Constructive Alignment

1. What are the intended learning outcomes of the course? Do the learning outcomes reflect high-level cognitive skills or low-level skills (pay attention to the verbs)?

Learning Outcomes

• Illustrate effective use of spoken and written descriptions and explanations of medical conditions, diagnoses and treatments.
• Articulate conditions, diagnoses and treatments to clients in “lay terms”.
• Accurately follow written and verbal instructions related to the care and treatment of patients.
• Record medical information accurately, concisely and succinctly.
• Discuss veterinary cases with other professionals using appropriate terms and terminology.

These learning outcomes reflect mostly higher level cognitive skills.

1. How is student learning assessed in the course (essays, quizzes, journals, machine-gradable tests, portfolios)?

Learning is assessed with a combination of quizzes, assignments and a final exam.

1. In what ways are the intended learning outcomes and the assessments aligned or not?

The assessments require learners to not only memorize terms, but be able to create terms using roots and combining forms. There is a combination of defining terms and creating terms based on a definition. Students must all be able to apply the knowledge to be able to administer treatments based on written and verbal orders as well as write such treatments into patient medical records. This requires an understanding, not simply rote memorization.

1. Identify 2-3 items or assessments that are worded in such a way that they limit students to a unistructural or multistructural response at best and re-write them so that they require a relational response at worst and include the results in your post.

Record medical information accurately, concisely and succinctly. Could be changed to: Relate medical information accurately, concisely and succinctly.

Accurately follow written and verbal instructions related to the care and treatment of patients could be rewritten as: Accurately apply written and verbal instruction related to the care and treatment of patients.