Using

"What's the Principle?"

as a Classroom Assessment Technique (CAT)


Barish Golland
PIDP3230 - Evaluation of Learning
 

comm294 - mANAGERIAL aCCOUNTING

Students will be able to: effectively use the understanding of management accounting principles to facilitate the analysis of information that is relevant in decision making.


comm294 lEARNING oBJECTIVE #4

THE STRATEGY

  1. Identify basic principles students should learn in the course 
  2. Create problems/examples that best illustrate each of these principles 
  3. Create a "What's the Principle?" form or interactive matching exercise which will include:  
    1. A list of the principles taught in class
    2. Specific problems/examples that match to those principles. 
  4. Try out your assessment to check for difficulty and time required
  5. Make revisions, then apply assessment in class.   
(Angelo & Cross, 1993, p.220)

CONTEXT FOR STRATEGY TO WORK BEST

  • ANY COURSE WHERE STUDENTS LEARN RULES OR PRINCIPLES OF PRACTICE 
  • APPLIED DISCIPLINES SUCH AS BUSINESS MANAGEMENT  THAT DEPEND ON GENERAL RULES OF GOOD PRACTICE 
  • RECOMMENDED FOR TARGETING HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS CLUSTER IN TGI


 
(ANGELO & CROSS, 1993, PP.218-219) 

limitations of this strategy

  • Student's might see the matching principles to problems exercise as merely a game

  • Just because students can match principles to problems doesn't mean they can solve those problems

  • May not work well with beginners or advanced students

  • Connecting principles and problems may need to be pre-taught

Advantages of this strategy

  1. Simple to set up
  2. Quick to get responses from class on otherwise complex skill
  3. Students get quick feedback, especially if done online
  4. Students get practice on skill of matching principle to problem
  5. Promotes learning of transferable skills

best practices in this strategy

  1. Make sure you have the right group of students - neither raw beginners or very advanced
  2. Make sure you teach the skill of connecting principles to problems early on
  3. Prepare and test your CAT in the format you will present it in to students (i.e. either paper-based or electronic)
  4. Explore adapting and extending this CAT: 
    1. Give only principles, elicit good/bad examples
    2. Give only examples, elicit principles
    3. Ask to justify choices
(Angelo & Cross, 1993, p. 221)



providing feedback to learners

Paper-based: quick tally of results during class break

Online matching quiz: students get instant feedback upon completion of quiz. 

In-class iClickers or Mobile Phones: Instant results on overhead digital projector

references:

Angelo, T., & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc..

Schell, J., Lukoff, B., & Mazur, E. (2013). Catalyzing learner engagement using cutting-edge classroom response systems in higher education. In C. Wankel (Ed.),  Increasing student engagement and retention using classroom technologies: Classroom response systems and mediated discourse technologies (pp. 233-261). Emerald: Bingley.  
Feldgen, M., Clua, O.  (2009) . The use of CATs and case-based 
teaching for dealing with different levels of abstractions, 39th 
Frontiers in Education Conference 2009, IEEE. 
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