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20 Monaliza Hernandez Mamac

on the perspective of medical students about active learning in a medical program in a ‘US
state medical school’ (p. 173). The results show that medical students realise the relevance

of the experience and knowledge they gain in active learning to their future career. However,
they find the approach slow when it comes to learning the knowledge needed to pass the
local and national examinations.
Alignment is crucial across all aspects of education. The potential of active learning strategies
is huge if the teaching is towards the development of practical skills and higher order skills.
However, the approach may be difficult to adopt within an education system that is driven by
traditional assessments and examinations. The change of Thailand’s curriculum from traditional

to student-centered learning seems to be only happening in pedagogical aspect but not in
its assessment and evaluation. Change has to be holistic – assessment and evaluation should
be aligned with the students’ competency requirements under student-centred framework.
Moreover, policy makers must consider the socio-historical context of standardised national
assessments and should learn from models (either small communities or countries) around
the globe. For example, Finland, a country which is known for its promising implementation of
learner-centred and active learning approaches, does not have a national examination except
the Finnish Matriculation Examination which is optional. Active learning is successful because
their assessments are aligned with the approach they adopted.

The goal of teaching and learning affects the forms of assessment. Acquisition of vertical
knowledge is not an uncommon goal in most higher education subjects. Students learn
specialised concepts and theories and they are expected to show learning through tests. Vertical
knowledge is essential as it enables experts and practitioners to operate in highly specialised
contexts. However, in terms of teaching goals, it should be considered as a tool; the goal should
therefore be practice. Tertiary teachers should design a cohesive teaching and learning plan
in which all contents and activities are essential parts of a practice-based goal. The situation

below is a representative example:

Situation 3
In Del and May’s Biology class, their final project is to design a set of signages that educates
the public on the ecosystem of their local community park. The set of signage should involve
information on the parks’ flora and fauna: their names and basic information, their functions
in the balance of the park’s ecosystem and other ecosystems in the area, and practices the
public should take to maintain the balance. The set should be designed in a way that enables
visitors to practice environmental responsibility in the park. The designs will be submitted to

the local government for their consideration.
Situation 3 shows an assessment in a form of project. The project is practice-based and
aligned with active learning. These forms of assessments support students’ application of
knowledge through an active involvement in addressing the needs of their local community. To
accomplish the project, the students need to draw from their specialised knowledge in Biology