Knowledge Assessments

• Background Knowledge Probe: List as many items within a specific category.
  Example: List Shakespeare plays that you are familiar with.
   
• Focused Listening: Quickly list and define 5 to 7 basic concepts.
  Example: Quickly list and define all of the terms associated with Newton's Second Law, F=ma
   
• Empty Outlines: During the final ten minutes, students complete an empty outline of the lecture they just heard.
   
• Memory Matrix: Recall as many words, concepts, etc. and put them in a pre-designed matrix. For example, fill in the Spanish verb conjugations in present tense in the table below (three examples given).

  conj \ verb	hablar	comer	vivir
  yo
  tu
  Usted	habla
  Nosotros		comemos
  Ustedes			vivimos

   
• 1 Minute Paper: Spend one minute at the end of a class writing a summary of what the instructor covered today.
   
• Muddiest Point: Spend one minute at the end of a class writing questions or comments about the "muddiest point," the least clear topic, from today's lesson.
   

Analysis and Critical Thinking Assessments

• Categorizing Grid: Write associate concepts in correct part of a grid.
   
• Defining Feature Matrix: Yes/No (boolean) categorization of features related to a concept. For example: "Mark, using + or -, whether sound and EM waves can have the associated wave concept (three sample answers given).

  Wave Concept Sound Waves EM Waves Matter Waves allows polarization - + - pulse or shock       periodic       rqrs medium       carries energy .. ..   transverse .. ..   longitudinal .. ..

• Pro / Con Grid: List three pros and three cons, pros in one column and cons in a second column, for some issue related to the topic at hand.
  For example, "Why should Hamlet murder his stepfather?"
   
• Analytic Memos:
  Criminal Justice Example: Imagine you are an officer with a department which has just suffered a major budget cut. Write a memo to your "chief" regarding how you think the department should deal with the budget cut. Identify major stakeholders and political resources. After writing this memo, write a paragraph or two discussing how memos stand up to scrutiny from supervisors or the public.
   

Synthesis and Creative Thinking Assessments

• One Sentence Summary: Who Does What to Whom When, Where, How, and Why?
  Pathology example: How does HIV infect and affect the immune system?
  Auto Mechanics example: How is an engine's fuel-air mixture ignited?
   
• Word Journal: Student chooses a single word which best summarizes an assigned reading assignment and then writes a paragraph explaining why that word is a good summary of the text.
   
• Approximate Analogies: Students create their own analogies for concept relationships. After creating the analogies, students sort their own by quality (good/questionable/poor) or perhaps sort by other valuation such as humor. After collecting and reviewing, pick several to share with the class. For example:
  The theme is to an essay as _______ is to _______.
  Mass is to weight as _______ is to _______.
  Ozone depletion is to the EPA as _______ is to _______.
  
   

Problem Solving Assessments

• Problem Recognition Task: Identify the named technique for solving a particular problem.
  For example, give five statistics word problems and ask students to indicate which statistical procedure would best solve each problem (without solving the problem).
   
• What's the Principle?: For example, given a list of several homework problems students have already solved, match each with a second list of a few major principles.
   
• Documented Problem Solutions: Two columns, in the first column the student solves a problem (or the problem is already solved) and in the second column, specify the reason or principle for each step in the solution.
   
• RSQC2: Recall, Summarize, Question, Connection, Confidence
  Recall and list the most important ideas from previous class.
  Summarize each idea in the list.
  Write one Question about material from previous class that you want answered.
  Make one Connection between the material from the previous class and any from before that.
  Rate your Confidence, during the last class, with the material.
   

Seven Assumptions

1. Quality of student learning is proportional, though not the only determinant, to the quality of teaching and so, in order to improve student learning, increasing the quality of instruction will help.
2. To improve effectiveness, first make goals and objectives explicit and then get specific, comprehensible feedback on the extent to which students achieve thes goals and objectives.
3. To improve learning, students need appropriate and focussed feedback early and often. They also need to assess their own learning.
4. The type of assessment most likely to improve teaching and learning is that conducted by faculty to answer specific questions they themselves have formulated regarding their own teaching.
5. Systematic inquiry and intellectual challenge are powerful sources of motivation, growth, and renewal for teachers.
6. Classroom assessment can be done by any teacher(s).
7. Collaboration with colleques and actively involving students, goth faculty and students enhance learning and personal satisfaction.