Readiness Assurance Process

Adopted TBL Model │ Application Activities │ Peer Evaluation

Readiness Assurance Test -  At the first and sometimes third class meeting of each module, students were given a Readiness Assurance Test (RAT).  The RAT test (10-15 multiple-choice questions) measures student’s comprehension of the assigned readings, and helps them learn the material needed to begin problem solving in phase 3.  Once the test period was over, the instructor gave a short mini-lecture to clarify concepts that were not well understood as evidenced by the individual test scores. The purpose of phase 2 was to ensure that students had sufficient foundational knowledge to begin learning how to apply and use the course concepts in phase 3.

• Individual RAT (iRAT) - Students individually complete a 10-question multiple-choice test based on the readings (link to reading guide and quiz sample file)
• Team RAT (tRAT) - Following the iRAT, the same multiple-choice test was retaken as a team. These tests used "scratch and win" type answer cards known as an IF-AT. Students negotiated with their teammates, and then scratched off an opaque coating hoping to reveal a star that indicates a correct answer. The team was awarded 4 points for uncovering the correct answer on the first scratch, 2 points for the second scratch, and 1 point for the third scratch. 
• Appeals Process - Once the team had completed the team test, the team had the opportunity to fill out an appeal form. The purpose of the appeal process was to allow the team to identify questions where they disagreed with the question key.