Formative Assessments Background Knowledge Probe

At the beginning of a course or unit, provide students with a simple questionnaire to assess their prior knowledge of the subject.

What this Formative Assessment can do for Teaching and Learning

Students come into our classes with a knowledge base about our subject – and each student’s is very different. This assessment gives you the opportunity to find out what students already know about the material you will cover in the class. It also gives you the opportunity to introduce that material (and relate it to the course outcomes) right at the beginning.

You may discover that students know much less about the subject than you expected. You can then adjust your first week or two to provide the background knowledge they need and prevent frustration on your and their part that could get in the way of teaching and learning. It may feel like precious time to give up, but creating the foundation needed right away will eliminate the need for constant back tracking during the whole course. It will also help reduce student anxiety, which is one of the greatest barriers to student success.

The background knowledge probe could also help you determine study groups, assigning people with great prior knowledge as group leaders.

Trying It Out - First Day of Class Activity

Possible ways to use Background Knowledge Probe on the first day of class:

Direct students, "Introduce yourself - name and career goal - and share two words that come to mind when you think about ____________ (the course's subject area)."

Ask students, "After reading the course description and outcomes in the Syllabus, what do you hope to learn in this class?"

Have students write down their responses to, "What I already know about ____________ (the course's subject area)" and "What I hope to learn about ____________ (the course's subject area)."