Session 4: Constructive Alignment

Session 4: Constructive alignment: an integrated approach to subject and curriculum design

Constructive alignment is a system designed to help teachers integrate the key elements of the curriculum, specifically: learning outcomes, teaching and learning activities, and assessment. Essentially, it is a check to ensure that the most important elements of your subject are consistent with one another and that together, they are directed towards improving student learning. There are two parts to the system of constructive alignment. First, academics are provided with a planning mechanism. The system gives you a chance to ensure that the learning outcomes, the activities and assessment which constitute your subject are in alignment. Second, and most importantly, constructive alignment is an opportunity to engage with the way students ‘construct’ your alignment. In other words, the system can be viewed from the teacher’s or the student’s perspectives. The compelling educational aspect of constructive alignment is that the teacher seeks to understand and engage with how their students experience the links between the learning outcomes, the activities and the assessment in order to incorporate those views in their decision-making about teaching and curriculum. The idea of constructive alignment is developed extensively in the work of Biggs & Tang (2007) – and is extended to an examination of teaching and learning across a year, a course degree, a department, faculty and even, a whole institution.

In this session, you will have an opportunity to learn more about constructive alignment and to explore examples of subjects that are well aligned. You will participate in activities designed to help you strengthen the alignment between the various elements of your curriculum. You will be encouraged to develop processes that support you to engage with how students experience their learning in your subject so you can be confident that they are achieving quality learning outcomes.