CL-1: Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide (FLAG): CATs: Minute Papers

“When I decided to transform my introductory astronomy course to embrace an integrated conceptual approach, I was vexed by the problem of obtaining immediate classroom assessment. I introduced the minute paper, which solved the problem, especially if I sensed that the class had missed a key concept. From the written feedback, I could then devise another teaching strategy for the very next class. I found that Minute Papers provided a voice for the students and constructive information for me.”

Why Use the Minute Paper?

The Minute paper provides real-time feedback from a class to find out if students recognized the main points of a class session—or were confused by them!— and so help the instructor craft changes for the next class.

What is the Minute Paper?

A concise note (taking one minute!), written by students (individually or in groups), that focuses on a short question presented by the instructor to the class, usually at the end of the session.

Description
The Minute paper is traditionally done at the end of a class. You ask the students, either individually or in groups, to respond to a short question posed by you. They take a minute or two to write a response anonymously. You collect these minute papers, reflect upon them, note emergent themes, and formulate adjustments for the next class.

Assessment Purposes
To investigate how well students understand important concepts presented during a class period, and to improve instruction in the succeeding class by modifications in your presentation.

Minute papers work best when done on a regular basis so that you tap into a class’s conceptual progress for continuous improvement. I have found that weekly works well, but using them in every class results in overload for my students and me. As a semester progresses, the students will provide enhanced feedback as they grow comfortable with the activity. Generally, you should not offer credit towards the final grade in a course for the completion of minute papers. They become a natural apart of the class, and so integrate assessment with instruction.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Pose a brief question or two to your students during the last few minutes of class, using an overhead transparency or a blackboard. Examples of questions are:

Have the students ponder your question and write a short response (one or two sentences).
Collect the responses as the students leave the class.

Collaborative
Minute Papers (the "Few Minute Paper")
I have found my introductory students have limited skills in reflecting upon what they have learned—or not learned!—in a class. To assist them in developing such skills, I ask self-formed groups of 3 or 4 students to work together on a minute paper. You will need to give them a few minutes to reach consensus. I have found the quality of the feedback to increase considerably.
Peer Check
Ask the students to turn to their neighbor and discuss what they have written; they are surprised at different perceptions or pleased with common ones.
Midpoint Paper
Do the minute paper midway through class; sort and respond immediately (“just-in-time” assessment).

Analysis

Collect the responses and sort them into themes. You will then have a clear idea of what to address in the next class. Keep track of the themes that emerge for the semester for review. You might want to announce to the class the major themes that emerged and how you plan to address them. Crucial point: You must acknowledge your students’ feedback so that they know you value their thoughts!

Pros and Cons

Takes limited class time and little preparation time; analysis can be done quickly.
Simple, direct, and versatile; useable in any class at any level.
Provides focused formative feedback.
Demands that students reflect upon their learning and listen actively.
Low tech and low cost!

However:

You must acknowledge students feedback, that you value their comments, promptly in the next class, even if you do not implement any specific change.
Students may confuse minor details with major themes.
Results from the first few minute papers may be unfocused and low in useful information.

Theory and Research

Minute papers are commonly believed to be the most widely used CAT in higher education (Angelo and Cross, 1993). A recent search by R. R. Hake on Google yielded over a million hits for “minute paper.” Richard Light (2001) writes that at Harvard “Some experienced professors comment that it is the best example of high payoff for a tiny investment …” And Light (1990) noted that the minute paper was the single most successful classroom innovation at Harvard.

Faculty many times in many variations have probably reinvented minute papers (Kloss, 1998). As far as I can tell, the first reported formal use of the minute paper can be traced to physicist Charles Schwartz at the University of California, Berkeley, in 1983 (Davis et al., 1983). Whatever its origin, the minute paper is a powerful assessment tool for continuous improvement of a class (Wilson, 1986).

For all their popularity, minute papers have a very limited research base. The evidence to date, though, supports the hypothesis that the regular use of minute papers can result in gains in conceptual understanding. Chizmar and Ostrosky (1998), in economics classes, examined the hypothesis that the minute paper would “enhance students’ economic knowledge”. They used a pre/post design with the Test for the Understanding of College Economics (TUCE). They concluded that students in the sections with the minute paper outgained those in sections without minute papers over one semester, independent of GPA. In an introductory accounting course, Almer, Jones, and Moeckel (1998) concluded that students who wrote ungraded minute papers had significantly higher performance on subsequent essay quizzes than those who did not.

Links

For Davis et al.: http://uga.berkeley.edu/sled/compendium

For Chizmar and Ostrosky: http://www.indiana.edu/~econed/issues/v29_1/1.htm

Innovative Higher Education: http://uga.edu/ihe/ihe.html

Sources

Almer, E. D., Jones, K., and Moeckel, C., (1998). “The Impact of One-Minute Papers on Learning in an Introductory Accounting Class”, Issues in Accounting Education, 13 (3), pp. 485-497.

Angelo, Thomas A. and Cross, K. Patricia, (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers. 2nd edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, pp. 148-153.

Davis, Barbara G., Wood, L., Wilson, Robert C., (1983). In “ABCs of Teaching with Excellence: A Berkeley Compendium of Suggestions for Teaching with Excellence”,

Chizmar, John A. and Ostrosky, Anthony L., (1998). “The One-Minute Paper: Some Empirical Findings.” Journal of Economic Education, Winter 29 (1), pp. 1-8.

Kloss, Robert J. (1998). College Teaching, vol. 41 (2), pp. 60-63.

Light, Richard J., (1990). Harvard Assessment Seminars: First Report.

Light, Richard J., (2001). Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds. Harvard University Press.

Weaver, R. L. and Cotrell, H. W., (1985). “Mental Aerobics: The Half-Sheet Response”, Innovative Higher Education, 10, pp. 23-31.

Wilson, Robert C., (1986). Improving Faculty Teaching: Effective Use of Student Evaluations and Consultants.” Journal of Higher Education, 57 (2), pp. 196-211.

Michael Zeilik
Department of Physics & Astronomy
University of New Mexico Michael Zeilik
Mike Zeilik

I took a faculty position at the University of New Mexico directly from graduate school at Harvard, where I had pioneered the use of the Personalized System of Instruction/Keller Plan in astronomy. I threw myself into the introductory astronomy course for novices at UNM and was shocked at the poor performance of the class as a whole. Lacking resources to implement PSI, I struggled to create a learning environment in a large class of mature students with diverse backgrounds. I kept improving the standard model and saw student evaluations of my teaching climb. But I was struck at the end of one semester on how little students grasped the big picture of astronomy and how common misconceptions resisted change. Searching for solutions, I hit upon concept maps, which became central to our course transformation, and a disciplinary-based research project on conceptual development of novice students. I now use concept maps in all facets of instruction and assessment, for all levels of courses. I am particularly fascinated that the process of concept mapping can reveal structure that I did not anticipate in my maps or in students' maps; it's a great aha! Moment!

Classroom Assessment TechniquesMinute Paper

Classroom Assessment Techniques
Minute Paper