44 | JADE
NAZIM ALI
structural components of the cancer module includes lectures; PBL
and practical classes. Looking at the organisation of these activities
in the context of the PBL cases of each week, the function of PBL in
the curriculum could be viewed as being the focal point of learning
serving to contextualise it (Figure 2).
Here I will first take an interrogative approach to explore the
effectiveness of the module’s structure; the basis of adopting PBL
and its success in ensuring students achieve the desired outcomes.
I will also examine whether the learning students are encouraged to
undertake is closely matched by the way it is assessed i.e whether
the two axis are aligned.
Structure of the cancer module and constructive
alig nment
In deconstructing the module I will first examine whether the
learning outcomes, the teaching and learning activities and
assessment methods are systematically aligned. A constructively
aligned module is a conjugate of two concepts. First it aims to be
student-centred and encourages learning to be constructed by
undertaking relevant activities. This differs from traditional teaching
where knowledge is expected to be transmitted from teacher to
students. Instead in a constructively aligned module the teacher
acts as a facilitator for student learning. The second concept of
alignment sees that the content of the module matches with its
specified ILOs and the way it is to be assessed (Biggs 2003). The
cancer module utilises PBL to achieve constructive learning and
adopts a format where the teaching topics of lectures and practical
classes are aligned to the focus areas of PBL.
Described by Boud, ‘the principal idea behind problem based
learning is that the starting point for learning should be a problem,
a query or a puzzle that the learner wants to solve’ (Boud 1985).
The cancer module makes use of clinical cases as the starting point
which acts as a central theme for all the other teaching materials.
This way PBL serves to put the scientific knowledge and clinical
skills, which students are expected to acquire, into a relevant
context (Albanese and Mitchell 1993). As an innovative educational
concept the use of patient problems in PBL is designed to lead
students in considering the patient as ‘whole’ (Barrows 1980).
Students are expected to identify learning issues which encompass
all the domains of medicine. Taking into account students have
different learning styles a critical aspect to consider here is that not
all students are able to adjust to the independent learning format
of PBL (Dornan 2005). In considering the conception of PBL which