Muddiest Point

After a lecture, learners are asked to concisely record what is still unclear on a piece of paper. The facilitator collects all the muddiest points and addresses the concerns in the following class by identifying patterns/themes in the responses. Addressing the muddiest points may include a summary of the class’s responses, a discussion, or an activity that helps clarify points of confusion.

Individual/Group Activity Group & Individually
Class SizeSmall (<25), Medium (25-50), & Large (51-200)
Bloom’s Taxonomy LevelRemember
Development InitialAbsolute Knowing
Minimum Time to Facilitate< 15 Minutes
Minimum Time to Debrief< 5 Minutes
PDFsHere

Image by Friedhelm Brandenburg from Pixabay

Discipline-Specific Examples

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
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Humanities
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Social Sciences
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Co-Curricular
(experiences outside of the formal classroom but contribute to student learning)
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Universal Design of Learning Adaptations

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Online Adaptations

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Additional Resources

Bullock, K. C., Gibson, C., Howard, M., Liu, J., Tatachar, A., & Yuet, W. C. (2018). Use of the Muddiest Point Technique as an exam review in an integrated pharmacotherapy course. Currents in pharmacy teaching and learning, 10(9), 1295-1302: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877129717303027?casa_token=AWAyU37aI2YAAAAA:bNFmDWQsYG-r-ENlJHmNt64r83Qf9x_-Cnbnm57fmsc7Z8asJN5HlaEyLuHVxAWy8fxHQ9zs

Ankeny, C. J., & Krause, S. J. (2014, June). Flipped biomedical engineering classroom using pencasts and muddiest point web-enabled tools. In 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition (pp. 24-614): https://peer.asee.org/flipped-biomedical-engineering-classroom-using-pencasts-and-muddiest-point-web-enabled-tools

Mackos, A. R., Casler, K., Tornwall, J., & O’Brien, T. (2023). Revitalizing the Muddiest Point for Formative Assessment and Student Engagement in a Large Class. Nurse Educator, 48(2), 88-91: https://journals.lww.com/nurseeducatoronline/abstract/2023/03000/revitalizing_the_muddiest_point_for_formative.8.aspx

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