Resources for Instructors
UWP
Instructor's Guide
Designing Effective Assignments
In designing an assignment sheet for your
students, you
need to address the conceptual demands of the assignment as well its
physical
limits. Students will be most invested in the paper if they know why
they are
doing it and how they will benefit from it. If they don’t understand
how the
assignment is relevant to the course work, they will regard it as
busywork.
Structuring drafts and peer review will allow students to develop and
re-envision their ideas and reinforce the idea that writing is a
process.
Conceptual Goals
Defining key parameters of form, purpose,
and audience
will help students get started. Don’t assume that students are familiar
with
the type of writing you are requiring; you may have to explain an
assignment in
detail and analyze examples as a follow-up exercise after handing out
the
assignment sheet
- What genre is the paper: editorial, summary, analysis, etc.?
- What is the goal of the assignment? What should students hope to accomplish with their writing, and how does that further the aims of the course?
- To whom are the students writing?
Physical Limits
The clearer you are about what is and is not acceptable, the more you will prevent problems and misunderstandings. You need to indicate the following:
- The length of the assignment (preferably in words)
- The format (single or double-spaced)
- Mode of submission: CourseCompass, e-mail, hard copies, etc.
- Due dates and times, including drafts
- Penalties for late papers, including drafts
Grading Criteria
Students will find it helpful to know the expectations of the assignment and how it will be evaluated. In addition to outlining specific goals, a grading rubric will help to persuade students that the grading will follow objective standards. Furthermore, it conveys the ambitions of the assignment and the seriousness with which it must be undertaken for success.
Additional Resources
You may want to
- refer students to good examples of the kinds of writing they will be doing.
- suggest that they take a draft with the assignment sheet to the Reading and Writing Center.
- state that conferences will be a part of the drafting process.
You may find it helpful to consult the following sources on constructing good assignments:
Chapter 7 in Teaching in Progress (You were given a copy of this at orientation.)
Northern Illinois University: http://www.engl.niu.edu/wac/assprc.html
University of Hawaii at Manoa: http://www.mwp.hawaii.edu/wm1.htm
University of Wisconsin-Madison: http://mendota.english.wisc.edu/~WAC/
Remember—students love assignment
guidelines. No one likes
to take a plunge into the unknown. Understandably, students want some
direction
and will be grateful for your guidance.
