Edinburgh Napier University

  Purpose – The paper aims to examine the practicalities of implementing the one-minute paper (OMP)
concept and to consider whether claimed benefits are likely to be achieved without significant
increases in resources.
Design/methodology/approach – The study makes use of a literature review to establish the
claimed OMP benefits. These benefits are then examined in an operation context using a student
survey over a two-year period.
Findings – The research demonstrates that numerous benefits claimed from OMP (e.g. enhanced
student/staff feedback) are achievable with only modest resource requirements. However, staff need to
“sell” the concept to students and deploy simple strategies to manage the process. Additionally, the
research highlights that OMP may help improve student retention rates.
Research limitations/implications – The use of OMP as a retention technique would merit
further study.
Practical implications – The paper examines the theoretical concept in a practical setting and
suggests practical guidelines aimed at achieving the optimum benefit from the system.
Originality/value – The study provides a fresh perspective on OMP with the focus on practical
classroom management. The concept is extended into the area of student retention, with OMP
providing a functional method to identify/help students who may struggle to progress in a specific subject.