Building on Our Strengths: Classroom Assessments that Work
A Brief Theoretical Overview
Professional Development Week
January 8, 2008
Participants were invited to bring examples of classroom assessment techniques (CATs), defined by Cross and Angelo as anonymous, ungraded student feedback that answers two key questions: What are our students learning, and how do we know?
The session began with a brief theoretical overview of outcomes assessment to build on previous Think Tank discussions from both the January ’08 and September ’07 PD week events. This theoretical presentation resulted in a lively discussion about the nature and types of assessment, and its role in the classroom and in faculty development. Much of the discussion revolved around the differences between assessment and graded evaluations. Assessment is typically more formative and designed for both instructor and student feedback regarding the success of teaching strategies, outcomes articulation and learning, and student engagement, interaction and metacognition. Graded evaluations can be used as summative assessment at the end of a chapter, unit, or semester to also provide feedback on student learning. The major difference, though, is that summative assessments can be used to redirect the scope and sequence of course content, teaching methods and classroom activities. Their strength, in this regard, is that they can significantly change the results of graded evaluations by alerting instructors and students to material or content that has not been mastered before undertaking a graded evaluation.
Classroom assessment is meant to be a cyclical process. Based on institutional core competencies or departmental protocols, which in a best case scenario would be related, faculty define departmental outcomes for each course. The outcomes are articulated in course documents such as syllabi and assignments so that students understand what they are expected to know or do with course content, reading assignments and classroom activities. Throughout each lesson, CATs solicit quick, anonymous student feedback as to key concepts, unclear points, possible applications and so on illustrating for both the student and the instructor whether the outcomes are being met. This information allows instructors to create meaningful transitions between lectures or class meetings to revisit content that students have not yet mastered as well as to redirect lectures and activities when students have achieved mastery earlier than expected. The assessments, therefore, provide feedback that can be used to improve the day to day classroom experience and ultimately the structure of the course. Summative capstone experiences at the unit or semester’s end reinforce this information and provide benchmarks for the mastery levels of course outcomes. In this way, we can use assessment techniques to tell us whether and how well our students are learning.
Professional Development Week
January 8, 2008
Participants were invited to bring examples of classroom assessment techniques (CATs), defined by Cross and Angelo as anonymous, ungraded student feedback that answers two key questions: What are our students learning, and how do we know?
The session began with a brief theoretical overview of outcomes assessment to build on previous Think Tank discussions from both the January ’08 and September ’07 PD week events. This theoretical presentation resulted in a lively discussion about the nature and types of assessment, and its role in the classroom and in faculty development. Much of the discussion revolved around the differences between assessment and graded evaluations. Assessment is typically more formative and designed for both instructor and student feedback regarding the success of teaching strategies, outcomes articulation and learning, and student engagement, interaction and metacognition. Graded evaluations can be used as summative assessment at the end of a chapter, unit, or semester to also provide feedback on student learning. The major difference, though, is that summative assessments can be used to redirect the scope and sequence of course content, teaching methods and classroom activities. Their strength, in this regard, is that they can significantly change the results of graded evaluations by alerting instructors and students to material or content that has not been mastered before undertaking a graded evaluation.
Classroom assessment is meant to be a cyclical process. Based on institutional core competencies or departmental protocols, which in a best case scenario would be related, faculty define departmental outcomes for each course. The outcomes are articulated in course documents such as syllabi and assignments so that students understand what they are expected to know or do with course content, reading assignments and classroom activities. Throughout each lesson, CATs solicit quick, anonymous student feedback as to key concepts, unclear points, possible applications and so on illustrating for both the student and the instructor whether the outcomes are being met. This information allows instructors to create meaningful transitions between lectures or class meetings to revisit content that students have not yet mastered as well as to redirect lectures and activities when students have achieved mastery earlier than expected. The assessments, therefore, provide feedback that can be used to improve the day to day classroom experience and ultimately the structure of the course. Summative capstone experiences at the unit or semester’s end reinforce this information and provide benchmarks for the mastery levels of course outcomes. In this way, we can use assessment techniques to tell us whether and how well our students are learning.
posted by Editors at Praktikos at
6:43 PM
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