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

2. 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.

3. 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….

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

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

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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 b c 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
6. What was our most popular course?
CHM PHY MAT 1800
How can you use this in your class?
Pros and Cons? – anonymous yes, but painful to learn you are wrong

10. 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”

11. 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

12. 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?

13. 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?

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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)