| PURPOSE: To assess students’ “muddiest point” of a specific part of the course. |
| DESCRIPTION: “Muddiest point” is a simple survey that asks students to anonymously reflect on what was “muddy,” or confusing, in class and to rank their level of confusion. |
| UNDERLYING EDUCATIONAL THEORIES: self-regulation, metacognitive awareness |
PEDAGOGICAL BENEFITS
- Muddiest point returns high information for a low investment of time and energy.
- Muddiest point is a passive learning approach that allows all students to engage with lecture content while avoiding peer pressure in front of the class. It can also provide an instructor with statistics on student misunderstandings.
- This intervention allows students to reflect in a way that is beneficial to both them and their instructors. Students reflect on what they learned in class, while instructors gain valuable insight into what confused students.
- Muddiest point encourages students to fix any misunderstandings that may have arisen in class without discouraging them.
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STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION
- At the start of class, distribute muddiest point sheets/cards or online forms and remind students to anonymously filll them out before class ends.
- Collect and record responses (e.g., in an Excel spreadsheet). Analyze to identify the most critical issues that require a strategic response.
- The use of direct quotes as supportive evidence is encouraged when responding to student misconceptions, as “student voice” strengthens student-instructor interactions.
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| REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING
Carberry, Adam, et al. ““Unmuddying” course content using muddiest point reflections.” 2013 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE). IEEE, 2013. |