
I was taught how to effectively use CAT's in one university by having students complete weekly essays that need only be about 200 to 300 words in length - the questions were an opportunity for the student to reflect on the learning that week. Then I incorporated these into other schools with success.
I tend to make use of the minute questions. Generally I would ask two questions: 1. what was concept that stood out to you today and 2. how do you think knowing about this concept will help you?
I find that question 2 in particular pushes students to see the value in the material and how they can apply it.
I have long thought that pre assessments would be of value but in truth have difficulty budgeting the time required for such an assessment. Our program is an accelerated Cardiovascular ultrasound program and I use overall employment rates to judge success of programmatic outcomes. I realize that employment rates are a much more global tool than individual course pre-assessments. We have graduated one class at this point and I will use deficency reports from the employers to adjust the course content.
Hi Chris - thanks for your post to the forum. It really depends on what you are trying to assess. What course do you teach? Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Minerva- Thanks for your post to the forum. I love your "exit permit" idea! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I like to write my learning objectives in question format for the class on the board at the beginning of class. At the end of the class, I ask them to answer the questions on a piece of paper(I call it an "exit permit"). This allows both teacher and student know whether the material covered in class is being understood.
Interesting, and what form of testing seems to be the most effective for you? I always asked open ended but maybe something a little more directed is a good idea. Any thoughts?
When we consider CATs as a feedback for both instructor and students then it is really a good tool for the evaluation about the progress of the leaning. I not only ask questions before and after, I also ask questions in between to insure that the course contents are tought correctly and the students are on the right truct.It is a piece of mind.
Hi Luequiten - thanks for your post to the forum. I also like to have my students do some advance reading or research before I present a lesson. They will already have questions in mind for class. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Great idea. Gives both the student and teacher feedback and encourage open communication.
I tell my students to read the material first and then when we discuss or do hands on yo can recall the steps and information.
I teach the last module of a series. I could use CATs at the beginning of and during the course to get a rough baseline of comprehension of previously taught material, and adjust the course content to be sure that my students have mastered all the material presented in order to pass the state certification exam.
I see how CATS can provide daily feedback on student comprehension as well as a means of monitoring my effectiveness as an instructor. I will definitely incorporate CATS in my teaching methedology.
My students are learning concepts that they must apply in communicating in the workplace. I often ask them to answer a couple of questions about a case study or a video during class.
i will def try to incorporate cats into my class to see the type of effect it will have on my students learning ability,
Hi Laura- thanks for your post to the forum. I know that you will find that teaching to the learning styles is very effective! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I often ask students to answer questions out loud during class. The different types of classroom assessment techniques address differing learning styles. They require more engagement from students, too. I'm going to implement one or two in my next course.
Hi Gary - Thanks for your post to the forum. Moving from lecture immediately to lab is ideal. Since students have to apply the concepts, their retention will certainly be better. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Hi Jodi- Thanks for your post to the forum. I'm glad that you found this module useful! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan