Using CATs as sources of instructor and student feedback
Classroom assessment techniques (CATs) are important sources of feedback for both instructors and students. How can you incorporate these techniques into your teaching and how can you use them to give feedback to your students?
Overall this process places the student's mind at ease because it is used for instructor feedback and not for student grading. I have found more expression with better outcomes from using this method. I do plan to add the follow up questions. I think this will help where I may have come-up short in delivering any content.
Having many mini quizzes throughout the course is much more effective then having a rigid quiz at the end of the week, or quiz every five days. Sometimes the material that may be covered in that five days may be two or three totally different topics and without comprehensive quiz questions that cover each topic fully, it may be difficult to gauge how well the students absorbed the information. Having well designed quiz questions that ask the same questions in multiple ways( true/false/multiple choice/completion) can really show whether or not the students actually understand and have absorbed the information and will be able to retain it long term and use it in their chosen field. Whether or not a CAT is graded or not, the more frequent and well-planned they are, the better the student outcomes will be.
During my class as we go through the material I give quizes aftyer every chapter ti get feed back on what they are getting from the course. And to see where I may need to give more in depth instruction
I have been using CATs, in one form or the other, frequently in my classes, but did not know that it was called "CATs". Taking this course as validated my approach and introduced me to more assessment techniques. I will henceforth use CATs more effectively. Thank you
I am planning on incorporating "minute paper" CAT's -- summarizing what student has learned in class. This technique will help me ensure my students are learning, thinking and understanding. Thanks!
Hi Princess, Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, the information instructors receive through evaluations is so valuable for planning our instruction. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
based on my students performance is also a great tool for an instructor self evaluation and students progress
Hi Sarah, Thanks for sharing a great technique!
Susan Polick
I use a 1-5 technique followed by the 10 and 2 rule.
After 10 minutes of lecture or less, they have a 2 minute activity to discuss or engage with the material. After that, they hold up 1-5 fingers to show how well they comprehended and and to indicate weaknesses. 1=no understanding, and 5=perfect comprehension. If I see multiple 3s or below, I stay on the topic to clarify.
This helps to ensure that each lesson is fully explored and that even my quieter students get a chance to express their understanding without the class noticing.
I would say I use CATs during a summary/review period before testing. I also incorporate it into classroom lessons that we then take to lab and it allows me to see who was paying attention.
I have students journal daily about their clinical experiences. This helps me know what they are learning, what their comfort level is in certain situations, and how they are adjusting in the clinical setting. I intend to start incorporating more minute papers and self assessment in their journal entries.
using Cats helps me evaluate my performance as an instructor and make adjustments to my teaching techniques to better myself and my students absorption of material
The purpose of CATs is to provide the instructor feedback on students understanding of the course material so that if any adjustments need to be made the changes and adjustments can be made before the end of the term. CATs also can assure students that the instructor takes an active interest in their learning process throughout the course. Cats provides regular feedback about student progress and gives a day to day feedback on teaching methods and also shows the student that learning is an ongoing and evolving process. CATs allow the student to get to know their own learning style and change study strategies as needed.
Hi Laura, Thanks for your post to the forum. I am glad that you have found this unit useful! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
Hi Thomas, Thanks for your post to the forum. I agree, giving feedback on assessments is essential!
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career.
Susan Polick
I think they are great resources to not only see what the student learns, but also see how what was taught is put to use in application. This is a new techinque for me and one I will be using in future classes, especially for terms or text that is often hard to understand.
I will often tell my students, "I'm not overly concerned that you got the questions wrong, what I want to know is: Do you know why you got it wrong?" ...Assessments do not lose their value once they have been given. In fact, I usually see an increase in the amount of students who get the same sort of question (content) on the final correct. This is because I make sure to use their incorrect response as a 'teachable moment' and help clarify what they misunderstood the first time around.
I use the cat technique to evaluate all my new students. It allows me to access there baseline thinking , this helps me understand where the students strength and weakness are.
I find that students like to know how well they are doing in a course. Sharing the results of regular CATs can tell the students where they are. I use both short written and practical CATs.
