Learning and teaching design guide

The learning and teaching design guide uses the new course specification format as a means of helping staff navigate their way through a fundamental consideration of learning and teaching design: Constructive Alignment.

Constructive alignment is a concept used to express the requirement for teachers to align course learning objectives, course materials, teaching methods, and assessment (Biggs 20031). In other words, students are more likely to successfully and authentically learn the course objectives if the teaching of disciplinary knowledge, class activities and assessment are targeted directly towards those objectives.

The learning and teaching design guide streamlines the process of checking various components of the course, including teaching topics and activities, assessment and learning objectives. It is designed to generate the least possible amount of work for academic staff. A lot of sections will be automatically populated from the course specification.

The ultimate aim of this Learning and Teaching Design Guide is to function as a design tool for academic staff to use, either by themselves or in consultation with their learning and teaching faculty representative, and as a means of checking ideas about learning activities, teaching and assessment.

The Learning and Teaching Design Guide also provides links to both the Assessment Checklist and Course Writing Guide which provide more detail on assessment and course writing and production, respectively.

The Learning and Teaching Design Guide can also be used for staff engaged in either course or program review processes.

Currently under construction

Assessment

Assessment is used in higher education to:

• encourage learning

• provide feedback on learning and teaching to both the learner and the teacher

• document competency and skill development

• allow learners to be graded or ranked

• validate certification and license procedures for professional practice

• allow benchmarks to be established for standards (Broadfoot and Black, 20042).
  

All assessment is aligned to the course objectives, so that all objectives are assessed on each offer of the course. University of Southern Queensland (USQ) uses criterion-referenced assessment only (refer to USQ assessment policy section 5.6). This means that all students are graded on the basis of their work alone, not by reference to how other students have performed. Criteria are dimensions or characteristics of a given assessment task and are usually accompanied by a standard or level of achievement required for each grade. Assessment or grading criteria are linked closely with the course objectives. For example, when marking an essay a key criterion that reflects the course learning objective of good written communication might be ‘appropriate structure’.

The Learning and Teaching Support Unit provides the following resources to help you design a course assessment plan and its accompanying assessment tasks.

Information flyers

Refer to http://www.usq.edu.au/learnteach/learnres/infoflyers.htm

• About exams

• Basic principles for improving assessment

• Criterion referenced assessment

• Developing good assignments

• Moderation of assessments

• Teaching to avoid plagiarism

Checklist

• Assessment checklist

Exemplars

Refer to http://www.usq.edu.au/learnteach/learnres/exemplars/assessex/default.htm

• Assessment exemplars

Video resources

Refer to http://www.usq.edu.au/learnteach/learnres/vsarchive/default.htm

• Visiting scholar - Merrilyn Goos – criterion-referenced assessment

• Visiting scholar - Geoff Crisp – on-line assessment

Other resources

• Key online resources on assessment including discipline specific resources
  http://www.usq.edu.au/learnteach/topics/assess.htm

USQ graduate qualities and skills

When we refer to ‘graduate qualities’ we are referring to broad vision statements that describe types of student learning that go beyond knowledge-based outcomes. Graduate qualities statements are typically provided at a discipline or program level.

USQ has developed a policy called ‘The Qualities of a USQ Graduate’ identifying five overarching qualities that typify graduates of this university. They are:

1. Discipline expertise - the level of knowledge, skills and emerging expertise required for USQ graduates to commence practice in their chosen discipline

2. Professional practice - a sound knowledge and understanding of the professional and contextual responsibilities appropriate for their practice

3. Global citizenship - the ability, through their understanding and valuing of difference and diversity, to live and work in culturally diverse communities

4. Scholarship - the capability to make a scholarly contribution in their workplace and in the wider community

5. Lifelong learning - the information literacy and independent learning skills required to pursue personal and professional development throughout life.
   

The level and mix of qualities may vary according to the discipline or program focus and will be developed through the teaching and assessment of the following skills:

• ethical research and enquiry

• problem solving

• academic and professional literacy

• written and oral communication

• interpersonal skills

• teamwork

• cultural literacy

• management, planning and organisational skills

• creativity, initiative and enterprise.
  

Graduate skills are aligned with course assessment. They are expressed as learning outcomes on course specifications and as criteria on assessment criteria sheets and marking rubrics. Students will be offered opportunities outside of their program to develop graduate qualities and skills, including the USQ Phoenix Award and employability or careers activities.

Information flyers

Refer to http://www.usq.edu.au/learnteach/learnres/infoflyers.htm

• Developing USQ graduate qualities and skills

Templates

• USQ qualities and skills – customisation, mapping and alignment template

• Developing graduate qualities and skills at different levels across undergraduate programs and disciplines

Videos

Refer to http://www.usq.edu.au/learnteach/learnres/vsarchive/default.htm

• Graduate attributes and skills - Curtin University of Technology

• Visiting scholar Assoc Professor Joe Luca, Director, Graduate School, Edith Cowan University

Other resources

• Key online resources on Graduate Qualities and Skills
  http://www.usq.edu.au/learnteach/topics/gradatt.htm

Course writing guide

The Course Writing Guide is designed to help you compile your course materials based on some guiding general principles. If you find you have not addressed a particular element please review to ensure you do not need to include that element.

This form will allow you to:

• tick-off each element you have included (checkbox on right)

• access examples - these may include, word documents, PDF files, Breeze presentations and/or web links

• access a hint about what the element is used for (hold curser over 'HINT' button on the far right)

• print or save this document for later reference (located at bottom of checklist)

• reset the fields if you would like to use this for multiple courses (located at bottom of checklist).
  

To help you use this guide please refer to the course specification for your course. You may also like to visit the course preparation resources page on the DeC website. http://www.usq.edu.au/extrafiles/ltsu/IDchecklist/index.htm

Post evaluation

At USQ, post-evaluation is a systematic process of gathering evidence, reporting results, reviewing for actions, and responding to students on their feedback of the learning environments and experiences. Student feedback informs course and teaching reviews, accreditation and improvements, professional development, and the university’s quality assurance process.

The standard University evaluation processes can be supplemented by the use of:

• other evaluation methods of student learning, for example, focus groups or assessment reflection pieces

• peer review of teaching and course materials

• qualitative analysis of student comments from the standard University evaluation process and other evaluation methods.
  

The Learning and Teaching Support Unit provides the following resources to help staff plan and implement evaluation processes.

Information flyers

Refer to http://www.usq.edu.au/learnteach/learnres/infoflyers.htm

• Evaluation of learning and teaching

• Closing the loop on student feedback

• Course experience questionnaire (CEQ)

• LTSU support for post-evaluation

Other resources

Refer to http://www.usq.edu.au/learnteach/topics/eval/default.htm

• Post-evaluation on-line toolkit

• Key online resources on evaluation