Classroom Assessment techniques
Classroom Assessment Techniques (cats)
Classroom assessment techniques (CATs) are informal feedback gathering techniques to explore what students are or are not learning, how well they are applying it, and how well they respond to instructional approaches. CATs can also inform instructors about whether students use a deep or surface approach to learning. The direct evidence of learning gathered by applying CATs provides immediate feedback to both students and instructors on how well things are going (Angelo and Cross, 1993).
This formative assessment approach results in opportunities for re-teaching, modifying instruction or encouraging students to learn in different ways (Walker, 2012). CAT techniques can be applied synchronously or asynchronously in any teaching context.
CATs are:
- Usually ungraded and anonymous
- Learner-centred and instructor-directed, thus mutually beneficial
- Formative activities that generate evidence about how students are doing
- Context-specific
Examples of Classroom Assessment Techniques
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Application Cards
- Intent: To demonstrate real world application, explanation of theories, principles or procedures.
- Method: Ask students to identify and share how they have observed a principle or saw a theory applied in real life.
For example: Psychology - Students identify examples of cognitive bias they have observed in their lives/on social media. Students can post online for feedback and discussion or share in groups in class.
Clicker Questions
- Intent: Knowledge acquisition, comprehension or application.
- Method:
- Ask students to respond to a short review question at the beginning or end of class.
- Use clicker questions as a pre-test of students' prior knowledge, or as post-test of learning at the end of class.
- Share student responses with the class, and invite students to make corrections or open discussion of ideas they see in the pre-test.
Concept Mapping
- Intent: Visual representation of relationships between concepts.
- Method: Ask students to create a concept map to show and then explain relationships between concepts. Share and discuss with peers and class for feedback.
Exit Ticket
- Intent: Determine what students comprehend at the end of a lecture or lab. Instruction can be adjusted, modified, differentiated or enriched. Use to determine surface or deep learning.
- Method:
- Ask students to provide a short answer to a question that links to the lesson/lab objective. Exit tickets can be completed on paper or online (in Mentimeter, Poll Everywhere, Canvas).
- One to three questions make for a good exit ticket, and students should be able to complete the activity in just a few minutes at the end of a lecture/lab.
- The instructor begins the next class with a review of the exit ticket trends, and clarifies any concepts that students did not completely understand.
"MUDDY POINTS"
- Intent: Identify misconceptions or confusions.
- Method:
- Ask students to write down one thing that is unclear to them in today's lesson, or identify one thing that they don’t understand.
- Review and re-teach concepts or provide additional examples as needed.
- Encourage students to share their responses and help each other clarify muddy points.
1-minute paper
- Intent: Comprehension, synthesis.
- Method: Ask students to describe an important concept or idea in their own words in one minute. Collect and review in next class.
For example: Sociology - Ask students to explain the difference between a stereotype and a generalization, and provide at least one example of each that they have encountered in the past month.
paraphrasing
- Intent: Comprehension and transfer to others.
- Method: Ask students to write a layperson’s summary of an important concept or idea. Ensure all components are present and correct. Share, critique and correct as needed.
GETTING STARTED USING CATS
Using low-stakes CATs assists students in being aware of how they are doing, and fosters self-assessment of learning and reflection among students as well as instructors. Consider the following steps as you implement CATs:
- Identify what you want to find out.
e.g. Do my students understand the difference between stereotypes and generalizations in a first year sociology course? - Inform students of the intention and the process of the activity.
Remind students that the activity is ungraded and anonymous, the goal is to check understanding and provide feedback on how learning is going. - Select a CAT that will provide the information you need.
Ask students to write a “one minute paper” and provide at least two examples of stereotypes and generalizations that they have encountered in the past month. - Debrief the results.
Share a summary of the results with the class, including what they did well and what was unclear to most students. - If any misconceptions exist, consider clarifying or re-teaching the concepts.
Use a different classroom assessment technique to check understanding (e.g exit ticket or clicker question).
Using CATs to Reflect on Your Teaching
Reflecting on your teaching goes hand in hand with asking questions about how well students are doing. Classroom assessment techniques may lead to new teaching approaches or new learning activities that you might want to document in your teaching dossier. Consider the following questions as you reflect on what you observed by using a CAT:
- What concepts and/or tasks are students struggling with?
- What skills have they practiced and mastered?
- What actions do I need to take to modify my teaching to support all students to do their best?
Practical Resources
- Classroom Assessment Techniques - Vanderbilt University
- 14 Classroom Assessment Techniques - University of Michigan
Try This...
- Exit ticket: Of what we learned today, what is one concept/question you would not want to have on the exam?
- In large classes, use CATs to actively engage students with content. After they hand in their response, ask them to compare their answers in pairs or small groups.
- Use a CAT at the beginning of class as a pre-assessment of prior knowledge.
Example
An instructor was introducing a theory of computational modelling that included challenging concepts as well as a difficult mathematical equation. Students expressed confusion so the instructor decided to invite students to answer “a muddiest point” question at the end of each lecture. After reviewing the results, the instructor decided to give more practical examples of how the theory was applied in different contexts. A second “muddiest point” activity and a short quiz on the concept showed that students’ understanding of the theory had improved.
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