Konstruktiivisesti linjakkaan opetuksen malli kurssin suunnittelussa : esimerkkinä kvantitatiivisten menetelmien opintojakso

Authors

• Hanna Wass

Abstract

During the past twenty years, the focus of higher education has shifted from teacher-centered towards student- and learning-centered approaches in many western countries. One of the implications of this paradigm change becomes evident in terms of the role of the student. Instead of being passive recipients, students are nowadays perceived as actors in constructing knowledge and meanings. In his seminal study, Biggs (1996) emphasizes that teaching forms a complex system in which all parts should be aligned to each other. In short, if the objective of the course is active knowledge formation among students, teaching and learning activities (TLAs) and assessments tasks (ATs) as well as grading should all contribute towards the same aim. Using quantitative methods study unit organized in the Department of Political and Economic Studies at the University of Helsinki as a case, the article utilizes constructive alignment model in course designing. In line with Brown et al. (1997), it suggests that the primary tool in improving students’ learning in the course is changing the assessment from an exam to a learning diary.