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Assignment based learning

Lsbr's unique approach to learning, unique assessment strategy.

London School of Business and Research (LSBR) , Assessment Strategy includes Assignment based learning.

Assignments and assessment are important aspects of learning. Completing an assignment is an opportunity to demonstrate your achievement. Feedback on assignments provides you with measurement of your achievement in relation to the standards set by the course and the college.

To ensure that all students have equal opportunities to demonstrate what they can do, and to receive accurate and useful feedback on their work, London School of Business and Research (LSBR) has devised this Assignments and Assessment Policy, which sets out what is required and expected of both students and staff.

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Assignment based evaluation Vs Exam based evaluation for management programs – Merits for Executive MBA students

Assignment and examination-based evaluation are two of the most common assessment methods for evaluating the progress of students in their learning. Moreover, the essential purpose of evaluating student learning is to determine whether the students are achieving the learning outcomes laid out for them.

Assignment based evaluation Vs Exam based evaluation

Now the big question is, which one is more effective? An assignment-based evaluation or an exam-based evaluation.

Research and records indicate that, over the last 40 years in the United Kingdom and other nations, the assignment-based evaluation or completion of the module assessment of higher education coursework (postgraduate, Master’s & Ph.D.) has significantly enhanced. This has been exemplified in numerous academic research articles. It is likewise recognized that a higher proportion of learners themselves chose to be assessed along with the basis of coursework or assignment. The study also shows that the assignment-based assessment continues to yield a better score than the examination alone. A well-known researcher on this subject in 2015, John T.E. Richardson, found that student examination-based performance is more common. In its conclusions, the researcher emphasized the lack of feedback in an examination-based appraisal and its deficiency in the proper evaluation of the scope and depth of learning per se. The researcher also reasoned that, rather than promoting successful learning, an exam-based assessment merely measures knowledge at the particular moment, it means that the student’s examination experience does not make a reasonable contribution to learning compared to the way the assignment-based evaluation does. However, the review-based evaluation cannot be rejected; a blended methodology can be implemented. The evaluation of the coursework has to be given more attention because it provides students with a stronger learning experience.

Advantages of Assignment based evaluation

Needless to mention, assignment-based assessments can encourage higher teaching and learning experiences for students to think critically, develop new perspectives, resolve problems, navigate incidents, and ask the right questions. The project results in better learning skills for students in general. Here are some of the distinct benefits of assignment-based evaluation:

Enhances cognitive and analytical capabilities – The rational reasoning of students is strengthened. They will get the opportunity to exercise and develop their mental and innovative ability. Assignments offer students a chance to experiment while becoming unconventional. It offers students the ability to be more productive and flexible.
Learners become research-oriented – Through their assignments, students are required to carry out an in-depth study of their specific topic. By doing so, they are throwing out different theories and exploring their subject. Research on their assignment experience also enhances the student’s practical and thought-provoking skills at a professional level.
Increases cognizance and understanding about the topic — Assignments allow students to understand the technical and practical information about their subject that they cannot completely grasp in theory. Students become more aware of various insightful principles and perspectives through their coursework, which ultimately leads to the rational development of a framework for their topic.
Improves the technical writing skills – Students are likewise expected to compose their assignments in the form of reports and on a certain study or scenario. The writing skills and talents are strengthened in this way. In the long term, students can articulate their thoughts and ideas more efficiently.

At Westford University College (WUC), we have implemented an assessment-based evaluation approach to assess the learning of our students. We periodically assess our MBA students with assigned coursework (assignment) to read their writing and work skills, discernment of the subject, and overall success in their course. We assume that high quality and equal evaluation are important to the development of effective learning.

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Assignment-based vs examination-based evaluation systems

The current education system was developed in ancient times, refined and propagated during the colonial era. Currently, there are two types of evaluation systems that are popular among educational institutions: assignment-based and examination-based evaluation systems. The system and approach towards education have been reformed after the recent reforms in the education industry. The United Kingdom, having one of the finest education system in the world, has given preference to the assignment-based evaluation system. In most of its higher education programs, such as the PhD and Masters Degree Programs, assignments are the primary means of progression.

As assignment-based evaluation has become a standard in many fine education systems, the recent reforms in online learning have also considered this. Many prestigious institutes like SNATIKA have chosen this type of assessment system in their programs. Assessment only by assignments or by a mixture of assignments and examinations yields higher marks than assessment only by examinations (Source: John Richardson T.E. ). In this article, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both assignment-based and examination-based evaluation systems.

