Workshop Objectives: As Outcomes of This Session, Participants Will Be Able To

Classroom Assessment Techniques
Minute paper feedback
March 30, 2012

Workshop objectives: As outcomes of this session, participants will be able to

• Explain what CATs are and why they’re useful.
• Choose a CAT that is appropriate to the discipline and circumstances of their course(s).
• Identify a CAT for immediate use in their class.

Some perspectives to consider (from minute-paper responses):

“The most important thing I learned today is that planning and implementing some simple activities can help me A) better understand what my students are absorbing, and B) help my students assess themselves. These are important things!”

“Most important thing learned—I learned that a book actually exists with examples even if it was written at the time when many of our students were still in diapers. Still, though, a great resource.” (The full citation of the book is Angelo, T. and Cross, K.P. [1993], Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass).

“The most important thing I learned: How to improve comprehension through more transparent communication. Using CAT (muddiest point) I’ll be able to know what the students have issues with without there being a situation where they feel put on the spot/stressed, and I will be able to find problems sooner.”

“It’s helpful to be reminded about the need to get feedback from students and tools I can use to implement that.”

“What was the most important thing I learned today? The variety of Classroom Assessment Techniques that are out there that do not involve a wealth of planning and still provide easily interpretable results.”

“The most important thing I learned was to close the loop, i.e. to follow through on responses.”

Some questions to think about:

“What are the best techniques for my subject?”

The most comprehensive resource for finding assessment techniques suitable for your particular subject matter is the Angelo and Cross book that lists 52 different disciplines and the different CATs that can work in those subject matters. The CAT Quick Reference Guide that we passed out at the workshop also describes uses of 7 different CATs used in specific disciplinary contexts.

“What are some ideas for giving feedback without taking too much time?”

If it’s instructional time that you’re concerned about, then written feedback (as exemplified with this document) is a good way to acknowledge students’ ideas and respond to their questions without taking class time. If it’s your own time outside of class that you’re concerned about, then know that it’s okay not to respond to every student’s response. Reading a sample of responses and then responding to a representative subset of that sample is okay.

“Regarding the question of whether students put their names on their responses: Would this be helpful to see who is strongly/not engaged?”

Yes, though there are trade-offs. You can ask students to put their names on CAT responses that they turn in and then 1) give quick written feedback to each student or 2) use the responses to track attendance or participation in learning activities. Be aware though that by taking away anonymity, students might be less forthcoming in identifying what they don’t know.

“How should I deal with lack of participation in this assignment (i.e. responding to a CAT)?”

When students see that you take the time to include their comments or questions in written feedback or when you address their comments/questions in class, they’ll tend to take the exercises more seriously, and you’ll see the quality of responses improve over time. Not all students will give 100% of their effort every time you administer a CAT, but you can take a little bit of time in class to explain to students why you’re asking them to respond to a CAT and how, simply by virtue of processing their own response to a CAT, students’ are advancing their own learning. (I personally love the line in Chickering and Gamson’s “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education” [1987] that “Learning is not a spectator sport. Students do not learn much just by sitting in classes listening to teachers, memorizing pre-packaged assignments, and spitting out answers.”

“Now that we are in the 21st century, how does new technology change how we can administer CATs?”

Great question! While there isn’t a revised edition of Angelo and Cross’ book that specifically addresses technology and CATs, college teachers are already adapting CATs to the online world. We can probably begin to imagine how our learning management systems (e.g. Blackboard or Desire2Learn), classroom response systems, or social networking tools like Twitter might facilitate CATs. Some good online resources that describe different ways to adapt CATs to the online world are found at:

• Faculty Focus:
• This short article by Mary Barone Martin: http://frank.mtsu.edu/~itconf/proceed99/Martin.htm

Finally, there is an online resource that addresses these and other questions regarding CATs at the Center for Faculty Development’s Web site: http://www.mscd.edu/cfd/resources/index.shtml. Click on the question “Once I have my learning objectives, how do I assess students’ progress in meeting them?” and you will be brought to several additional links along with explanatory text.