Are Students Learning What We're Teaching?
by Donna Qualters

The recent flurry of articles regarding grading inflation at Harvard University has raised a number of interesting questions for higher education. Do we have grade inflation today or are students just better now than they were in the past? Do untenured faculty feel pressure to inflate grades for good teaching evaluations and tenure? What does a final "A," "B," or "C" final grade actually mean in terms of learning accomplished over the semester?

     These questions beg the larger question - how do we know that students are learning what we are teaching. Does an "A" student in my course know more than a "B" student? I guess it depends on the definition of "knows." I have to ask myself what motivated me to give the "A." Was the "A" student able to regurgitate more information back than the "B" student? Does that constitute learning? Was the "A" student able to integrate the material better than the "B" student? Does that constitute learning? Was the "A" student a better critical thinker than the "B" students? Does that constitute learning? How do I know they couldn't do this BEFORE they took my class?

     Pondering these questions over the years has led me to be an enthusiastic proponent of Classroom Assessment Techniques (CAT). Warning! This is not an unbiased article!! Research on learning tells us that what we need to be striving for "deep learning" as opposed to "surface learning." The key difference between these two types of learning can be characterized by the students' approach to their learning. Surface knowledge is the use of low-level cognitive skills with minimum effort to complete course requirements. We've all experienced it. The raised hand with the eternal question - "Is that going to be on the test?" On the other hand deep learning involves learning for understanding, engaging in higher level cognitive skills and a desire to think conceptually about the topic. We all strive for this with our students, but does our teaching methodology allow this to happen? The bottom line is that if we want students to be engaged and mindful about their learning, and our final grades to reflect authentic learning, we have to find ways to monitor student learning in our classes while they're learning. By doing this, we engage and empower them to become deep learners.

     Classroom assessment is a vital component for fostering deep learning and allowing instructors to understand what students are learning and where are the difficulties students are encountering in learning. CAT is not difficult but it does involve some initial time and energy. Is it worth it? Let me share an example of the benefits of integrating CAT into our classrooms. Many years ago a faculty member where I was working approached me because she was teaching a Statistics course and had a very high drop out rate and low student evaluations. She was a relatively new and now (because of this course) very discouraged and angry faculty member. I suggested she try a one-minute paper. This is the most 'famous' CAT activity. At the last five minutes of the class, you hand out 3x5 cards. On one side you ask students to write on one side of the card what they think the main point of the day's class was and on the other side they write any questions they still have. My friend had an introductory lecture to a new chapter the next day and promised she'd try it.

     The next day my phone was ringing off the hook! It was my friend, she had started reading her one-minute cards right after class and realized two important learning issues: first, half the class didn't get the main point and second, there were questions in the class about every aspect of her lecture. The key lecture that was meant to set the foundation for the entire chapter was not clearly understood by the students, and yet all her succeeding exercises, homework and activities were based on the premise that they understood the foundational material. It was clear now why her students were not doing well. This simple exercise gave my friend valuable information that led her to approach her teaching different and make on-going assessment a key component of her course. Five years later the enrollment in her course has doubled and she was awarded teacher of the year by students! Is this anecdotal? Yes. But it does illustrate the power of monitoring learning while students are in the process of learning.

     The most celebrated names connected with CAT are Tom Angelo and Patricia Cross. They popularized and codified the process in an easy readable book called: Classroom Assessment Techniques (available for loan at the CEUT). This book contains hundreds of activities at all levels divided into disciplines that you can choose to help you begin to examine the process of learning in your course. The book also lays out a structure for you to purposefully embed assessment in your course. Remember assessment for assessment's sake is a waste of everyone's time. Unless the data is useful, given to students to help them monitor their own learning, and used to improve the course and curriculum, you might as well not waste the time. The CEUT has written a beginner's guide for faculty on using Classroom assessment to improve student learning. It can be accessed at http:\\gemasterteachers.neu.edu.

     If you have a favorite classroom assessment activity please write us at the Center and share your idea and we will publish it in a future newsletter.