A Brief Introduction to Classroom Assessment Techniques Strategies to Help You Help Your Students

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) Simple tools for collecting data on student learning in order to improve it. Feedback devices (instruments used to find out how much, how well, and even exactly how students are learning). Specific procedures or activities that provide immediate and useful info on student learning.

Most Commonly and Widely Used CATs The Minute Paper (Indirect) The Muddiest Point (Indirect) The One-Sentence Summary (Direct) Directed Paraphrasing (Direct) Applications Cards (Direct)

The Minute Paper Instructor stops class 2 or 3 minutes early and asks students to respond briefly to some form of the following questions: What was the most important thing you learned during this class? What important question remains unanswered? Students then write responses on index cards or half sheet of paper and hand them in (in computer labs, this is even easier).

The Muddiest Point Instructor asks students to jot down a quick response to one question: What was the muddiest point in ______? The focus of this CAT could be almost anything: a lecture, a discussion, a homework assignment, a class activity, a play, a film, etc.

The One-Sentence Summary Instructor asks students to summarize a large amount of information on a topic within the grammatical constraints of a single sentence. Challenges students to answer questions “Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why, about a topic, and then to synthesize those answers into a single informative, grammatical, and long summary sentence. Gives students practice in using a technique for chunking information. Faculty can scan and compare responses quickly and easily.

Directed Paraphrasing Instructor directs students to paraphrase part of a lesson (or reading assignment, etc.) for a specific audience and purpose, using their own words. Provides feedback on students’ ability to summarize and restate important information or concepts in their own words, allowing faculty to assess how well students have understood and internalized the material/lesson. Allows assessment of the students ability to translate what their learning into a form that a specific audience outside the classroom can understand.

Applications Cards After students have heard about an important principle, generalization, theory, or procedure, the instructor hands out an index card and asks them to write down at least one possible, real-world application for what they have just learned (in a lab, this could be done through Blackboard). Provides instant information on how well students understand the possible applications of what they know. Prompting students to think about possible applications helps them to connect newly learned concepts with prior knowledge. Also helps students understand relevance of what they’re learning.