Constructive alignment between objectives, teaching and learning activities, student competencies and assessment methods in higher education

Hristov, Slavča and Nakov, Dimitar and Miočinović, Jelena (2023) Constructive alignment between objectives, teaching and learning activities, student competencies and assessment methods in higher education. Journal of Agriculture and Plant Sciences, 21 (2). pp. 21-36. ISSN 2545-4447

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Abstract

A high-quality learning process in higher education properly and constructively aligns essential elements:
study programs and course objectives, learning outcomes, content, student workload, teaching and learning
activities, assessment methods, and acquisition of student competencies, which is known in the literature as
constructive alignment (CA). In essence, CA is bringing into alignment the predetermined competencies, the
learning and teaching activities, and the assessment types. Furthermore, CA is an outcomes-based approach
to teaching in which the learning outcomes that students are intended to achieve are defined before teaching
takes place.
Learning success at all levels of study primarily depends on constructive alignment as one of the most
significant and influential principles in higher education. Detailed knowledge of this principle and consistent
application is the basic obligation of teaching staff in higher education. To develop a “constructively aligned”
course unit, a teacher should start from the intended course-specific competencies, after which they should
choose the most appropriate learning, instructive, and teaching activities, and assessment methods for these
specific competencies.
The paper explains in more detail the essence of CA between student workload expressed through ECTS,
study programs, course and unit objectives, learning outcomes, theoretical and practical contents, teaching
and learning methodology, formative and summative assessment methods, and effective acquisition of
student generic and course-specific competencies.
Keywords: constructive alignment, student workload, objectives, learning outcomes, learning and teaching
activities, assessment, competencies

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	Social Sciences > Educational sciences Agricultural Sciences > Other agricultural sciences
Divisions:	Faculty of Agriculture
Depositing User:	Dimitar Nakov
Date Deposited:	22 Jan 2024 10:46
Last Modified:	22 Jan 2024 10:46
URI:	https://eprints.ugd.edu.mk/id/eprint/33242

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