Teaching Non-Native English Speaking Students

Participating in Class The typical learner-centered classroom, in which students are expected to be active participants, might be foreign to non-native English speaking students, particularly if coming from an environment where asking questions or expressing opinions during class is not normal.  Simply telling students that participation is important may not be sufficient. Strategies to use […]

Tips for Grading without Utilizing Attendance

UConn is a non-attendance university which means the institution verifies to the federal government that we do not grade attendance. Additionally, per University bylaws, grades cannot be graded on attendance. Grades can be based on measures which evaluate their achievement of learning objectives, such as assessments, assignments, and lab reports. In contrast, grading attendance is […]

Quick Tips for Designing Assessments

Tips for Grading without Utilizing Attendance Per University policy, grades should be based on assessments, assignments, lab reports, and/or participation. Student attendance should not impact student grade, except as it impacts the student’s ability to complete other aspects of the grading structure. Positive encouragement to attend class Looking for wording to encourage students to attend […]

Assessment as Feedback

Do you sometimes walk out of the classroom wondering if your students had any idea what you were talking about for the past 50 minutes? Collecting 1-Minute Feedback Minute Papers provide a quick and easy formative assessment technique for checking student progress, as they help you to gage students’ understanding of and reaction to specific […]

50 Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATS)

by Angelo and Cross Techniques for Assessing Course-Related Knowledge & Skills I. Assessing Prior Knowledge, Recall, and Understanding The CATS in this group are recommended to assess declarative learning, the content of a particular subject. Background Knowledge Probe: short, simple questionnaires prepared by instructors for use at the beginning of a course or at the […]