Informal Techniques

· Written reflections. Sometimes referred to as "Minute Papers" or "Muddiest Points," these popular assessment techniques have students reflect immediately following a learning opportunity (e.g., at the end of a class or after completing an out-of-class activity) to answer one or two basic questions like:

o “What was the most important thing you learned today?”

o “What was the most confusing topic today?”

o “What important question remains unanswered?”

· Polls/Surveys. Data on student opinions, attitudes, behaviors or confidence in understanding can be gathered either during class (e.g., with a classroom response system) or outside of class. This can illustrate student engagement with the material as well as prior knowledge, misconceptions, and comprehension.

· Checks for Understanding. Pausing every few minutes to see whether students are following along with the lesson not only identifies gaps in comprehension, but helps break up lectures or online lessons (e.g., with embedded quiz questions) into more digestible bites.

· Wrappers. "Wrapping" activities, using a set of reflective questions, can help students develop skills to monitor their own learning and adapt as necessary.

o Exam Wrappers include questions about preparation strategies, surprises, remaining questions, study goals for the next unit, and so on. This helps students reflect on their study strategies to identify the best ways to prepare for future exams.

o Homework Wrappers include questions about students' confidence in applying their knowledge and skills both before and after completing an assignment. This gives students immediate feedback concerning the accuracy of their perceptions.

o Lecture Wrappers include questions at the beginning of class about what students anticipate getting out of a lesson and/or questions at the end of class about the key points of the lesson. Having students compare their key points to the instructor's can help students develop skills in active listening and identifying important information.