A bottom-up approach in developing curriculum outcomes and assessment criteria

In outcome-based teaching and learning, constructive alignment between curriculum outcomes and assessment criteria facilitates student learning and promotes positive backwash. With younger first year students entering the university from 2012, learner diversity issues need to be addressed properly while maintaining the alignment between curriculum outcomes and assessment criteria. An initiative to address the issue in a bottom-up approach was implemented at City University of Hong Kong. The target is to provide a bank of student samples indicating a range of language proficiency levels. By sharing the performance descriptors among course developers, material writers, assessment developers, course coordinators, teachers and students, all stakeholders will have the same samples to refer to when setting or interpreting standards and/or outcomes. The availability of empirically confirmed performance descriptors allows learners at different language proficiency levels to be given more accurate guidance on their language needs while maintaining standards among teachers and across courses. In this presentation, the latest version of the sample bank, and, how the performance descriptors were compiled and used in course development and setting assessment criteria will be shown. Usefulness and limitations of the approach will also be discussed.