Measuring student success is a top priority to ensure the best possible student outcomes. The objective of this present study was to investigate whether classroom assessment techniques (CATs), specifically KWLs, which is the acronym for "what you know," "what you want to know," and "what you learned," increase student participation in online classrooms. The potential of increased participation may result in higher student outcome levels and retention. The study was conducted by comparing classes that used KWLs with those that did not use KWLs to gauge if participation increased in a classroom with KWLs. The results displayed that there was a significant increase in participation in the online classrooms that used KWLs. Further research would need to be conducted regarding the extent of the increased participation as it relates to student learning, student outcomes, and student retention.