Alignment describes the way in which critical course elements – instructional methods and learning activities, and

assessments work together to ensure that students achieve the intended learning outcomes or objectives.

The alignment chart is a graphic organizer that demonstrates the connections among the learning objectives,
assessments and learning activities. Given that the focus of instruction is on the attainment of the learning objectives, the
alignment chart is used to verify that the assessments and learning activities correspond to the learning objectives, and
are pitched at the same cognitive level (using Bloom’s or other taxonomy) as the verbs in the learning objectives. More
significantly the alignment chart used here employs the Backwards Design model which necessitates that assessments
are considered before instructional methods and learning activities. This therefore guarantees that assessments measure
the accomplishment of the learning objectives and that the learning activities steer students towards the realization of the
learning objectives.

766 Alignment Template

Andrea Marshall
Marshalla3236@my.uwstout.edu

Brief description of proposed project. The UWI Cave Hill campus has formulated strategic initiatives that are
underpinned by the notions of a SMART Campus capitalizing on advances in IT, towards improving educational delivery
and pedagogy. As such there must be the renewal, design, redesign and delivery of efficacious curricula for blended and
online learning. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there is the perception among faculty that a traditional course can be
converted to a blended course simply by adding technological tools. Therefore efficient training in the principles of
blended course design and delivery is warranted.

The primary audience for the project will comprise full time and adjunct faculty, but research assistants who work closely
with faculty, and administrative assistants may also be involved. Participants must hold an undergraduate degree or
higher, and must be employed in higher education for at least one year. For this project a blended approach will be
utilized for the delivery of the instruction. This modality was chosen because of the flexibility that it will afford participants
who will carry their usual workloads, research and community service responsibilities. In addition, they will engage in
experiential learning as they experience a blended course from the learner’s perspective.

Terminal Objective 1: Learners will demonstrate mastery in writing course goals and learning objectives.
Enabling Objectives Assessment Idea Absorb Activity Do Activity Connect Activity

The learners will

distinguish between Presentation – Power
Mastery quiz Mastery quiz
educational goals and Point
learning objectives

Group work: In small

The learners will Discussion Discussion:
groups learners will
outline the types of Matching exercise Reading Learners will discuss
formulate acquisition,
educational goals Group work the significance of the
meaning-making and
types of educational
Terminal Objective 1: Learners will demonstrate mastery in writing course goals and learning objectives.
Enabling Objectives Assessment Idea Absorb Activity Do Activity Connect Activity
posited by McTighe & goals advanced by transfer goals for a
Wiggins (2013) McTighe & Wiggins named course

Matching exercise:
Given a list of
educational goals,
learners will indicate
whether they are
acquisition, meaning-
making or transfer
goals

The learners will Discussion: Reflection: Through

formulate measurable Discussion Learners will explore
Presentation – Power reflective journaling
cognitive, affective Group work the importance of
Point, video learners will indicate
and psychomotor Reflection writing learning
Reading what they know, what
learning objectives objectives in all three they find confusing
domains of learning and what they still
Terminal Objective 1: Learners will demonstrate mastery in writing course goals and learning objectives.
Enabling Objectives Assessment Idea Absorb Activity Do Activity Connect Activity
using the associated need to know or do in
Group work: In small
taxonomies order to write good
groups and using
learning objectives in
guidelines for
all three domains of
formulating SMART
learning
learning objectives,
learners will formulate
at least two objectives
in each of the
domains of learning –
cognitive, affective
and psychomotor.

The learners will Peer assessment: In

critique learning small groups, using
objectives developed criteria for well written
by their peers, and Peer assessment learning objectives
offer suggestions for learners will identify
improvement where the strengths and
necessary weaknesses of the
learning objectives
Terminal Objective 1: Learners will demonstrate mastery in writing course goals and learning objectives.
Enabling Objectives Assessment Idea Absorb Activity Do Activity Connect Activity
developed by their
peers, and offer
suggestions for
improvement where
necessary

Terminal Objective 2: For the blended environment learners will develop assessment items that will gauge the
achievement of the learning objectives.
Enabling Objectives Assessment Idea Absorb Activity Do Activity Connect Activity

The learners will Discussion:

discuss the benefits of Learners will explore
Discussion
assessments in Presentation the advantages of
blended environments assessments in the
blended modality
Terminal Objective 2: For the blended environment learners will develop assessment items that will gauge the
achievement of the learning objectives.
Enabling Objectives Assessment Idea Absorb Activity Do Activity Connect Activity

The learners will Matching exercise:

identify various Learners will identify
assessment tools the assessment tools
that they will use in
their blended course,
Discussion:
indicating the
Discussion Learners will examine
Reading assessments that will
Matching exercise various assessment
be used in the face-
tools
to-face component
and those that will be
used in the online
component of the
course

The learners will Alignment table: In

create assessment Alignment table Presentation the alignment table
items that align with learners will describe
assessment items
Terminal Objective 2: For the blended environment learners will develop assessment items that will gauge the
achievement of the learning objectives.
Enabling Objectives Assessment Idea Absorb Activity Do Activity Connect Activity
the learning that are appropriate
objectives for each learning
objective

The learners will Peer assessment: In

critique assessment small groups, learners
items developed by will identify strengths
their peers, and offer and weaknesses of
suggestions for assessment items
Peer assessment
improvement where developed by their
necessary peers and offer
suggestions for
improvement as
necessary

The learners will Mastery quiz Reading Mastery quiz

differentiate between
Terminal Objective 2: For the blended environment learners will develop assessment items that will gauge the
achievement of the learning objectives.
Enabling Objectives Assessment Idea Absorb Activity Do Activity Connect Activity
an analytic and a
holistic scoring rubric

The learners will

construct an Sample rubric: Learners will formulate a
Sample rubric Presentation
appropriate scoring scoring rubric appropriate for an identified test
rubric for a test