College of the Canyons -- Title III
Classroom Analysis Project Sample Proposal

My Instructional Innovation Classroom Research proposal will take approximately 12 weeks, covering the final two thirds of the course (The Victorians Unit and The Moderns/ Twentieth Century Unit).  For the first six weeks of the course, (The Romantics Unit) I will use no CAT in English 251.  For the second unit, The Victorians, I will use the One-Minute Paper CAT in most class sessions.  In the final unit, The Moderns, I will use the Student-generated Test Question CAT.

My procedure for my use of the One-Minute Paper follows:
During the unit on The Victorians (approximately six weeks), I plan to stop class two or three minutes early and ask students to respond briefly to some variation on the following two questions: "What was the most important thing you learned during this class?" and "What important question remains unanswered?" Directing students to leave their names off the papers or cards, I will then ask the students to write their responses on index cards or half-sheets of scrap paper and hand them in.  During the first five minutes (or so) of the next class session, I will respond to some of the comments and/or questions before beginning that day’s lesson.

My procedure for my use of the Student-generated Test Question follows:
During the unit on The Moderns (approximately six weeks), in most class sessions the students will be asked, but not required, to prepare two essay questions following each class. Bonus points (up to 10% of their unit grade) will be given for voluntary participation. The questions will have to be based on material that was covered in the previous class, or from the related text. Also, students have to provide answers, in outline form only, for their questions.  At the beginning of each class, I will randomly select a student to present one of his/her questions and answers. The student will read the question and answer to the class. I would add any missing information, and we will usually spend a minute or two discussing the question and answer. I will then call on a second student to present another question and answer. The whole process will take about 5 to 7 minutes. Students will have to present integrative, high-level questions. Students have to prepare two questions so they can’t say, "I had the same question." If they are not in class when their name is called, they will forfeit that opportunity to earn the bonus percent.
 

The overarching objective of this project is to determine how and if Classroom Assessment Techniques (CAT) may help develop the talents of both instructors and students. My classroom research project will concentrate around the general question, "Does my use of Classroom Assessment Techniques, specifically the One-Minute Question and Student-generated Test Questions, improve teaching effectiveness and learning quality in my English 251 British Literature II class?” 

As part of my end-of-the-semester course evaluation, I will ask my English 251 students to respond to the following question: “In what way(s), if any, did the use of Classroom Assessment Techniques (CAT), specifically the One-Minute Question and Student-generated Test Questions, improve my teaching effectiveness and your learning in English 251 British Literature II class?”

To assess the connection between the content mastery and the use of the CATs and their effects on the students, I will use some of the Student-generated Test Questions on the unit essay exam to determine if the percentage (or number) of students who score “C” or above is higher than earlier unit essay exams from previous classes (where no CATs were employed).

I first learned about Classroom Assessment Techniques (CAT) in EDU 082 Teaching in the Community College, an IT&L course I took in the fall, 2002 semester.  “The purpose of classroom assessment is to provide faculty and students with information and insights needed to improve teaching effectiveness and learning quality. College instructors use feedback gleaned through Classroom Assessment to inform adjustments in their teaching. Faculty also share feedback with students, using it to help them improve their learning strategies and study habits in order to become more independent, successful learners....” ----Angelo, T.A., 1991. Ten easy pieces: Assessing higher learning in four dimensions. In Classroom research: Early lessons from success. New directions in teaching and learning (#46), Summer, 17-31

One of the course facilitators introduced the participants to several CATs, including the two techniques I propose to try in my classroom: the One-Minute Paper and Student-generated Test Question.

First, with the use of the One-Minute Paper CAT, I hope to provide short-term feedback about the day-to-day learning and teaching process at a time when it is still possible to make mid-course corrections.  Second, I think that my use of the One-Minute Paper will also provide useful information about student learning with a much lower investment of time compared to tests, papers, and other traditional means of learning assessment.  In addition, I hope the use of technique will help to foster good rapport with students and increase the efficacy of teaching and learning.  Finally, I think that it will encourage me to think of teaching as a formative process that evolves over time with feedback.

My proposed use of Student-generated test questions is planned to remediate a problem students have had in my British Literature II course: the need to develop a high-level, integrative understanding of the conceptual issues that structure the course, including the effect(s) nature has on the poetic imagination, the effect of technology on literary expression, and the treatment of class and gender issues by the Romantics, the Victorians, the Moderns, and the Post-modern authors. However, my experience tells me that many “average” students can’t perform at this level. Therefore, I need some teaching/learning aid that will help students with less effective study habits. Specifically, I think that students need to have a reason to regularly review and think about course content. The procedure that I plan to implement, student-generated test questions will provide a small, immediate incentive that I hope will lead to a bigger, delayed payoff.