Classroom Assessment Techniques Annette Feravich, Presenter Office of Teaching and Learning Technology Resource Center 146 Purdy Krege Library 577-0250 (MB)

Introduction to CATs Classroom Assessment Techniques Purpose Uses by Thomas Angelo and K. Patricia Cross, 1993, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Purpose Monitor learning throughout the semester Ensure students obtain accurate information Uses Assess understanding of lecture Quiz to determine of students are prepared Use as study strategy (MB) (hold up book so they know it’s a resource) Why use this in a tutor or SI session? Purpose Monitor learning – so you can see if they are getting the information, AND can say it back to you. This means they understand and keeps them active with the material – not passive Ensure they get accurate info – If instructor goes too fast, maybe not getting info down, not getting it right, or not connecting it appropriately to prior lectures. Uses Understand lecture Assess learning during session Use as study strategy – you can keep these on hand for situations where you have multiple students at different levels…assesses strong students and reinforces learning, and shows weaker students where gaps in studying lie.

Why Bother? Teacher assumptions: If it’s been taught, then it’s been learned. Gaps between what is taught and learned can lead to appropriate interventions. Information regarding student performance gathered from tests, quizzes, etc. is often too late to improve student learning. Assessments improve understanding before testing occurs, increasing student motivation. (MB) When we recognize that t.e. gaps b/t what is taught and what is learned, we have the opp to intervene appropriately. Big mistake to assume if it’s been taught, it’s been learned – then the only assessment is the test (3-4 times a semester). That is too long a time to go w/0 ensuring your students are ‘getting it’ Knowing gaps means you can prevent them early Already said this Increases motivation to complete class, stay in discipline. Particularly important in sciences --- WSU students: 11% want to go into Health fields, compared to 5% nationally. But most of the students at WSU medical are NOT our students. They’re dropping out….

Learning Styles Herman Brain Dominance Theory Sequential, Detailed Interpersonal Sensory Visual, Holistic Logical, Factual

Bloom’s Taxonomy Learning: the ability to generalize or discriminate between current and past information Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

Sequential, Detailed What’s the Principle? Empty Outlines Purpose: Determine if students have captured important points from lecture/reading, etc. Details: Create outline with empty spaces. Determine if focus should be on main, sub, or supporting info What’s the Principle? Purpose: Learn to apply specific principles to problems Details: Determine several important principles and develop problems that illustrate principles. Have students match. Documented Problem Solutions Purpose: To assess how students solve problems and describe problem solving methods Details: Document steps that students take in problem solving. One Sentence Summary Purpose: To answer WDWWWWHW Students summarize important concepts using only one sentence.

Empty Outlines Purpose: Determine if students have captured important points from lecture/reading, etc. Details: Create outline with empty spaces. Determine if focus should be on main, sub, or supporting info

Interpersonal, Sensory Directed Paraphrasing Purpose: Translate learned material into lay language Details: Determine both concept and audience. Have students paraphrase concept to particular audience. Student-Generated Test Questions Purpose: Require students to review, evaluate and apply learned material Details: Self-explanatory (NK) Minute Paper: Three most important concepts learned. Question for further discussion The most illuminating example, powerful image, convincing argument/counterargument, memorable character, disturbing idea Set aside approximately 5 to 10 minutes Muddiest Point: What about the information presented was most unclear to you? Focused Listing: Select important topic Write a word or phrase as heading for focused list Have students write related terms/important concepts that relate to topic Example: Physics (work); Finance (stocks); Psychology (behaviorism); Biology (cell reproduction) Empty Outlines: Create outline from lecture, reading, discussion Determine if students should attend to main topics, subtopics or supporting details Limit fill-ins to 10 or so if completed from memory

Misconception/Preconception Description: Assesses prior knowledge Purpose: To uncover prior knowledge or beliefs that hinder further learning Uses: Curriculum that have the greatest overlap w/real life (“common sense”) Steps: Identify most troublesome common misconceptions/preconceptions Create simple questionnaire (multiple choice, short answer) Determine your own answers Give students feedback on purpose/results. (NK) Those are five types of assessment tests. First type was… Assessing prior knowledge… Misconception/Preconception check This is an easy assessment to create, and can be done spur-of-the-moment – DO ANONYMOUSLY! Uses: curriculum that have greatest overlap w/ real life – if you can correct these values, beliefs, misconceptions early, stdts have greater chance of learning new material correctly and integrating it into their ‘revised’ schema. Curriculum: (ask them): PS, PHI, Econ, Anthro, SOC, HIS, PSY Use at beginning of term, or at beginning of new chapter/unit Identify the steps – what is the exact procedure? Give Tutor misconception check:   1. In the Fall of 2002, about how many individual tutoring contacts did we have? a. 1000 b. 1500 c. 2000 d. 3000 2. What percentage of white (caucasian) students did we see? 35% 3. What percentage of males did we see? 37% 4. What percentage of our total contacts were actually freshmen and sophomores? 58% 5. What was our most popular subject overall? CHM MAT PHY BIO 105 141 79 46 6. What was our most popular course? CHM 1240 PHY 2130 MAT 1800 40 40 35 How can you use this in your class? Pros and Cons? – anonymous yes, but painful to learn you are wrong

