Alignment between Course Learning Outcomes and Assessments: An Analysis within Linguistic Programs at a University in Vietnam
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.24422Keywords:
Alignment, learning outcomes, assessment, linguistic programsAbstract
Internationally, the trend of student-centered learning in higher education has emphasized the importance of aligning student learning outcomes with corresponding assessment methods. This study is conducted at a university in Vietnam by investigating 32 sets of syllabi and test specifications varied from English Language programs to English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) courses. The findings reveal that a lack of precision in verb usage within learning outcomes can introduce ambiguity, potentially hindering the effectiveness of both teaching and assessment. The study also highlights the significance of balancing the quantities of requirements within a single learning outcome to foster a positive and manageable learning experience. As a result, it is believed that a careful selection of verbs in writing learning outcomes, coupled with a balanced approach to requirements, can contribute to a more coherent and effective curriculum within linguistic programs.References
Abu-Hamdan, T., & Khader, F. (2014). Alignment of Intended Learning Outcomes with Quellmalz Taxonomy and Assessment Practices in Early Childhood Education Courses. Journal of Education and Practice, 5(29). https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JEP/article/view/16188
Adams, S. (2006). An introduction to learning outcomes: A consideration of the nature, function and position of learning outcomes in the creation of the European Higher Education Area. EUA Bologna Handbook: Making Bologna Work, 4, 2–22.
Ahmad, Z. (2020). Summative Assessment, Test Scores and Text Quality: A Study of Cohesion as an Unspecified Descriptor in the Assessment Scale. European Journal of Educational Research, 9(2), 523–535. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.9.2.523
Allen, M. J. (2006). Assessing General Education Programs. Jossey-Bass, An Imprint of Wiley, 269.
Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., Dipietro, M., Lovett, M. C., Norman, M. K., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). 7 Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass. https://firstliteracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/How-Learning-Works.pdf
Antes, A. L., & DuBois, J. M. (2014). Aligning Objectives and Assessment in Responsible Conduct of Research Instruction. Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 15(2), 108–116. https://doi.org/10.1128/JMBE.V15I2.852
Bers, T. H. (2008). The role of institutional assessment in assessing student learning outcomes. New Directions for Higher Education, 2008(141), 31–39. https://doi.org/10.1002/HE.291
Biggs, J. (2014). Constructive alignment in university teaching. HERDSA Review of Higher Education, 1. www.herdsa.org.au
Biggs John. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32(3), 347–364. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00138871
Biggs, John, Tang, & Catherine. (2011). Teaching For Quality Learning at University (4th ed., Vol. 2011). McGraw-Hill Education (UK), 2011.
Butt, G. (2006). Lesson planning (2nd ed.). London, England: Continuum.
Chapelle, C. A., & Brindley, G. (2002). Assessment (pp. 267–288). Oxford University Press. https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/assessment-2
Coates, H. (2014). Higher Education Learning Outcomes Assessment: International Perspectives. Peter Lang.
Dao, T. B. N. (2021). A Narrative Inquiry of a Vietnamese University EFL Teacher’s Assessment Identity. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 1(3), 260–277. https://i-jte.org/index.php/journal/article/view/109/34
El-Maaddawy, T., & Deneen, C. (2017). Outcomes-Based Assessment and Learning: Trialling Change in a Postgraduate Civil Engineering Course. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 14(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.53761/1.14.1.3
European Commission. (2015). ECTS Users’ Guide. Brussels: Directorate General for Education and Culture. https://education.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/document-library-docs/ects-users-guide_en.pdf
Fautley, M., & Savage, J. (2013). Lesson planning for effective learning. Maidenhead, Berkshire: Open University Press.
