Abstract:
There are challenges in the process of aligning teaching and learning with assessment methods
available, especially in the transformation phase of South African universities. It is believed that there is either
an improper implementation of the process of constructive alignment in the Economics modules or improper
module design in aligning teaching with assessment. This paper intends to investigate if the lecturers complied
with the principles of constructive alignment (CA) as a case study in Economics education at a comprehensive
university in South Africa. A qualitative investigation of 13 out of 19 Economics lecturers from four campuses of
the comprehensive university participated in three focus group discussions. To these focus groups discussions,
an interview guide was designed based on the study. The instructional materials and assessment tasks designed
by these lecturers were also analysed by means of a checklist containing important elements of CA. The major
findings of the investigation included the following: In most of the Economics modules, objectives were still
used; lecturers were not consciously working towards aligning the ILOs/objectives, TLAs and ATs but mostly
relied on intuition and rather focused on prescribed content, textbooks and conventional TLAs as a basis for
planning their teaching and assessment. Some of lecturers interviewed clearly did not think it was necessary
to educate the students in terms of the relevant ILOs or objectives and did not use assessment criteria and
rubrics for assessment, indicating a lack of transparency in the assessment process. The university also still
uses a quantitative approach in assessing the knowledge and skills of students. It is advisable that Economics
Lectures plan together and use common guides, teaching, and learning material for effective constructive
alignment of the Economics subject.
