John B. Biggs

For other people named John Biggs, see John Biggs (disambiguation).

John Biggs
AM
Born
John Burville Biggs

(1934-10-25) 25 October 1934 (age 90)
Hobart, Australia
Alma materUniversity of Tasmania (BA)
University of London (PhD)
Known forStructure of observed learning outcomes
Constructive alignment
Scientific career
FieldsEducational psychology
InstitutionsUniversity of Hong Kong
ThesisThe psychological relationship between cognitive and affective factors in arithmetical performance (1962)
Websitewww.johnbiggs.com.au

John Burville Biggs AM (born 25 October 1934) is an Australian educational psychologist and novelist who developed the SOLO taxonomy for assessing the quality of learning outcomes, and the model of constructive alignment for designing teaching and assessment.[1][2]

Education

After studying psychology at the University of Tasmania (BA, 1957),[3] he moved to the UK for doctoral studies at the University of London where he was awarded a PhD in 1962.[4]

Career and research

Biggs has held university faculty positions in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong. His final institutional affiliation is as Honorary Professor of Psychology at the University of Hong Kong. His most influential work is his concept of constructive alignment, which is an outcomes-based framework for university teaching as described in Teaching for Quality Learning at University published in its fourth edition with Catherine Tang as co-author in 2011.[5] Changing Universities[6] is an academic memoir covering nearly 60 years of involvement with universities in several countries, and in that time universities themselves have changed drastically.

Awards and honours

Biggs was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours.[7] On 23 February 2022 he was awarded the Universities Australia Australian Awards for University Teaching Career Achievement Award.[8]

Personal life

Since retiring from academic life, Biggs has published short stories and four novels, The Girl in the Golden House,[9] Project Integrens,[10] Disguises[11] and Tin Dragons.[12] Tasmania Over Five Generations [13] is a social-political history of Tasmania as seen through the eyes of five generations of his own family. Towards Forgiveness: Sino-Tasmanian stories from two islands[14] is a collection of short stories. His 2013 novel was From Ashes to Ashes.[15]

References

  1. ^ Constructive Alignment Archived 20 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine at the Higher Education Academy
  2. ^ Teaching Teaching & Understanding Understanding (short-film about constructive alignment)
  3. ^ Biggs, John B. (2013). Changing universities : a memoir about academe in different places and times. [Hawthorn East, Victoria]. ISBN 978-0-9870865-9-4. OCLC 857761022.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Biggs, John Burville (1962). The psychological relationship between cognitive and affective factors in arithmetical performance. london.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of London. OCLC 1006277297. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  5. ^ Biggs, J. B. and Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for quality learning at university. Open University Press/Mc Graw-Hill Education. [ISBN missing]
  6. ^ Biggs, John. (2013) Changing Universities Strictly Literary [ISBN missing]
  7. ^ "BIGGS, John Burville". Australian Honours Search Facility, Dept of Prime Minister & Cabinet. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Award Winners: 2021 AAUT Awards" (PDF). Universities Australia. 23 February 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  9. ^ Biggs, J. B. (2003). The Girl in the Golden House. Pandanus Books. ISBN 1-74076-033-6
  10. ^ Biggs, J. B. (2006) Project Integrens Sid Harta. ISBN 978-1-921030-46-8.
  11. ^ Biggs, J. B. (2007) Disguises. Burville Books ISBN 1-921019-55-7
  12. ^ Biggs, J.B. (2008). Tin Dragons Maygog Publishing ISBN 978-0-9758199-6-8
  13. ^ Biggs, John (2011). Tasmania Over Five Generations: Return to Van Diemen's Land? Forty Degrees South.
  14. ^ Biggs, J.B. (2012) Towards Forgiveness: Sino-Tasmanian Stories from Two Islands Ginninderra Press ISBN 978-1-74027-721-1
  15. ^ Biggs, John. (2013) From Ashes to Ashes Interactive Publications ISBN 978-1-922120-50-2