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?”
The Field-Tested Learning Assessment Guide site suggests these questions:
- “What was the most surprising idea or concept [discussed during this class]?
- “What question from this class might appear on the next quiz/test?”
- “What was the main concept illustrated by the in-class demonstration/experiment?”
The MGH Institute of Health Professions site suggests a few more questions that can be used across multiple discipline:
- “Were there any ideas expressed in today’s class that caused you to reconsider or change your personal? opinions, viewpoints, or values?”
- “Did you see any relationships between today’s topic and other topics previously covered in this course?”
From the OnCourse website:
- “Without looking at your notes, what was most memorable