Visual/Holistic Concept Map Minute Paper/Muddiest Point Purpose: Get feedback on understanding of recently presented information Details: Ask students one or two basic questions that would assess understanding. Concept Map Purpose: Determine mental connection between major concepts and other concepts learned Details: Prepare ideal concept map w/secondary and tertiary levels. Prepare parallel example for class. (MB) Concept Map: Economics: “free trade” or “gross national product”

Concept Map Big Five Humanistic Behaviorist Trait Personality Theories Conscientiousness Openness Extrovert Agreeableness Big Five Humanistic Neuroticism Behaviorist Trait Personality Theories (MB) Based on this, can someone do an empty outline? Allport Freudian MMPI Cognitive

Logical, Factual Focused Listing Categorizing Grid Memory Matrix Purpose: Focus attention on most important concepts and related details Details: Determine main topic; students list related concepts Categorizing Grid Purpose: Correctly categorize important concepts Details: Give students list of items that fall into predetermined categories. Ask students to categorize. Memory Matrix Purpose: Recall and organization of important concepts. Details: Draw simple memory matrix where rows/columns provide useful categories. Details: Draw simple memory matrix where rows/columns provide useful categories. Make sure you fill out yourself (expected answers) Examples: Foreign Language: Irregular/Regular verbs (-ar, -er, -ir) Digestive System: Structure, Function, Enzymes for mouth, esophagus, stomach, sm. Intestines, lg. Intestines pancreas, liver, gall bladder How will you use this in class?

Memory Matrix France U.S. Britain Neoclassicism Impressionism Purpose: Recall and organization of important concepts. France U.S. Britain Neoclassicism Impressionism Post-impressionism Expressionism (NK) Details: Draw simple memory matrix where rows/columns provide useful categories. Make sure you fill out yourself (expected answers) Examples: Foreign Language: Irregular/Regular verbs (-ar, -er, -ir) Digestive System: Structure, Function, Enzymes for mouth, esophagus, stomach, sm. Intestines, lg. Intestines pancreas, liver, gall bladder How will you use this in class?

Pro and Con Grid Purpose: Determine students’ ability to categorize according to pros/cons, costs/benefits, advantages/disadvantages CAT Pros Cons Mis/Preconception Minute Paper Focused Listing Empty Outlines Memory Matrix Categorization Grid (MB) This is more sophisticated than simple categorization grid. It’s used where questions of value are an explicit part of syllabus DO EXAMPLE ON SLIDE! Misconception/Preconception: PRO: Anonymous, CON: Painful to learn you are wrong Minute Paper: PRO: CON: Focused Listing: PRO: CON: Empty Outlines: PRO: CON: Memory Matrix: PRO CON: Categorization: PRO CON: Pros/Con Grid: PRO: assess that there is more than one side to issue, stronger stdts help weaker, you are not doing all the talking, forces them to look at notes, and you can time it. CON: may not be two sides of every issue Pro Con Grid Uses in other classes: English Lit: Shakespeare’s Hamlet (pros cons of murdering your stepfather, Claudius) Business/Management: Two career couple (pros/cons of filing taxes individually rather than jointly) Biology/Philosophy: pros/cons to genetic engineering or cloning or discovering and patenting genes. Variations: List of pros and cons from two different perspectives (parent/child) Ask them to back up pros/cons with evidence

Application Cards Description: Determine one real-world application Purpose: To determine ability to use information practically Uses: Almost any discipline Steps: Determine important topic that has practical applications. Ask for no more than 3 applications Hands out index cards/slips of paper. Students write down at least one possible real world application. (NK) Explain method Give them two cards, they need to determine two real-class applications for specific CATs that spoke to them. Example MemoryMatrix + grid: Psychology BIOLOGY BEHAVIORIST Dreams Eating disorders Personality traits

CAT Summary Suggestions for uses CAT’s indexed by disciplines Make sure that you always try out the Assessment Technique yourself first. Allow more time than you think is necessary. Make sure that you give students feedback on the assessment. CAT’s indexed by disciplines (MB & NK)