Developing an Assurance of Learning wishlist

Intended audience

This workshop explores how to assure student learning. Participants from diverse disciplines and roles(educational technologists, administrators, teaching academics and researchers) will enrich professional development outcomesthrough a range of activities including sharing personal wish lists and case studies. Participant discussion will focus on barriers, enablers, ideas and understandings around Assurance of Learning (AoL)(Lawson, 2014) for the range of individual contexts. The workshopis intended to facilitate candid and collegial exploration of AoL issues and practice and develop a wishlist for AoLprofessional development.

Workshop outcomes

  • Define the role and value of AoL.
  • Analyse collection of case studies in terms of AoL practice.
  • Develop a list of recommended topics for inclusion in AoLprofessional development.

Workshop description

To optimise outcomes the workshop participants will engage in a range of activities that step participants through 7 inter-related workshop activities in three hours. AoL can include Establishing Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs), Curriculum Mapping, Collecting Evidence, External Benchmarking, and Closing the Loop.

Preparation:1)pre-reading‘Why AoLMatters’andexampleAoLcase study.2) Bring to workshop one case studyrelevant to AoLand wishlistforAoLprofessional development.

Workshop Plan:

  • Speed-dating: share understanding and interpretation of AoL.
  • Q&A Panel: share discussion points and clarify points of uncertainty.
  • Peer Pairs: revisit/reflect on individual wishlists for an AoL PD program. Categorise pair wish list items using the Quality Pursuit Framework (Bill, Nash, Kelder & Williams, 2015) floor chart. Using template, analyse case studies from perspective of barriers to AoL. Pin to “AoL spectrum” wall chart.
  • Large group: share top priority wishlist items with reasons.
  • ECHO chamber: share wishlists in small groups and suggestions to resolve barriers to AoL identified in the case studies.
  • Participants’ pledge: select one wishlist item as focus of future practice (barriers; plantoresolve).
  • Refinement: Whole group discussion vote for top-10 AoL wishlist items.
  • Evaluation: Individual reflections and workshop evaluation.

Lawson, R. (2014). Curriculum design for assuring learning - leading the way National Teaching Fellowship. Sydney: Office for Learning and Teaching.

Bill, A., Nash, R., Kelder, J.-A., & Williams, A.-m. (2015). A university’s competitive edge: Developing graduate capabilities using 360QP quality enhancement (PechaKucha and Poster #328). Paper presented at the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia, Melbourne.

Facilitator biographies

Rosie Nash

University of Tasmania, Hobart,

PhD candidate Pharmacy Education, Associate Lecturer, Project Officer Quality Evaluation Learning and Teaching unit, Faculty of Health.

Associate Professor Romy Lawson

University of Wollongong, Wollongong,

Director of Learning, Teaching & Curriculum at the University of Wollongong, Office of Learning and Teaching (OLT) National Teaching Fellow.

Dr Jo-Anne Kelder

University of Tasmania, Hobart,

Lecturer, Learning and Teaching Quality, Quality Evaluation Learning and Teaching unit, Faculty of Health.

Dr Carolyn King

University of Tasmania, Hobart,

Lecturer in Bioscience, School of Health Science, Faculty of Health.