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CTE - What Do Students Already Know? Doing so is grounded in learning theories (Ausubel, 1968; Dewey, 1938) and is supported by research on the learning process (Tobias, 1994; Dochy, Segers & Buehl, 1999; Fisher, 2004). For students, understanding their starting point will make it easier for them to see what they have learned by the end of the course. They can better recall past learning and construct “bridges” between old and new knowledge (Angelo & Cross, 1993). Ambrose, S. Angelo, T. & Cross, P. (1993). Ausubel, D., Novak, J, and Hanesian, H. (1968). Dewey, J. (1938). Dochy, F., Segers, M., & Buehl, M. (1999). Fisher, K.M. (2004). Kirk, D. (2005).

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) Print Version What Are CATs? Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are generally simple, non-graded, anonymous, in-class activities designed to give you and your students useful feedback on the teaching-learning process as it is happening. Examples of CATs include the following. The Background Knowledge Probe is a short, simple questionnaire given to students at the start of a course, or before the introduction of a new unit, lesson or topic. Why Should I Use CATs? CATs can be used to improve the teaching and learning that occurs in a class. Provide just-in-time feedback about the teaching-learning processProvide information about student learning with less work than traditional assignments (tests, papers, etc.)Encourage the view that teaching is an ongoing process of inquiry, experimentation, and reflectionHelp students become better monitors of their own learningHelp students feel less anonymous, even in large coursesProvide concrete evidence that the instructor cares about learning

One Minute Paper Rationale for One-Minute Paper The one-minute paper is a simple way of creating feedback in classes where student numbers are large. The teacher poses some questions to the students on important topics near the end of a lecture, reviews the students' responses after the class and addresses any misunderstandings through feedback in the next class. The feedback directly relates to the students responses and can involve class discussion or even further probing of understanding by the teacher. In responding to the questions students learn what they do not understand and they might discuss this with peers or engage in their own search for answers outside class. Implementing the One-Minute Paper The basic idea is that before a lecture begins students are presented with two questions such as: What was the main point of today’s lecture (What was the most important thing you learned today?) Variations on this procedure are given by Steve Draper (see reference below) Benefits of the one-minute paper

Peer Assessment in Online Courses | The Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning Peer assessment - sometimes also called peer grading, peer evaluation, or peer review - is widely used in teaching both online and in person. Thoughtful integration of peer assessments into coursework can enhance students' learning in a number of ways: it helps build trust and intellectual community; it leads to more thoughtful and reflective discussions; and it can help students cultivate a greater capacity for critical and evaluative judgment. Peer assessments can be used in any discipline Although often associated with courses in the arts and humanities, peer assessments can be added to classes in almost any discipline. Peer assessments can be used in classes of all sizes Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) often use peer-assessed activities as an efficient way to evaluate student work on a large scale. Peer assessments involve more than just assigning grades You can use peer assessments to assign scores or grades, but this is by no means a requirement. Peer assessments promote learning

10 Assessments You Can Perform In 90 Seconds 10 Assessments You Can Perform In 90 Seconds by TeachThought Staff Good assessment is frequent assessment. Any assessment is designed to provide a snapshot of student understand—the more snapshots, the more complete the full picture of knowledge. On its best day, an assessment will be 100% effective, telling you exactly what a student understands. This makes a strong argument for frequent assessment, as it can be too easy to over-react and “remediate” students who may be banging against the limits of the assessment’s design rather than their own understanding. It is a huge burden (for both teachers and students) to design, write, complete, grade, and absorb the data into an instructional design sequence on a consistent basis. Simple Assessments The word “simple” here is misleading. Then, due to their brevity, they’re simple to grade–in fact, you can grade them as exit slips–which makes taking the data and informing instruction (the whole point of assessment) a much simpler process as well.

