Sunday, September 27, 2015

Inside the Teaching Professor: August/September

The Teaching Professor includes summarized articles from various educational publications, as well as original articles from university and college instructors. If you are interested in reviewing articles in this and/or other publications, please stop by the CTE, TLC 324, where you can read in a comfortable setting and enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.

Continuous and Rapid Test (CaRT): A Simple Tool for Assessment and Communication 


In this article, the authors discuss a technique, CaRT, to assess student understanding of course material in almost every class session. Instructors give each student a 3x5 card as they enter class and instruct them to answer the 2 or 3 questions on the overhead/board. These questions pertain to material covered in the preceding class. On the back of the card, students may include any concepts or material that they feel are difficult or confusing. After collecting the cards, the instructor reveals the correct answers to the questions.

Before the next class, the instructor reviews all of the cards taking note of how well students were able to answer the questions, and how well each student was able to understand recently covered material. If only one or two students appear to have some difficulty, the CaRT process allows instructors to either review material with the entire class or to invite those one or two students to review the material during office hours. “CaRT can help teachers feel the ‘pulse’ and progress of the class on a day-to-day basis and help in monitoring attendance. It encourages students to come to class prepared and reduces procrastination.”

Reference:
Dam, Tarun K., and Purnima Bandyopadhyay. "Continuous and Rapid Test (CaRT): A Simple Tool for Assessment and Communication." The Teaching Professor Aug/Sept. 2015: 1. Print.