Fernandes, S., Flores, M. A., & Lima, R. M. (2012). Students’ views of assessment in project-led engineering education: Findings from a case study in Portugal. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 37(2), 163–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2010.515015
Gronlund, N. E., & Brookhart, S. M. (2009). Writing instructional objectives. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Hussey, T., & Smith, P. (2008). Learning outcomes: a conceptual analysis. Teaching in Higher Education, 13(1), 107–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510701794159
Kennedy, D., Hyland, Á., & Ryan, N. (2007). Implementing Bologna in your institution C 3.4-1 Using learning outcomes and competences Planning and implementing key Bologna features Writing and Using Learning Outcomes: a Practical Guide. http://www.eua.be
Keshavarz, M. (2011). Measuring course learning outcomes. Journal of Learning Design, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.5204/JLD.V4I4.84
Kibble, J. D. (2017). Best practices in summative assessment. Adv Physiol Educ, 41, 110–119. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00116.2016
Lau, K. H., Lam, T. K., Kam, B. H., Nkhoma, M., & Richardson, J. (2018). Benchmarking higher education programs through alignment analysis based on the revised Bloom’s taxonomy. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 25(8), 2828–2849. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-10-2017-0286
Le, X. M., & Le, T. T. (2022). Factors Affecting Students’ Attitudes towards Learning English as a Foreign Language in a Tertiary Institution of Vietnam. International Journal of TESOL & Education, 2(2), 168–185. https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.22229
Martone, A., & Sireci, S. G. (2009). Evaluating alignment between curriculum, assessment, and instruction. Review of Educational Research, 79(4), 1332–1361. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654309341375
McNeill, M., Gosper, M., & Xu, J. (2012). Assessment choices to target higher order learning outcomes: The power of academic empowerment. Research in Learning Technology, 20(3), 283–296. https://doi.org/10.3402/RLT.V20I0.17595
Momsen, J. L., Long, T. M., Wyse, S. A., & Ebert-May, D. (2010). Just the facts? introductory undergraduate biology courses focus on low-level cognitive skills. CBE Life Sciences Education, 9(4), 435–440. https://doi.org/10.1187/CBE.10-01-0001
Ngatia, L. W. (2022). Student-centered learning: Constructive alignment of student learning outcomes with activity and assessment. Experiences and Research on Enhanced Professional Development Through Faculty Learning Communities, 72–92. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-5332-2.CH004
Nurmatova, S., & Altun, M. (2023). A Comprehensive Review of Bloom’s Taxonomy Integration to Enhancing Novice EFL Educators’ Pedagogical Impact. Arab World English Journal, 14(3), 380–388. https://doi.org/10.24093/AWEJ/VOL14NO3.24
Parker, P. E., Fleming, P. D., Beyerlein, S., Apple, D., & Krumsieg, K. (2001). Differentiating assessment from evaluation as continuous improvement tools [for engineering education]. 31st Annual Frontiers in Education Conference. Impact on Engineering and Science Education. Conference Proceedings (Cat. No.01CH37193), T3A-1–6. https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2001.963901
Pollard, A. (2014). Reflective teaching in schools (4th ed.). London, England: Bloomsbury.
Praslova, L. (2010). Adaptation of Kirkpatrick’s four level model of training criteria to assessment of learning outcomes and program evaluation in Higher Education. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 22(3), 215–225. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11092-010-9098-7
Reichgelt, H., & Yaverbaum, G. (2002). Designing an information technology curriculum: The Georgian Southern experience. Journal of Information Technology Education, 1(4), 213–221.
Savage, J. (2015). Lesson planning: Key concepts and skills for teachers. New York, NY: Routledge.
Stanny, C. J., & Albright, J. (2016). Reevaluating Bloom’s Taxonomy: What Measurable Verbs Can and Cannot Say about Student Learning. Education Sciences 2016, 6(4), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/EDUCSCI6040037
Stiggins, R. J. (2001). Student-involved classroom assessment (3rd ed.). Pearson College Div.
Stiggins, R. J. (2005). Student-involved assessment for learning (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Taylor, R. M. (2009). Defining, constructing and assessing learning outcomes. Rev. Sci. Tech. Off. Int. Epiz, 28(2), 779–788.
Webb, N. L. (1997). Criteria for Alignment of Expectations and Assessments in Mathematics and Science Education. (Research Monograph No. 6.).
Webb, N. L. (2002). An Analysis of the Alignment Between Mathematics Standards and Assessments for Three States. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/252605969_An_Analysis_of_the_Alignment_Between_Mathematics_Standards_and_Assessments_for_Three_States
Yambi, T. (2018). Assessment and evaluation in education. University Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Dang Thi Minh Tam, Pham Thuy Quynh
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The copyright of all articles published in the International Journal of TESOL & Education (ijte) remains with the Authors, i.e. Authors retain full ownership of their article. Permitted third-party reuse of the open access articles is defined by the applicable Creative Commons (CC) end-user license which is accepted by the Authors upon submission of their paper. All articles in the ijte are published under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license, meaning that end users can freely share an article (i.e. copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt it (i.e. remix, transform and build upon the material) on the condition that proper attribution is given (i.e. appropriate credit, a link to the applicable license and an indication if any changes were made; all in such a way that does not suggest that the licensor endorses the user or the use) and the material is only used for non-commercial purposes.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository, in a journal or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