Using Classroom Assessment Techniques-Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are a set of specific activities that instructors can use to quickly gauge students’ comprehension. They are generally used to assess students’ understanding of material in the current course, but with minor modifications they can also be used to gauge students’ knowledge coming into a course or program. CATs are meant to provide immediate feedback about the entire class’s level of understanding, not individual students’. Asking Appropriate Questions in CATs Examples of appropriate questions you can ask in the CAT format: How familiar are students with important names, events, and places in history that they will need to know as background in order to understand the lectures and readings (e.g. in anthropology, literature, political science)? Using Specific Types of CATs Minute Paper Pose one to two questions in which students identify the most significant things they have learned from a given lecture, discussion, or assignment. Muddiest Point

34 Assessment Strategies for Each Stage of the Journey [Infographic] When it comes to developing assessment strategies, teachers often ask themselves these three questions: when, why, and most importantly, how? In the past we’ve talked a lot about the kinds of assessment strategies and activities that not only enhance learning, but help your learners lead their own way. In addition, we speak at great length about how to master your own assessment strategies in the best-selling book Mindful Assessment. Now it’s time to let someone else chime in, and who better than An Ethical Island’s Mia MacMeekin with this useful infographic called I Need Assessment Ideas! And ideas she’s got, for every stage of assessment from beginning to end. Pre-assessment: Pre-assessment helps to differentiate instruction. As we explain in Mindful Assessment, the best assessment strategies for learners are formative in nature. Where am I going? The activities that Mia suggests in her infographic below have tremendously useful formative assessment applications.

New ways to grade more effectively (essay) Pause a moment to consider the way we’ve been grading our students’ work since time immemorial. The way we allocate points on the basis of apparent quality. The way we struggle to be fair in giving the same number of points to works of comparable quality, even though they differ a great deal -- and the time it takes us to make these hairsplitting decisions. The way students stress over the points their work does or doesn’t get. Consider, too, the value that external stakeholders attach to our grading. Our grading system is broken, yet we educators keep using it. Imagine another grading system, one where you grade all assignments and tests satisfactory/unsatisfactory, pass/fail. The specs may be as simple as “completeness”: for instance, all the questions are answered, all the problems attempted in good faith or all the directions followed (that is, the work satisfies the assignment), plus the work meets a required length. Too formulaic? Bundles of Assignments Specs grading is flexible.

Authentic Assessment in the Online Classroom - Center for Teaching and Learning | Wiley Education Services Assessment is a critical component of the online classroom. It provides students with an idea of their progress in a course, identifies individual strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately serves as the measure of whether students achieve the course’s learning objectives. Although each of these characteristics serves a valuable instructional or pedagogical function, it’s also important that assessments engage students and prepare them with the skills they’ll need in future courses, practicums, and even their careers. Assessment isn’t just important from a student perspective. With the online marketplace becoming increasingly crowded, it’s critical that institutions ensure they are offering the courses and experiences that students are looking for. Because the majority of online students are career-focused, courses and degree programs must provide those ties to the real world for institutions to stand out in the online landscape. What Is Authentic Assessment? Identify Learning Objectives

The Benefits of Rubrics in Online Classes - Center for Teaching and Learning | Wiley Education Services Rubrics are an essential tool for any instructor, but they play an even more compelling role in online courses. By creating rubrics that describe different levels of student performance, instructors not only make it easier and quicker to grade assignments, but also better communicate expectations, encourage self-assessment, and foster engagement. As we suggested in our article “Engagement in Online Courses,” engagement in online courses occurs in three ways: Interaction between students and contentInteraction between studentsInteraction between students and the instructor(s) Assessment feedback is one of the key ways that you interact with students in online asynchronous courses, particularly if that feedback abides by best practices. Nearly all instructors want to provide more feedback to their students, but are already inundated—if not overwhelmed—by the time that grading requires (not to mention all the other responsibilities demanded by academic employment). What Is a Rubric?

Authentic Assessment: Assessing Student Learning: Teaching Resources: Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning: Indiana University Bloomington When considering how to assess student learning in a course, most instructors would agree that the ideal assessment would be one that not only assesses students’ learning; it also teaches students and improves their skills and understanding of course content. One fundamental aspect of such assessments is that they are authentic. An authentic assignment is one that requires application of what students have learned to a new situation, and that demands judgment to determine what information and skills are relevant and how they should be used. Authentic assignments often focus on messy, complex real-world situations and their accompanying constraints; they can involve a real-world audience of stakeholders or “clients” as well. According to Grant Wiggins (1998), an assignment is authentic if it Authentic assessments can be contrasted with conventional test questions, which are often indirect measures of a student’s ability to apply the knowledge and skills gained in a course. References