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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
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