Quality Teaching: Promoting student-centred approach to teaching through Constructive Alignment

OBJETIVOS: A process of teaching quality assurance is underway at the University of los Andes Dental School by fostering a student-centred approach to teaching. Hence, the infuential Constructive Alignment (CA) model (Biggs 1999) is being implemented. The premise of the model is that teaching-learning activities and assessment tasks must be “aligned” with the course intended learning outcomes in order to improve students´ learning. This study aimed at assessing baseline teachers´ approach to teaching as well as their perceptions on CA training and early implementation. METODO: In March 2015, all 176 dental school teachers were invited to anonymously complete the Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI) (Trigwell et al. 2005) to assess the way they approached their teaching (student-centred or teacher-centred). Subsequently and during the 2015 frst semester, an introductory CA model seminar followed by small group workshops were delivered by three experts from the Education Directorate to all staff. A target was set to start implementing the model in all courses by March 2016, though fve pilot courses are due to begin in August 2015. Once training was completed, teachers were invited to answer a CA anonymous perceptions´ questionnaire. Descriptive statistics using Microsoft Excel® were employed to express the studied variables. RESULTADO: A number of 114 (65%) teachers answered the ATI questionnaire before the CA training. The majority (52%) demonstrated a student-centred approach to teaching, though 29% showed a teacher-centred approach, whilst 19% exhibited no dominance. However, 70% of clinical teachers exhibited a student-centred approach. Sixty-four (56%) completed the CA perceptions´ questionnaire after training: 97% agreed on that CA will foster a student-centred approach to teaching through learning outcomes transparency (94%), and evidencing students´ weaknesses and progress (88%). CONCLUSIONES: There is considerable room to increase a student-centred approach to teaching in our Dental School and staff believe Constructive Alignment will do so.