Thriving in Academe

Classroom Assessment Techniques

It makes sense to stop, look, and listen to students early in the semester
by Cathy Santanello and Douglas Eder,
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

CATs can help us learn what our students our thinking. They can be our ears!

Physicians listen to patients' concerns and make appropriate diagnoses. Judges carefully weigh arguments before imposing sentences.

But professors don't always follow this timeworn and effective process. Too often, we overlook the greatest potential resource that can offer us guidance: our students.

At Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, we're doing something to address this oversight by making Classroom Assessment Techniques part of the university's culture.

Our focus right now is on one CAT in particular—the Group Instructional Feedback Technique (GIFT). This listening approach encourages students to tell their instructors what helps them learn and enables faculty to review and reflect on these concepts with colleagues.

The GIFT improves teaching and learning, exemplifies reflective teaching, furthers the scholarship of teaching, and can help transform the classroom.

Meet Cathy Santanello and Douglas Eder
Cathy Santanello and Douglas Eder are members of the Provost's Office and the biology department at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and they share a vision for SIUE and academia: celebrating good teaching and learning. Cathy is the program director for the Excellence in Learning and Teaching Initiative and a medical entomologist. She spends spare time traveling with her family, cooking, and volunteering for the local humane society. Doug is director of assessment and a neurophysiologist. When he is not speaking, writing, or visiting other universities to help with assessment, his activities include scuba diving, running, and spoiling his granddaughter. They can be reached at csantan@siue.edu.

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