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University of Tennessee

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Newsletter: Spring 2004

Assessment … Evaluation … The CAT is
out of the bag!

by: Julie Little and Jean Derco

Assessment and evaluation are integral to teaching/learning and are used to guide and improve learning and instruction. However, they have distinct roles in teaching and learning.

Assessment is:

  • Use of information for the purposes of improvement.
  • Used to determine current understanding and improve subsequent learning.
  • The act of gathering information on a regular basis in order to understand student learning and needs.
  • Focused on the process of continued improvement.

Evaluation is:

  • Use of information for the purposes of arriving at a decision.
  • class="content">Used to determine mastery of learning goals and objectives.
  • The culminating act of interpreting the information gathered for the purpose of making decisions or judgments about student learning and needs, often at reporting time.
  • A concrete measurement against an existing standard.

In a short period of time, CATs allow instructors to find out what students are learning, then use that information to make changes in teaching methods or assignments. According to Angelo and Cross (1993), a CAT is characterized as learner-centered, teacher-directed, mutually beneficial to students and instructors, formative, context-specific, ongoing, and rooted in good teaching practice. To assess student:

Prior Knowledge, Recall and Understanding, try:

  • The Minute Paper: Students address "what was the most important thing you learned in class today?" and "what important question remains unanswered?"
  • Memory Matrix: Students organize important course content by filling in an empty matrix with related topics

Analysis and Critical Thinking, try:

  • Pro and Con Grid: Students identify the advantages/disadvantages, costs and benefits, pros and cons of a plan, idea, or concern.
  • Analytic Memo: Students write a one- or two-page analysis of a specific problem or issue.

Synthesis and Creative Thinking, try:

  • One Sentence Summary: Using the format of "who did what to whom, when, where, how, and why?" students answer questions about a process in one clear, long, and grammatically correct sentence.
  • Word Journal: Using single words chosen by students from assigned texts, they write a paragraph about meaning and a second paragraph explaining why they chose that particular word to summarize.