In order to assess student progress in the class, continuous information should be collected on student learning and growth.  According to Angelo and Cross (1993), the most effective times to assess and provide feedback are before chapter tests or before the midterm and final exam, so that both instructors and students gain information on the areas that are clearly understood and those points regarding which students are more uncertain.  Here are several techniques to help you assess and get feedback from your students.

The One-Minute Paper
The one-minute paper is a brief, anonymous feedback instrument you can use up to three or four times a term at the end of a class. Ask these two questions: What is the most important thing you learned today in this class? and What important question remains unanswered?  At the beginning of the following class, discuss the results with students.  Let them know that you have read the papers, and respond to their feedback.

Pause Buttons
In each of your classes, establish a signal for students to use if they want to call a time-out. At that point, you stop talking. Why? Because they can’t take notes fast enough. Because they have questions.  Because they need a moment to consider a point.  Maybe the best reason is to give them ownership in the class. 

Think about it: When we read, we stop to read something a second time, to weigh a thought, or to verify a detail.  Time-outs encourage students and teachers to think about material, to interact, to integrate, and to assimilate.

Muddiest Point
The muddiest point is a simple technique that is remarkably efficient, since it provides a high return of information for a very low investment of time and energy.  Ask students to jot down a quick response to one question: What was the muddiest point in _____?  In the blank, ask students to respond to a lecture, a discussion, a homework assignment, or instructional methods.

This technique helps you know what students find least clear or most confusing about a topic.  You can use that feedback to discover which points are most difficult for students to learn and to guide them about which topics to focus on.  At the same time, this technique requires students to quickly identify what they do not understand and articulate those muddy points, thus engaging in higher-order thinking.

For information regarding how to use clickers to gain student feedback, see Using Technology In Class.

Resources:
Angelo, T. & Cross, K. (1993).  Classroom Assessment Techniques.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Magnan, R., ed.  (1990).  147 Practical Tips for Teaching Professors.  Madison: Magna.
Rando, W. & Firing Lenze, L.  (1994).  Learning from Students.  University Park, PA: NCTLA.