculum in Queensland and its alignment with the reformed prescribed curriculum. To promote the successful implementation of the new Que...
Tuning Journal for Higher Education, 2018
The focus of this article is on the redesign of a fourth year Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) programme at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Due to the changes in teacher qualifications, as outlined in the 2015 Minimum Requirements for Teacher Education Qualification (MRTEQ) policy document, Higher Education Institutions were required to adapt their Initial Teaching Education (ITE) programmes to meet the requirements of the new policy document. This article describes the use of a backward mapping approach, in conjunction with the application of a constructive alignment framework, used by the education faculty at UWC to adjust the teaching and learning in the B.Ed programme to address the outcomes and standards required by the MRTEQ policy document. Given the type of student enrolled at UWC, the article provides a discussion on the challenges involved in developing a programme for students who might not have been adequately prepared for their tertiary studies due to the disadvantaged school contexts they come from. The article thus provides a reflective discussion on the challenges involved in the redesign process that used the pre-service teacher competencies expected at the end of the B.Ed programme at UWC, to develop the teaching and learning programme and assessment tasks for the fourth year B.Ed course.
Curriculum in higher education: A contested space
Drawing on the theoretical and analytical tools from the sociology of education, in particular the work of Basil Bernstein and Karl Maton, the paper explores the tensions within curriculum reform discourses and how these tensions play out in different global contexts. The analysis focuses on two curriculum reform policies – Hong Kong and South Africa. On the surface the policies appear to be addressing a similar problem of inadequate schooling systems and proposing a similar solution, the restructuring of the undergraduate degree from three to four years. Drawing on the principles of temporality and specialization from Legitimation Code Theory, the analysis shows that the underlying logic for these reforms is very different. A comparison of these different logics provides insight into the highly contested space of curriculum reform and the implications for addressing inequality. Keywords: curriculum reform; higher education; Legitimation Code Theory; inequality; Basil Bernstein
The alignment imperative in curriculum renewal
Medical Teacher, 2018
Rationale: There are perennial calls for MD curricula to reform in order to meet the changing needs of students, patients, and society. And yet, efforts at renewal have also been suggested to have minimal impact on the pedagogy and outcomes of medical education. One reason may be misalignment between the components of the curriculum during design and implementation. The University of Toronto MD program recently renewed its undergraduate preclinical Foundations curriculum. Mindful of the pitfalls of misalignment, the renewal process focused deliberately on alignment between the various components of the curriculum: instructional methods, student assessment, faculty development, and the larger purpose of serving students and society. Innovation: Educational evidence was used to drive the alignment process which resulted in three major changes. First, we created a spiral curriculum centered on 72 virtual patient cases designed to integrate content and prepare students for clinical learning. Second, we introduced a novel medical psychiatry component to address a core societal need in mental health. This exposed students early to experiences of complexity, ambiguity, and integrated patient care. Lastly, a shift to assessment for learning and programmatic assessment was designed and implemented concurrently to reinforce the pedagogy of the curriculum. Synchronous faculty development was developed for the new roles required of faculty. Conclusions: Early program evaluation shows alignment of these curricular components requires ongoing attention and resources in order to be successful. The potential benefits of this alignment are well prepared students who can meet the needs of their patients and society in an increasingly complex health system.