Using CATs in Online Courses

The Background Knowledge Probe Overview

• Teacher's Purpose:
  • Helps teachers determine the starting point and appropriate level of the lesson
  • Allows teachers to assess learners prior understading of the topic
    
• Learner's Purpose:
  • Focuses attention on the important material
  • Can serve as a preview and review
    
• Timing:
  • First class meeting
  • Orientation session
  • Assigned to answer at begining of module
  • Complete both at beginning and end of module -- compare results
    
• Hint:
  • Ask at least one question that everyone should be able to answer
  • Ask at least one question that you deem to be difficult
    
• Feedback:
  • Review responses
  • E-mail students individually if appropriate with additional resources
  • Post results in an announcement or discusion board.

The Background Knowledge Probe Example

• Topic:
  • Web Servers
    

• Method:
  • Survey with one multiple choice and two short answer questions.
    

• Question:
  • "Describe the purpose of a web server."
  • "Choose the most popular web server from the list provided below"
  • "What reasons do you have for your choice?"
    

• Feedback:
  • Learners complete the survey and the course management system collects responses. Instructor reads responses and may e-mail individual students or post selected results in an announcement or discussion thread.

Popular CATs with overviews and examples:

• The Muddiest Point
• The Minute Paper
• The One-Sentence Summary
• What's the Principle?
• The Background Knowledge Probe
• Student-generated Test Questions