Using CATs in Online Courses

1. Using CATs in Online Courses Dr. Eli Collins-Brown ecollins-brown@mmci.org

2. Classroom Assessment Techniques • CATs • Work of Angelo and Cross, 1993 • Condensed from LTAs To Make Student Learning Visible in Web-Based Classes: CATs - A TLT Group Online Workshop. B. Mills, R. Purdom, D. Eder

3. Formative Assessment • Assessing student learning during the course • F2F – non-verbal cues, facial expression, look in their eyes • Online, no non-verbal cues • CATs gives us a way to ‘look into the eyes’ of our online students

4. CATs are.. • Learner-centered • Teacher-directed • Mutually beneficial • Formative • Context specific • On-going • Rooted in best practices • Easy to administer, assess and report on • Typically low-threshold, perfect for online

5. How People Learn • Bransford’s work • Three key learning principles: • Prior knowledge – students construct new knowledge and understanding on what they already know or don’t know • Deep foundational knowledge – students need a deep knowledge base and conceptual frameworks • Metacognition: students must identify learning goals and monitor their progress toward them.

6. #1 – Prior Knowledge • What Do They Know? • New learning is based on what students already know • Imperative that we learn where our students are and what they already know of don’t know, including misperceptions

7. CATs • Background Knowledge Probe (BKP) • Focused Listing • Applications Card • Directed Paraphrasing • Minute Paper

8. BKP • Preview of material to come and what they know.

9. Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are a pedagogical way to monitor student learning as it is taking place. • Assessment monitors student learning; it does not evaluate faculty teaching. • The principles for using CATs in an online environment are much the same as thos for using CATs in a F2F environment • Because CATs engage students in their own learning, they do not add to the teaching workload but rather, reduce it by making teaching easier. • I've never encountered this idea before • I've encountered this idea but wouldn't want to have to explain it to a naive audience • I've encountered this idea and can explain it with examples • I've encountered this idea and already adopted it for my teaching environment. Best way to do online?

10. Focused Listing • Ask students to write the key word or idea at the top of a page and within a set time limit (usually 2 - 3 minutes) job down related terms important to understanding that topic.   • Helps determine what students recall about a specific topic, including concepts they associate with the central point. Can be done in pairs and can be used before, during or after a lesson. • Compare with a master list you created and categorize as related, unrelated, appropriate, in appropriate.  • Or compile a master list of all responses and have students categorize. • Best way to do online?

11. Application Cards • Students give one or more real-world applications for an important principle, generalization, theory or procedure.  • Give two specific examples of Stephen Covey's Win-Win performance contracts: one in current news and one in your own life. Or give a concrete example of formative assessment in your course.   • Sort responses as unacceptable, marginal, adequate, or excellent.  • Best way to do online?

12. Directed Paraphrasing • rephrase the definition to explain to different audiences. • ei. explain 'corporation' to high school students or ‘irrevocable trust’ to retirees.  • Sort responses as confused, minimal adequate, or excellent • How to do online?

13. Minute Papers • What was the most important thing you learned during this session? What important questions remain unanswered? • How to do online?

14. #2 - Deep Foundational Knowledge • Student must have a deep foundation of factual knowledge • Understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework • Organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application

15. Sequence and Structure • Sequence and structure activities so that students approach the same materials from different perspectives • Students learn by processing information: they do not typically learn at a first exposure unless there is a great deal of relevant prior knowledge • CATs accomplish both

16. Think-Pair-Share • Ask a question and have them write down some answers. • Then share with another person (pair) and share responses.  • Then pairs share responses with the rest of the class. • WebCT allows you to put students into groups.  Each group has their own discussion board. • Low Risk, promote active student learning, promotes discussion

17. Structured Problem-Solving F2F • Divide students into group and each member of the group is assigned an identity (colors, playing cards, roles) • Students complete a task together, • Group responds to the whole class with each member taking a turn as spokesperson. • Responses occur by identities (colors, suit, or roles) • Positive Results: • students individual accountable; all must know the materials • peer coaching because the team is only as strong as its weakest member • students are giving a group answer not individual answer - less stressful • students who normally never speak up in class with participate through their response. • Working in BB or WebCT groups, complete the task together, then randomly select the person in each group to respond based on their identity.

18. Send a Problem • Each group identifies a problem or issue to solve or discussion. This is written on the front of a folder. • The group prepares a response to the problem/issues, writes it on a sheet of paper and puts it in the folder.  • The Folder is forwarded to a second group.  • The second group does NOT look at the first group’s response,  write their own response, puts in folder and passes to the 3rd group. • Third group takes responses from first two groups and identifies the two best responses. They then formulate their response by using best two responses, consolidating ideas or coming up with their own response. Report back to group.

19. Send a Problem Online • Online - Each group gets a problem to solve, clearly articulated.  Work in groups in Bb or WebCT, each groups comes up with as many viable solutions as possible for this problem. • Each group submits their problem and solution to instructor.  • Instructor sends only problem to 2nd group.  • 2nd group solves and sends back answer to instructor. • Instructor forwards to third group include the responses from the first two groups. • Each group reads and synthesizes the other two groups responses and theirs, and shares with the entire group by posting to the discussion board • Allow opportunities for comments and discussion.

20. Examples • History; Support the territorial claims of 1) ranchers 2) farmers 3) native americans • Premed: What would a clinician need to know for a disgnosis of 1: attention-deficit disorder 2) AIDS 3) Alzheimer's • Literature: in Antigone, explain the chief character traits and motivations of 1) Antigone 2) Creon 3) Haemon 4) Ismene

21. #3 - Metacognition A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them.

22. Goal-oriented learning • What roles do goals play in learning? • Focus attention and efforts • Identify purpose for learning • Tracks progress

23. Monitoring Own Learning • Motivation • Responsibility • Awareness • Self-Correction

24. LTAs for Learning Principle #3 • Punctuated Lectures • Classroom Opinion Polls • Minute Paper

25. Possible Questions for Punctuated Lectures • “How fully and consistently were you concentrating on the discussion/lecture during these few minutes? Did you get distracted at any point? If so, how did you bring your attention back into focus? • What were you doing to record/process the information you were receiving? How successful were you? • What were you doing to make connections between this “new” information and what you already know? • What did you expect to come next in the discussion/lecture and why?” Mills, Purdom, Eder, 2007 How best to do online?

26. Classroom Opinion Pollson Course-related Issues Quick Poll: • How many believe groupwork improves understanding of main concepts? • How many have learned something useful during this activity? How best to do online?

27. CATs for Improving Course • Use the feedback to determine if you instruction is effective • One-minute Paper format • Ask what worked • What didn’t work • Suggestions for improvements Anonymous or not?

28. Final Considerations for Using CATs • Reporting back to students is a must • Don’t ask if you don’t want to know • Use CATs creatively!

29. References • Classroom Assessment Techniques, Angelo & Cross, ISBN: 1555425003 • Welcome to the online workshop: LTAs To Make Student Learning Visible in Web-Based Classes: CATs - A TLT Group Online Workshop, B. Mills, R. Purdom, D. Eder • Engaging the Online Learner, Conrad and Donaldson, ISBN 0787966673 • Discussion-Based Online Teaching to Enhance Student Learning, Tisha Bender, ISBN 1579220657