Perhaps a nautical metaphor will help define Classroom Assessment Techniques. Imagine the college course as a sea voyage, back in the days before sophisticated radar and satellite technology. And think of the tests and exams as ports of call along the way. In this metaphor, doing Classroom Assessment can be likened to navigating. The various Classroom Assessment Techniques represent the range of procedures and simple devices the navigator could use to determine and double-check the ship’s position at sea. These position checks allow the captain to keep the vessel on course, or to tell how far off course it is and how best to return to the correct route. In a similar fashion, CATs give teachers information to “navigate by,” feedback to guide the continual small adjustments and corrections needed to keep student learning “on course.”