Press "Enter" to skip to content

6.3 Enrichment activity: Aligning assignments with their intended learning outcomes [± 60 minutes]

Learning outcome: 

  • LO2: Use identified learning goals to ensure alignment in assignment creation and design relevant grading methods. 

Aligning assignments with their intended learning outcomes

Look at the following examples of learning outcomes and summaries of the assignments created to assess them. Pick one of the examples (the one closest to your discipline) and analyze it in detail. You will notice that there is misalignment between the nature of the assignments and the learning outcomes that they are meant to test. Address this misalignment by:

  • Redesigning the assignment to ensure it adequately tests the identified learning outcomes; and
  • Creating the grading criteria necessary to adequately support students’ completion of the assignment.

Note:

Complete this activity in a separate document and save it for safekeeping, as this is an enrichment activity that will aid your completion of the teaching portfolio submission at the end of this unit. 

Example 1: Medicine

Learning outcome: Investigate the causes of perinatal morbidity and mortality and identify ways to address this.

Assignment: Complete a 20-question multiple choice quiz on perinatal morbidity and mortality. The questions provided will be based on current statistics.


Example 2: Mathematics

Learning outcome: Create a graphic representation of socioeconomic data.

Assignment: Engage in a think-pair-share exercise in which you answer the question: How would you go about graphically representing socioeconomic data?


Example 3: History

Learning outcome: Discriminate between a primary and a secondary source and their use in research.

Learning outcome: Conduct a historical research project.

Assignment: Create and give a 10-minute presentation in which you explain the difference between primary and secondary research sources. To do so, share experiences of discriminating between such sources when conducting a historical research project.


Example 4: Financial statistics

Learning outcome: Create a balance sheet by applying the dual-entry recording framework to given transactions.

Assignment: Write a 200- to 300-word submission in which you explain how the dual-entry recording framework can be used to create a balance sheet. Your submission should focus on the application of this framework.