Module two thinking and thoughts...

John Biggs Blog entry that I read…simple, concise and really…why hadn’t anyone else really brought this forward before (yes I know there’s Piaget etc ), it’s the constructive alignment I’m talking about.

For me this blog entry is really highlighting where to start in curriculum design.  What do you want students to learn ILO.  And then work the learning activities and assessment from there.  Makes sense.

Focus is on the students and what they do, not what the teachers do.

Simple, I like it.

Again this student focus was highlighting in the reading on Constructive Alignment - and why it isimportant to the learning process

With the students in the centre of your curriculum map, you then align your assessment and planned learning activities so that the students can construct meaning from what they are doing, and achieve ILO.

All of the above make it sound simple.  But having looked at curriculum mapping and having a go at just aligning my unit…it’s not easy.

 

Curtin University’s Mapping curricula:ensuring work-ready graduates by mapping course learning outcomes and higherorder thinking skills again emphasis what I’ve been reading and highlights the complexity of course mapping.  I do like though how they have come up with a structure that allows course designers to have clear guidelines on how their course/unit maps and the expectations to ensure ILO are reached and that ultimately they are aiming to turn out graduates who are work ready.  The inclusion of external stakeholders such as employers and graduates (if you can call them external) makes the process very transparent, and allows everyone with an interest in the course to see that they are working towards the best outcomes.  Acutally mapping a course, ensures theres no unneccasry overlapping and repetititon and also that there’s no gaps in learning.  Does UNDA have something like this?