Aligning for Learning

Book excerpt: Aligning for Learning offers faculty, instructional developers, administrators, and researchers a clear model through which to approach the complexities of effective teaching and learning. The alignment model is the culmination of 20 years of research done by Donald Wulff and others at the Center for Instructional Development and Research at the University of Washington. It helps instructors incorporate instructional components and communication strategies into a representation of teaching effectiveness related to rapport, structure, engagement, and interaction, in an effort to align themselves, their content, and their students in a consistent learning goal. This book combines the alignment model with the contributors’ years of experience as instructors, instructional developers, and administrators to produce a practical volume on teaching and learning that contains ideas applicable to a variety of institutions and instructional settings. Divided into five parts, this book Explains the alignment model as a tool to teaching effectiveness Addresses the importance of inclusive teaching and learning, the use of the alignment model in designing courses, the use of assessment in support of alignment, and alignment issues in evaluation Illustrates the application of alignment in various instructional contexts, such as large classes, team teaching, and mentoring Demonstrates how the alignment model can be used to advance the scholarship of teaching and learning and its role in faculty reward systems Provides key considerations in the application of alignment and some thoughts on the future of the alignment model