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Host interactive online meetings | Poll Everywhere

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FlipQuiz encourages students to test their knowledge and learn from their mistakes, allows for group collaboration and problem solving. The game can be easily adapted to any subject matter, and it is an excellent way to review and reinforce key concepts. Improve your students' engagement and motivation with FlipQuiz.

Play on Zoom

Perfect activity for virtual learning

For the Classroom

Interactive fun game for classes of any size

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Jeopardy-style Online Review Game for Educators

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FlipQuiz encourages students to test their knowledge and learn from their mistakes, allows for group collaboration and problem solving. The game can be easily adapted to any subject matter, and it is an excellent way to review and reinforce key concepts. Improve your students' engagement and motivation with FlipQuiz.

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Kahoot! | Learning games | Make learning awesome!

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Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that brings engagement and fun to 1+ billion players every year at school, at work, and at home.

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Elevator speeches are 30 seconds to 2 minutes long. Students can write and give elevator speeches on topics the class is addressing. Use the tickets as a prompt for an elevator speech. For example, in choosing a research topic, I ask students to write an elevator speech to give to the class and me on their topic. Writing and giving the elevator speech forces the students to look at the topic and explain it to others.

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Use the tickets below for a variety of quick assessments. Give them to students at the beginning of class to spark a discussion. At the end of class, give students tickets to complete before leaving class. Those tickets can alert you to problems students are having with content, questions, and general comments. Address those issues at the beginning of the next class period.

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The ticket attached here is easily changed to Ticket for Discussion, Ticket to Stay, Ticket to Leave, for example.

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https://getkahoot.com/
http://flipquiz.me/
https://www.polleverywhere.com/

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Provides regular feedback about student progress and can preempt misconceptions and poor performance on more heavily-weighted tests, quizzes, projects, etc.

Gives insight into day-to-day teaching methods and student learning processes. It also can model to students the fact that learning is an ongoing and evolving process that can be modified as needed.

Provides students with a means of gauging their own learning styles and then modify study strategies as appropriate.

Helps students feel less anonymous in large class settings, since it is concrete evidence that the instructor cares about student learning.

Provides "food for thought" for instructors as they reflect on their teaching and on a particular course at the end of term.

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Start simple by choosing a technique that easily fits your teaching style and classroom time limits.

Conduct at least one CAT before the first major assignment, so that you can intercept any problems or questions before the fact.

Don't feel obligated to do a CAT every day or every week. You'll create information overload for yourself and "survey overload" for your students.

When you do any CAT, explain its purpose and your goal clearly to students.

Report your findings to your students and let them know what you plan to do in terms of their feedback.

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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. It is designed to uncover students' pre-conceptions.

The Minute Paper tests how students are gaining knowledge, or not. The instructor ends class by asking students to write a brief response to the following questions: "What was the most important thing you learned during this class?" and "What important question remains unanswered?"

The Muddiest Point is one of the simplest CATs to help assess where students are having difficulties. The technique consists of asking students to jot down a quick response to one question: "What was the muddiest point in [the lecture, discussion, homework assignment, film, etc.]?" The term "muddiest" means "most unclear" or "most confusing."

The What's the Principle? CAT is useful in courses requiring problem-solving. After students figure out what type of problem they are dealing with, they often must decide what principle(s) to apply in order to solve the problem. This CAT provides students with a few problems and asks them to state the principle that best applies to each problem.

Defining Features Matrix: Prepare a handout with a matrix of three columns and several rows. At the top of the first two columns, list two distinct concepts that have potentially confusing similarities (e.g. hurricanes vs. tornados, Picasso vs. Matisse). In the third column, list the important characteristics of both concepts in no particular order. Give your students the handout and have them use the matrix to identify which characteristics belong to each of the two concepts. Collect their responses, and you'll quickly find out which characteristics are giving your students the most trouble.

Why Should I Use CATs?

CATs can be used to improve the teaching and learning that occurs in a class. More frequent use of CATs can...

Provide just-in-time feedback about the teaching-learning process

Provide 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 reflection

Help students become better monitors of their own learning

Help students feel less anonymous, even in large courses

Provide concrete evidence that the instructor cares about learning

How Should I Use CATs?

Results from CATs can guide teachers in fine-tuning their teaching strategies to better meet student needs. A good strategy for using CATs is the following.

1. Decide what you want to assess about your students' learning from a CAT.

2. Choose a CAT that provides this feedback, is consistent with your teaching style, and can be implemented easily in your class.

3. Explain the purpose of the activity to students, and then conduct it.

4. After class, review the results, determine what they tell you about your students' learning, and decide what changes to make, if any.

5. Let your students know what you learned from the CAT and how you will use this information.

Where Can I Find More CATs?

The standard references on CATs is Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, 2nd edition, by Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross (Jossey-Bass, 1993). This book includes 50 CATs, indexed in a variety of useful ways. The book is available at the Center for Teaching library. See its ACORN record for call number and availability.

A number of web sites also feature information on and examples of CATs, including the following.

This teaching guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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Print Version What Are CATs? Why Should I Use CATs? How Should I Use CATs? Where Can I Find More CATs? 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.

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No, not THOSE CATs---classroom assessment techniques