Alignment of learning objectives and assessments in therapeutics courses to foster higher-order thinking.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether national educational outcomes, course objectives, and classroom assessments for 2 therapeutics courses were aligned for curricular content and cognitive processes, and if they included higher-order thinking.


METHODS
Document analysis and student focus groups were used. Outcomes, objectives, and assessment tasks were matched for specific therapeutics content and cognitive processes. Anderson and Krathwohl's Taxonomy was used to define higher-order thinking. Students discussed whether assessments tested objectives and described their thinking when responding to assessments.


RESULTS
There were 7 outcomes, 31 objectives, and 412 assessment tasks. The alignment for content and cognitive processes was not satisfactory. Twelve students participated in the focus groups. Students thought more short-answer questions than multiple choice questions matched the objectives for content and required higher-order thinking.


CONCLUSIONS
The alignment analysis provided data that could be used to reveal and strengthen the enacted curriculum and improve student learning.
Memorial University School of Pharmacy, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Beverly
B
FitzPatrick
Memorial University School of Pharmacy, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
John
J
Hawboldt
Memorial University School of Pharmacy, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Daniel
D
Doyle
Memorial University School of Pharmacy, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Terri
T
Genge
D003479:Curriculum; D004512:Education, Pharmacy; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D011340:Problem Solving; D013850:Thinking
Alignment; classroom assessment; critical thinking; higher order thinking