Classroom Assessment Techniques (commonly called CATs) are quick ways of getting feedback on how well students are learning or are prepared to learn the class material. Furthermore, they allow students to monitor--and quite possibly strengthen--their own learning.

There are numerous websites^1,2 devoted to explaining classroom assessment techniques. Many CATs are based on Angelo & Cross' (1993) Classroom Assessment Techniques which is available in the Office for Teaching, Learning and Assessment library.

CATs for specific situations:

• CATs for assessing on the first day of class
• Administering surveys and quizzes through Blackboard or Quickdata
• Assessing with Clickers. What to assess and when and sample questions for different cognitive levels.³

Further Resources

CATs at the University of Texas Austin. CATs organized by time required to prepare/analyze, learning goals, and title.

¹CATS at Iowa State University including information on what they are, how they improve teaching and learning, and a listing of different kinds of CATS.

²Five Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handy Handbook from California State Long Beach College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (PDF). Offers description, purpose, suggestions and ways to use information for five common assessment techniques.

³Designing Questions for Clickers from The Ohio State University Technology Enhanced Learning and Research.