CAT
5: Application Cards (Assesses
Skill in Application & Performance)
Estimated
levels of time/energy required
to prepare is LOW; to respond (students) & to
analyze is LOW to MEDIUM.
Description: After
students have studied an important
principle, generalization, theory,
or procedure, the instructors asks
them to apply what was learned to real-life
situations or other specific areas.
Purpose: Students
can see more clearly the possible relevance
of what they are learning. This CAT
prompts students to think about possible
applications and, as a consequence,
to connect newly learned concepts with
prior knowledge.
Procedure:
Identify
an important – and clearly
applicable – principle, theory,
generalization, or procedure that
your students are studying or have
just studied.
Decide
how many applications you will
ask for and how much time you will
allow for the assessment. One is
often enough, and Angelo & Cross
suggest no more than three. Three
to five minutes is usually enough
time.
Prepare
the question to be display-ready
by writing it on the board, a transparency,
or digitally projected. They could
also be written on a half-sheet
of paper and distributed to the
students. It is important the prompts
are presented in writing. Do not
only read the question(s).
Hand
out index cards or half-sheets
of paper. It is best if students
do not write their names, unless
there is a very good reason to
know who wrote which comments.
Remind
students to come up with their
own “fresh” applications
rather than repeat applications
they have hear din class or read
in the text.
Tell
students the time limit, appropriate
format of answers, and when they
will receive feedback.
Examples:
Course :
Principles of Microeconomics
Gresham ’s
law basically states “good money
drives out bad.” Give at least
one contemporary application of Gresham’s
law to something other than money.
Course:
Educational Psychology
Psychologists
have long noted the effect of “primacy” and “recency” on
recall of information. These effects
have some implications for classroom
teaching and learning. Suggest one
or two applications of these implications
for teachers using the lecture method.
Adaptations/Extensions:
If applications
are particularly difficult to generate,
allow students to work in pairs or
small groups.
Encourage
students to keep an “applications
journal” and suggest that they
devote two minutes each week or class
session to writing possible applications
of what they are studying.
Suggestions: Responding
to students’ feedback may take
longer than planning because questions
lead to other questions. Set clear
time limits. To temper expectations
and disappointment, let students know
you will not comment on everything.
Follow-up is critical because
students who come up with poor or incorrect
applications are likely to remember
and learn those bad examples unless
they receive feedback and examples
of good applications.
References
and Resources:
Angelo,
T.A, and Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom
assessment techniques: A handbook for
college teachers (2 nd ed.). San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
