Assessing student learning is something every instructor does throughout the semester. It is common to think of assessment as scores on tests or quizzes. These are examples of assessment but are not the only method of assessing learning. There are many ways to determine whether students are learning.
Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) and Learning Assessment Techniques (LATs) are aligned concepts. LATs involve the purposeful use of a CAT to assess learning. They are generally quick, effective classroom activities that give instructors a “real-time” understanding of their students’ learning without the formal structure of an exam.
To make a CAT (e.g., a 1-minute paper) into a LAT, the instructor would:
- identify the purpose of the activity, what they hope to learn, and why;
- implement the 1-minute paper;
- review what students have written in the 1-minute paper and reflect on how the activity was implemented; and
- identify improvements that need to be made in the classroom setting.