Aligning higher education learning Thomas Gulløv Longhi Associate Professor, Ph.D. Educational Developer - SUE Faculty of Business and Social Sciences University of Southern Denmark

Challenges  Higher education has changed during the last 10 years:  New insights and research has been accepted as important and contributing to practice  Biggs, J and Tang C. (2011): Teaching for Quality Learning at University, (McGraw-Hill and Open University Press, Maidenhead)  Increased international and national focus on education, relevance and quality of education  Bologna process (from Humboldt to vocational perspectives)  Major changes in student intake, student background and the funding of higher education 2

Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning 3 Knowledge ”I know” Skills ”I can” Competences ”I do”

SOLO taxonomy (Structure of Observed Learning Outcome) Biggs and Tang (2007) p. 79

Challenges  Universities, Colleges, Faculties, Head of studies, IT departments and Educational developers have focus on educational development  Constructive alignment, solo taxonomy, activating teaching and learning, ICT integration  Faculty members are driven by research interest (content) and legitimacy  Education has legitimacy through history and standards  Traditions are celebrated  Normative isomorphism 5

Legitimacy of the professor? 6

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO OVERCOME THESE CHALLENGES? Discuss in pairs 7

Incentive structure 8 Students Department Professor Formulated in the legal document ”course description”

The purpose of a course description?  Legal insurance?  Securing the professor in case of student complaints?  Necessary bureaucracy?  Something ”the system” requires  Coordination document between the course responsible and the professor teaching?  ”Work package”  Contract with the student? ”This is what you get, these are the terms,…”  Marketing?  Attract students …… 9

Content instead of context  Example ”Strategy”  The course covers topics of mission, goal, strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy evaluation. Strategic techniques include Industry: Analysis, Analysis of the Competitive Environment, Key Success Factors, Strategic Scenario Analysis and SWOT Analysis. Additional topics covered include strategic thinking, competitive advantage, vertical and horizontal integration, and planning horizon.  …and students, departments and professors are all happy! 10

11 Constructive Alignment - Aligning the course description? Learning Design Learning Outcome Teaching MethodAssessment

Adjustment Present Future  Prerequisites  Purpose  Learning aim  Content  Teaching form  Eventually ECTS-allocation  Exam  Prerequisites  Courses, professional skills, study skills  Purpose and learning aim (goal)  Progression in the education  Builds on, leads to  Professional function, skills  Content/theme, Learning aim and learning activity  (The correlation is described)  Allocation of different learning activities according to ECTS  Evaluation/assessment  Formative  Summative (exam activities)

Internal consistency Content/themeLearning aim/SOLOLearning activity Formative evaluation / Summative evaluation (exam activities)

From legal documents to learning activities 14 An example of a study plan based on a new course description!

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5 ECTS course corresponding to 135 student work hours These 135 hours are allocated in the following way Workload on group level Workload on group level 16

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Changing the nature of education  Incentive structures and learning aims (goals) must be clear  What is the purpose of higher education and courses?  Formal and legal documents must have point of origin in learning aims and learning design instead of bureaucracy  That goes for IT and ICT as well  Clear contracts can help overcome the resistance-to-change that students and faculty members have 18

Questions and discussion 19