Like the muddiest point exercise, the “minute paper” is an easy classroom assessment technique (CAT) that instructors can use to quickly check how well students are grasping course material.

Instructions:

Before class, come up with a general question intended to help students identify and reflect on the main theme(s) in a reading, lecture, or class discussion. The question is usually some sort of variation on one of the following: “What was the most important point you learned today?“ or “What question remains in your mind?”

Write the question on the board or a PowerPoint slide, and hand out half sheets of paper or index cards towards the end of class. Ask students to write a brief response to the question. Be sure to let students know how much time they’ll have to respond to the prompt, and how their responses should be formatted (short sentences? bullet points?).

It’s up to you whether or not the responses are anonymous. I usually ask students to write their names on their responses, so I can use them as way to keep track of class attendance (I factor in the number of completed responses towards final class participation grade).

Finally, collect the papers at the end of class, so that you can read and provide feedback. Depending on  time constraints, you might write comments on each individual response, or simply address a few of the most commonly raised points during the next class meeting.