Foundations of university learning and teaching : a reflection on the curriculum alignment

Purpose--This paper evaluates the constructive alignment of the course design within the Foundations of University Learning and Teaching (FULT) program and the extent to which the course provided appropriate skills to new academics in the university sector. Design/methodology/approach--This paper adopts an interpretivist approach to examine whether the FULT curriculum is suitably structured to meet the needs of a diverse group of new academics. The analysis is based on interviews and personal reflections from having completed the program. Research findings and implications--The Module three assessment item within the FULT was found not to be constructively aligned with the needs of the participants or the achievement of the stated learning outcomes. The implication is that curriculum design should involve greater attention integration and alignment of assessment items with learning outcomes. This also requires allowing for the potential diverse nature of the students as not all students are likely to have the requisite prior knowledge required to complete assessment tasks. This paper provides a conceptual model for assessing constructive alignment in curriculum design.