After faculty members identify specific teaching goals they wish to assess, they can better determine what kinds of feedback to collect. At this stage, teachers need ways to collect that feedback. The Classroom Assessment Techniques(CATs) described in this handbook can be thought of as a collection of"tools" faculty can use to get feedback on how well they are achieving their teaching goals. In addition these techniques can reinforce student learning of the goals being assessed. CATs reinforce student learning in three ways: by focusing student attention on the most important elements of the course; by providing additional practice in valuable learning and thinking skills; and by training students to become more self-aware, selfassessing, independent learners. For these reasons, we think of CATs as both assessment techniques" and"teaching strategies," and we believe that their dual nature is a strength.