Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are generally simple, non-graded, anonymous, in-class activities designed to give you and your students useful feedback on the teaching-learning process as it is happening.
Examples of CATs include the following.
CATs can be used to improve the teaching and learning that occurs in a class. More frequent use of CATs can…
Results from CATs can guide teachers in fine-tuning their teaching strategies to better meet student needs. A good strategy for using CATs is the following.
Angelo, Thomas A., and K. Patricia Cross. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1993.
The standard references on CATs is Angelo and Cross's Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. This book includes 50 CATs organized around assessments for specific purposes: Techniques for assessing course-related knowledge and skills; Techniques for assessing learner attitudes, values, and self-awareness; and Techniques for assessing learner reactions to instruction.
Hanson, Jana M., and Megan Florestano. “Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Critical Component for Effective Instruction.” New Directions for Teaching and Learning, vol. 2020, no. 164, 2020, pp. 49–56, https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20423.
Classroom assessment techniques (CATs) provide instructors with the opportunity to get feedback about what students are learning,where they need help, and provide instructors with an important tool to tailor course design and student learning.
"Formative Assessment: Checking for Understanding." Crosscurrents.
Researchers and educators alike have lauded the beneficial outcomes of formative assessment, a type of assessment aimed at gathering data on student learning to provide prompt and frequent feedback during the learning process. Instructors can use the information they glean from formative assessment to improve their teaching because they can see where students are struggling and address the problem immediately. Following are some suggestions for implementing formative assessment.
A number of web sites also feature information on and examples of CATs, including the following.
This guide is adapted from Vanderbilt University's Center for Teaching guide "Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)" and is licensed under CC BY-NC