"Classroom Assessment Techniques" are teaching techniques which have been developed by K. Patricia Cross of U.C. Berkeley and Thomas A. Angelo of Boston College in which instructors use simple research techniques to find out what students have been learning. These techniques are described in detail in their 1993 book, Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers.

Clear benefits have been shown by using Classroom Assessment Techniques in the teaching and learning process, for both faculty and students.

Classroom Assessment helps faculty to focus on student learning rather than on their own teaching. By finding out what students have learned and what is unclear, instructors can focus the class more effectively to meet the learning needs of that group. This may mean reviewing some areas, or spending less time in other areas. Unlike student evaluation surveys which are typically given at the end of the semester, Classroom Assessment provides an on-going formative evaluation. The instructor can find out what can be changed immediately to help students to learn.

Returning adults who are uncertain of their learning abilities may be hesitant to ask questions during class. Classroom Assessments give students opportunities to provide anonymous feedback to all instructors about their learning. Students often discover, as the instructor reviews the feedback, that others in the class had similar questions. Theirs was not a "dumb question" after all.

Classroom Assessments require students to think about what they've learned so far. Students may become more involved in their learning when they find that others in the class learned some interesting things that they had not picked up from the class session. Through greater involvement, students are likely to become more self- directed learners, and may be more likely to successfully complete the class.

Classroom Assessment Techniques may be used in any type of class: traditional academic classes such as Communication, History, and Math; professional "hands-on" classes such as Post Bacc, MAED, and Technology Education; and activity classes such as those in Business and Management, and General Studies. The book mentioned above contains details of 50 different Classroom Assessment Techniques. Some are for individuals, others are for use in small groups. Some are designed to check students' immediate understanding, others are for application and critical thinking.

Step 1: Just before the end of class, hand out index cards to students.

Step 2: On one side, ask them to answer the question, "What was the most

important thing you learned today?" or "List three new things you

learned today." A specific content centered question is most effective.

Step 3: On the other side, ask them to write any new questions they have as a

result of the class meeting, or areas they didn't understand fully.

Step 4: Collect the cards (they should be anonymous).

Step 5: Tabulate the answers and analyze. The answers may be arranged into

categories by types of answers or subject areas.

Step 6: Spend five minutes at the beginning of the next class meeting briefly

summarizing the results of the Classroom Assessment and address the

areas which were not fully understood.

These techniques are not new -- effective teachers have been using various methods to find out what students are learning or not learning. For those who wish to begin using Classroom Assessment Techniques, several questions commonly come up.

Although research is only starting to be done about the impact of Classroom Assessment, several interesting results are emerging:

Some faculty ask students to respond to a question at the end of every class meeting, and others use Classroom Assessments at the most critical points in the course: before a major exam or project. Some faculty integrate the assessments as regular class activities. Others use assessments to evaluate class activities or tests. And others have used Classroom Assessment to help students to evaluate their own learning progress. The frequency and types of assessments used depend on the class, the teacher, and the reasons for assessing students' learning progress anonymously.

Anonymous feedback results in responses that are more candid. However, if the assessments are used in the form of homework assignments or small group activities within the class, anonymity is not possible.

It is best to ask student learner-centered questions ("What have you learned?") rather than teacher-centered questions ("How do you like my teaching?"). The learner-centered questions will show clearly whether or not the teaching is effective. Questions should be asked only if you really want to know the answer and are willing to respond to the feedback to meet student needs.

Angelo, Thomas A., (ed.) (1991). Classroom Research: Early Lessons from Success. "New Directions for Teaching and Learning," Volume 46. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers. [350 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA 94104. Phone: (415) 433-1767.]

Cross, K. Patricia, and Angelo, Thomas A. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers, Second Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Kelly, Diana K. (1993). Classroom Research and Interactive Learning: Assessing the Impact on Adult Learners and Faculty. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The Claremont Graduate School. (Available through Dissertation Abstracts).

Videotape: "Teacher Directed Classroom Research." College of Marin. [15 min.] [Order from Product Development and Distribution, Miami-Dade Community College, 11011 S. W. 104th St., Miami, Fla. 33176. Phone: (305) 347-2158.]