Presentation Date: Sunday August 2, 2009
  Presentation Time: 1:00 pm-4:30 pm

CPE Session 48

Using Classroom Assessment Techniques to Enhance Active Learning

Presented By:

Marsha Huber, Otterbein College

Description: Strategies will be presented on how to use Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) to uncover and solve problems related to student learning. This seminar links directly to AACSB's requirement for the assessment of student learning (Standard 18). In this session, you will learn how to design CATs to gain understanding of your students' thinking and to obtain answers about whether or why students are or are not learning. In addition, strategies will be presented that encourage good CAT design.

The facilitator will also explain how she revised her classes during the term based on the feedback from the CATs. During this session, you will be asked to create a new CAT (with a feedback mechanism) that addresses problems in your courses.

You will also learn how a student learning portfolio can enhance the use of CATs in your course. The course portfolio is based on the premise that reflection is an important part of learning. The facilitator will share how she integrated CATs into the learning portfolios. She will also share students’ reactions to the course portfolio assignment in an accounting class. You will receive examples of CATs and a template for the course portfolio as part of the session's materials.

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge and Applications
Program Level: Basic

Intended Audience: Faculty new to the classroom, faculty who want to improve their teaching effectiveness, executives transitioning from the corporate world to the classroom, faculty who want to update their skills to understand student-centered learning, adminstrators who want to revitalize their department's curriculum, and doctoral students.

Format/Structure: This workshop focuses on assessment techniques. The structure is an interactive workshop. Participants will be given time to create their own CATs. Topics covered include: •What are classroom assessment techniques (CATs)? •How do CATs help students learn? •Designing CATs to gain understanding of our students’ thinking. •Using CATs to solve problems in student learning. •How to use CATs to revise courses? •Develop a new CAT for one of your courses. •How the course portfolio serves as the ultimate CAT. •Receive examples of CATs and a template for the course portfolio for your own adoption.

Learning Objective: •Understand how to select and design CATs to assess student learning and to match learning goals, •Design unique CATs to gain understanding of your students’ thinking and why they might not be learning, •Provide timely feedback from the CATs to the students, •Develop the course portfolio as the ultimate CAT, •Revise your classes during the term based on the feedback from the CATs.

Prerequisites: none

Advanced Preparation Required: None

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