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Module A ButtonTopic A6: Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)

Introduction
How can I be sure my students learn what I want them to? It's a question any educator must ask.

To answer the question, we usually rely on any number of assessments, methods that help us understand what a student knows at any given time. An assessment may be done at the end of a course (summative assessment), or during a course (formative assessment), depending on the type of information an instructor needs to know. While summative assessment is more useful for such activities as grade assignment, formative assessments play a major role in helping students learn. Of course, as we study assessment, we cannot forget how grading enters the picture. We need to consider the relationship of assessment to grading to see how they're different and what they have in common.

This topic will focus on informal assessment techniques, "Classroom Assessment Techniques," or CATs -- methods instructors can use in an online learning environment to collect feedback, early and often, on how well their students are learning what they are being taught.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of Topic A6, you will:

  • Define assessment and state how it differs from grading.
  • State the purpose of online Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs).
  • Identify appropriate CATs for an online course.
  • Construct an assessment to be used in an online course and post this assessment to the bulletin board.

 

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