Instructional Approach
In safety-critical industries, it is not the number of training hours that decides a course’s impact, but a single question: do the learning objective, learning activity and assessment fit together?
If the learning objective, learning activity and assessment don’t fit together, a false sense of security arises – the company believes its people are qualified, even though something other than what the job actually needs was trained and tested.
My instructional basis for this is the principle of Constructive Alignment by John Biggs: learners actively construct their understanding through what they do themselves – not through what they are told. It follows that the learning objective, learning activity and assessment must be consistently aligned with one another. I call this principle the “alignment triangle”. For me it is not a model but a checking tool: before every course I ask what the participant should demonstrably be able to do, whether exactly that is practised, and whether the assessment tests exactly that.
Only when all three fit together is training effective.
At a glance
Select a corner to learn more.
Corner 1
What should the participant demonstrably know, be able to do, or do by the end? Defined via domain (knowledge, skill, competence), level (basic, intermediate, advanced) and a precise action verb.
The action verb is the link to the whole triangle: it defines at once what must be practised and what must be assessed.
Corner 1 in detail →Corner 2
How is the learning done? The method must match the action verb and level of the learning objective exactly – and put the participant, not the trainer, at the centre.
The method follows from the action verb, not from habit or convenience: lecturing produces almost only basic-level knowledge.
Corner 2 in detail →Corner 3
How is it checked whether the learning objective has been reached? Formative alongside the learning process, summative at the end – and always at the same level as the learning objective itself.
Summative assessment must take place in the same setting and structure as the preceding learning activity for it to be valid at all.
Corner 3 in detail →In detail
John Biggs describes Constructive Alignment as the interplay of two ideas: constructivism – learners build their understanding through their own doing, not through mere listening – and alignment – learning objective, learning activity and assessment must consistently refer to one another. The three corners form a closed cycle: the learning objective determines what must be practised. The learning activity puts exactly that into practice. And the assessment checks whether exactly what was practised has been achieved – no more and no less.
The classic mistake in training practice happens when one corner goes out of balance: a learning objective calls for “carry out independently” (skill level, intermediate to advanced), but the learning activity is a lecture, and the assessment is a multiple-choice test. Creating coherence means: before I build a course, I define the learning objective right down to the action verb. Only then do I choose the method and the form of assessment – never the other way round.
Corner 1
| Level | What the participant shows | Example action verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Basic level | Recognises, names, describes or imitates a topic or an action. | name, recognise, describe, imitate, repeat |
| Intermediate level | Explains connections, applies tools/procedures in familiar situations. | explain, discuss, apply, distinguish, carry out |
| Advanced level | Evaluates situations, acts independently even in unfamiliar situations, takes responsibility. | evaluate, explore, select, adapt, supervise, take responsibility |
Example: a learning objective with the action verb “carry out” (skill, intermediate level) requires a practical exercise and a practical assessment – not a quiz.
Corner 2
Corner 3
Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32, 347–364. The domain/level structure (knowledge, skills, competences) is used as a practical application for the wind and maritime industries.