2. Alignment of studies: Do you know what you are supposed to learn?

Do you know what you are supposed to learn in the courses? Is it clear to you what the objectives and main learning contents of the course are? Are you taught these main contents or something else entirely? Moreover, is it clear to you what the basis for course assessment is and on what grounds are grades given? And do final examinations and exercises test the subjects that are essential according to the course objectives or are they perhaps focused on something else? All of these issues are a matter of alignment. This means streamlining everything involved in teaching: objectives, teaching contents, working methods and assessment. It is also important that you as a student perceive this alignment. This enables high-quality and also efficient studying.

In high quality teaching, the teacher normally makes sure that the teaching is aligned and clearly communicates this to the student. The teacher should explain what the students will learn in the course, what is central to the instruction and what is less essential. The teacher should also inform the students about working and assessment methods used in the course and how these will help students learn the central contents of the course.

As a student, you are also responsible for finding out information about these different factors affecting the alignment of teaching. Good sources of information include course descriptions, introductions and back covers of textbooks or lecture materials, other students (particularly those who have already taken the course) as well as teachers. Find out

1)      What you should learn in the course and what you already know about it

2)      What is essential in the course and what is less important

3)      What is assessed in the course, how will it be assessed.

4)      How will you best reach the objectives of the course and succeed in the assessment.

Once you are able to give good answers to these questions, it is likely that you will be able to make most of the course with a reasonable amount of work.