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Do You Have a Minute?

by | Aug 29, 2025 | Active Learning, Activity, Assessment, Blog, Pedagogy, Teaching and Learning

Teaching & Learning Tip: Engage Your Students in Just One Minute

Think about ways that you can help your students set short-term academic goals – ones that are challenging, but attainable. You might review some goals with a class that will be met over the next couple of weeks, for example. And then ask your students to set their own goals dealing with a particular content area. The students could then outline what they need to do to meet those goals and identify what resources they need from you to help them meet those goals. By helping students realize what they can do to control their own learning, you can help students begin to take responsibility for their own learning.

Clock showing the time of one minute after twelve.

Another activity to build on this idea is the One Minute Paper. These quick, short bits of writing can help students check what they know. Hand out paper slips to your students or ask them to pick them up as they come into the classroom. Ask students to write an answer to a question about the content, lecture, or chapter for one minute (yes, time them!). 

The question prompt for these papers is an important component of the activity. Traditionally, the two questions used are “What was the most important topic in today’s class?” and “What questions do you still have on this topic?” (Chiou et al. 2014, Campbell et al. 2019). Collect the papers for review or ask students to review each other’s answers and discuss. Research on the use of minute papers has shown increased student learning (Stead 2005, Chiou et al. 2014) and reduced anxiety (Chiou et al. 2014). Students also indicated that minute papers were beneficial to their learning (Stead 2004, Chiou et al. 2014).

 

References

Campbell, M., E. M. Abel, and R. Lucio (2019). The one-minute paper as a catalyst for change in online pedagogy. Journal of Teaching in Social Work 39:519-533.

Chiou, C., Y. Wang, L. Lee (2014). Reducing statistical anxiety and enhancing statistics learning achievement: effectiveness of a one-minute strategy. Psychology Reports: 115:297-310.

Morrison-Shetlar, A., Marwitz, Mary R (2001). Teaching creatively: Ideas in action. Outernet Publishing.

Stead, D. R. 2005. A review of the one-minute paper. Active Learning in Higher Education 6:118-131.

Faculty Planning Tools – Making the Shift to Online

by | Mar 18, 2020 | Activity, Blog, Educational Development, Emergency Instruction Plan, Online Learning, Pedagogy

Organize Graphic with Colorful Tiles

 

 

 

 

 

The Coulter Faculty Commons has developed a planning organizer for faculty use for the remaining spring 2020 term.

The simple Word document contains weekly dates and boxes for each week remaining in the term. Faculty can use the document to notate “before” activities and “now” activities–to help them reflect on prior activities and chart a path forward, now that instruction is moving online.

Faculty can download the documents below. It comes in two forms–for a single course, and for a five-load course.

Single Course Template

5 Course Planning Template

Ready to take group assignments to the next level?

by | Nov 20, 2019 | Active Learning, Activity, Blog, Classroom, Collaborative Learning, Cooperative Learning, Educational Development, Pedagogy, Teaching and Learning

“Group work!” 

The mere phrase elicits dread in the heart of almost high performing college student and many time spells frustration for the faculty who know its potential benefits but wonder why it is so hard to get this important teaching tool to work right.

Dr. Maurice Phipps

Dr. Maurice Phipps

Professor Emeritus, Parks and Recreation Management

Dr. Maurice Phipps, faculty emeritus for Western Carolina University has developed a guidebook for teachers and students to rediscover the value and the joy of cooperative learning.

“Cooperative Learning is a highly effective method of instruction and students trained in effective group skills are valued in the workplace but groups can be dreaded without some assurance that group skills and group processing are properly taught and applied.” – Maurice Phipps

He has simplified the challenge of group work by using the five elements of Cooperative Learning, which he says must all be present in order for students to form a high performing cooperative learning community. He breaks down group work into concepts, skills and roles, and tactics and strategies.

What does cooperative learning look like?

  • Positive interdependence (ways to ensure students work together)
  • Individual accountability (making sure all students are learning)
  • Face-to-face interaction (many ways to interact)
  • Interpersonal and small-group skills (to enable effective group functioning)

The Group Book

Dr. Phipps cowrote and published The Group Book: Effective Skills for Cooperative Groups as a reference manual for teachers and students to use in bringing together the necessary pieces.

Faculty can use it as a workbook for students (e.g. study p.5-10 and come into class prepared to practice the skill).

Or they can review it themselves and deploy the strategies as needed.

Some teachers give it to students to help them take ownership of their group learning and solve the kinds of 21st century problems they will encounter throughout the rest of their life.

 

Why?

  • Faculty who want to use this, do it because they want their students to learn soft skills (that combine with technical skills) for student success.
  • Compared with other dynamic group learning methods (e.g. team-based learning), cooperative learning is flexible and adaptable to any learning environment.
  • The only way to enable high-functioning student groups in your classroom is to equip students with group processing and group skills while setting a context for them to succeed.

Want to learn more?

  • Read more about Cooperative Learning using the resources below.
  • Keep an eye out for upcoming events hosted by the CFC for Excellence in Teaching and Learning that may include a workshop hosted by Dr. Phipps on the art of facilitating group work.
  • Dr Phipps is also hosting a regular faculty discussion for WCU faculty on the benefits, challenges, and strategies of group work. Please send him a message for more details.
  • Schedule an appointment with one of our educational developers to see how you can implement this unique learning design.
  • Don’t forget to pick up a copy of “The Group Book: Effective Skills for Cooperative Groups” online or at the Coulter Faculty Commons for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.

Resources