Unit 5: Alignment—The Core Principle: Driving Improvement & Video

5.7 Using Alignment to Drive Course Improvement

Alignment isn't just an evaluative tool—it's a powerful framework for course improvement:

1. Identify gaps: Use alignment mapping to identify mismatches between outcomes, activities, and assessments
2. Prioritize: Focus on the highest-impact improvements (e.g., if an outcome has no corresponding assessment, add one)
3. Revise: Make targeted changes to close gaps
4. Test: Gather student feedback and data on whether revised activities and assessments are working
5. Iterate: Use results to inform further refinements

5.8 Alignment and the QM Review Process

When courses are submitted for QM certification, reviewers evaluate alignment as a standalone standard (Standard 2) and also as a component of other standards. A course that demonstrates strong alignment will score well across multiple standards, because alignment improves outcomes, instruction, and assessment. Conversely, misalignment will be flagged across several standards.

Key Takeaways

• Alignment—the connection between learning outcomes, instruction, and assessment—is the foundation of Quality Matters
• In a well-aligned course, all components work toward the same goal of achieving stated outcomes
• Common misalignment occurs between outcomes and assessments, outcomes and activities, and outcomes and materials
• Alignment can be evaluated using a systematic checklist approach
• Self-paced courses require intentional design to maintain alignment, especially because students lack cohort structures
• Alignment analysis is a powerful tool for identifying and prioritizing course improvements

Self-Check Questions

1. Define alignment and explain why it's central to Quality Matters.
2. Describe the three-way alignment model (outcomes, instruction, assessment).
3. Give an example of a misaligned course (outcome vs. assessment mismatch) and explain how to fix it.
4. List the five steps for evaluating alignment in your course.
5. What are three unique alignment challenges in self-paced courses?
6. Why is alignment more important in self-paced courses than in instructor-led courses?
7. How can alignment analysis be used as a tool for course improvement?