Classroom Assessment Techniques
The following techniques are examples of some of the many procedures that classroom
instructors can use to assess student perceptions and learning. These examples were
taken from:
Angelo, T.A., & Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A
Handbook for College Teachers. (2nd Ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
This is an excellent resource from the Faculty Center for Teaching library.
1. Minute Paper (page 148)
An instructor stops the class two or three minutes early and asks students to respond very
briefly to same variation on the following two questions: “What was the most important
thing you learned during class today?” and “What important question remains
answered?” Students write their responses on 3X5 cards.
2. Muddiest Point (page 154)
The technique consists of asking students to jot down a quick response to one question:
“What was the muddiest point in _______?” The focus of this assessment could be a
lecture, film, homework assignment, play, or discussion.
3. Concept Map (page 197)
These are drawings or diagrams showing the mental connections that students make
between a major concept the instructor focuses on and other concepts that they have
learned. For example, students could be asked to draw a concept map that shows their
understanding of the relationship between a specific theory and the experimental
evidence that supports that theory.
4. Student-Generated Test Questions (page 240)
One of the best ways to find out how well students understand the material is to prepare
sample test questions and model answers. Teachers can see what their students consider
the most important material, what they understand as fair and useful test questions, and
how well they can answer the questions that they developed.
5. Paper or Project Prospectus (page 248)
Students are required to complete a brief, structure first-draft plan for a term paper or
project. The assignment prompts students to focus on the elements of the assignment,
such as the topic, purpose, intended audience, major questions to be answered, basic
organization, and time/resources required.
6. Double-Entry Journals (page 263)
Students note the ideas, assertions, and arguments in their assigned reading that they
find most meaningful and/or most controversial. In the second entry of this journal they
explain the personal significance of the passage selected and respond to that passage—
thus engaging in a dialogue with the text.
7. Chain Notes (page 322)
Students in a lecture course pass around a large envelope on which the instructor has
written one question (e.g., Immediately before this reached you, what exactly were you
paying attention to?). All students are given note cards at the beginning of class. When
they receive the envelope, they quickly respond to the question on the note card, place
the card in the envelope and pass it along to the next student.
8. Teacher-Designed Feedback Forms (page 330)
The instructor develops a short, simple course-specific evaluation form to assess the
effectiveness of teaching style, a particular exercise, or a specific pedagogical technique.
The forms contain anywhere from three to seven questions in multiple-choice, Likerttype scale (e.g., 5-point scales) or short fill-in the answer formats.
9. Group Instructional Feedback Technique (GIFT) (page 334)
Someone other than the class instructor (usually another faculty member who has been
trained to administer the GIFT) meets with the class without the instructor present. The
person polls the class on the following questions: “What works in the class? What
doesn’t? What can be done to improve it? The moderator then summarizes the
responses and reports back to the instructor. This is similar to a focus group to assess
student perceptions.
10. RSQC2 (Recall, Summarize, Question, Connect, and Comment) (page 344)
At the beginning of class, students are asked to recall and list the most important points
from the previous class. They then summarize these points in sentences. Next students
write one questions from the previous material that they wanted answered. Fourth, they
are instructed to make one connection between what they learned in the previous class
and any of the classes before that. Finally, they are asked to comment on how confident
they felt, during the last class, in their ability to do their homework (or class reading or
assignment).
11. Group-Work Evaluations (page 349)
These are simple questionnaire used to collect feedback on students’ reactions to
cooperative learning groups. Questions may include:
Overall, how effectively did your group work together on the assignment?
Out of the five group members, how many participated actively most of the time?
Give one specific example of something you learned from the group that you would
probably not have learned working alone?
Give one specific example of something your group members learned from you that they
would not have learned otherwise?
12. Reading Rating Sheets (page 352)
The purpose of these rating sheets is to provide faculty with feedback on students’
evaluations of their course readings. Rating sheets consist of a few simple questions such
as:
How well did you read this assignment?
How useful was the reading assignment in helping you understand the topic?
How clear and understandable was the reading?
Handout prepared by Kathleen Harring, Department of Psychology for the
Faculty Center for Teaching Brown Bag Discussion
November 12, 2001