Constructive alignment means that your teaching and learning activities support students in: 

• achieving the Intended Learning Outcomes for the course or programme
• passing the assessment - not by 'teaching to the test', but through supporting them to achieve the ILOs, and demonstrate their abilities within the assessment format) 

To achieve this, you can choose teaching and learning activities on the basis of their outcomes. What will students be able to do at the end of the activity? Is that useful for the ILOs and assessment? For example: 

• A debate may require students to select evidence, evaluate existing explanations, and communicate concisely. 
• A small group discussion can support students making connections between theorists, or generating real-world examples. 

Which of these is the best fit for your course or programme content, ILOs and assessment? 

This searchable database of learning activities allows you to find other suitable activities for different group sizes, lengths of time and outcomes. 

• Your discipline may have 'signature’ pedagogies, including activities which are used regularly; these have ideally developed to suit your disciplinary content, and will have the benefit of being familiar to students. Think whether they work for this specific course or session, and how you might adjust them. 
• There may be aspects of the assessment you could carry out as learning activities, in an abbreviated form. Trying these activities when students can discuss with peers, and receive feedback from you, could raise confidence for the assessment and prevent later errors. 
• You can also use teaching activities to check students’ understanding, and their progression, before the formative or summative assessments. 
• You can use teaching activities to develop academic skills needed for solo study, and for the assessment. For example, a structured close reading or writing task may serve this purpose. 
• Think about what students will do outside contact hours, as well, and how it can connect to activities in lectures and seminars.