In this article, the authors advance a metaphor born of chaos theory that views the college classroom as a complex dynamical system. The authors reason further that "teaching as chaos" provides a more accurate representation of the teaching-learning process than the existing linear scientific metaphors on which traditional learning assessments are typically based. Finally, the authors discuss the implications of the chaos metaphor for better understanding the learning that takes place in the college classroom and a professor's role in facilitating that learning.