Advantages of assignment-based evaluation

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An assignment is a written or digitally created piece of academic work. It forces a learner to learn, practice, and demonstrate their progress and achievements in academics. An assignment-based evaluation system considers assignments written by the learners as the measure of learning, as opposed to an examination-based evaluation system. However, many institutes use both systems to varying degrees.

The assignment-based education is a preferred method for senior professionals that are working full-time jobs, have family commitments and have a flair for in-depth education in their industry. In the case of SNATIKA , the immersive syllabus coupled with experience on the part of the learner can make the assignments one of the most intellectually challenging and, at the same time, enjoyable.

Writing assignments is an intellectually challenging task. Especially in advanced programs like PhD and Masters Degree programs, assignments require intensive research on the topics. The proficiency, understanding, and expertise on the subject can greatly vary, depending on the type and length of the assignment. Here are the advantages of this evaluation.

1. Assignment-based evaluation enhances cognitive and analytical capabilities

An assignment needs careful planning. To succeed, a learner needs to connect data from different sources. In doing so, the learner develops logical reasoning and critical thinking. Connecting different pieces of information and putting them together is a mental exercise. Often, it requires the learner to think unconventionally. These abilities are put to the test in educational institutes like SNATIKA , where you are required to write an 12,000-word consultancy project report to earn the UK Masters. Such an intellectual challenge can refine the learner's research and analytical skills and give a range of insights and perspectives into the industry.

2. The learner becomes research-oriented

Writing an assignment needs genuine, scientifically proven, and practical sources for the claims, numbers, and hypotheses mentioned in the assignment. Though the digital world has made information available at the fingertips, it is hard to find genuine news, statistics, or research from the relevant industry. Furthermore, false news and propaganda are on the rise. Fake news has become a major concern for the internal security of most nations (Source: PNAS.org ). It takes time and effort to assess the veracity of misinformation, fake news, and claims.

This internet misinformation problem can pose a threat as well as a learning opportunity to assignment writers. Though it takes some time to find genuine sources, with time, learners will develop a flair for identifying the fake from the genuine on the internet. In a world devoid of such a moral compass in the news, this research-oriented, fact-finding skill can be an asset for the learner.

Moreover, the learner will gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of the industry with the assignments. As sources and research become the foundation of assignments, the learner will gain overall mastery of their industry. This attitude will help the learner in future jobs or businesses as it eliminates guesswork, assumptions, and hypotheses.

3. It increases understanding of the subject.

Typically, an assignment needs the complete involvement of the learner to write. This includes all the facilities of the brain like thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, writing, fact-checking, and intuition. Above all, to write something, the learner must have a solid understanding of the topic to the degree of expertise. Copy-pasting or rote rehearsals are simply not an option for writing an original assignment, free from plagiarism. As this forces the learner to completely grasp the subject, their understanding becomes deeper and more robust. Also, assignments help the learner to gain more insights through standing in the shoes of other industry experts, scholars, and researchers.

4. Improves technical writing abilities

Writing an original assignment on any subject stimulates the writer's brain. Without proper structure, flow, or facts, such writing can become tiresome to the reader, who, in this case, is the evaluator. However, due to a deep understanding of the subject, a learner can easily acquire these writing qualities as time progresses. Through trial and error, learners develop and refine their technical writing skills.

Technical writing can be useful in many other areas of the learner's professional life. In this digital age, writing research-based technical articles can change the perspectives of customers, business owners, stockholders, and critics alike. It also enables the learner to articulate their thoughts, ideas, and criticisms in a powerful way to their audience.

5. Promotes originality

Plagiarism is an epidemic. With the exponential popularity of the internet, originality is in short supply. Due to the demand for content and the sheer size of the internet, people resort to copy-pasting content from others. Often, these go unnoticed because of the huge user base. However, it denies the original creator the recognition, money, or popularity that they are entitled to. Saving one's original content from the invasive plagiarists is a daunting task for intellectual property owners and content creators.

Writing an original assignment that had plagiarism limits forces the learner to identify the immorality of copy-pasting. It also teaches the learner to cite their sources and give the original authors the credit and recognition they deserve. In a world where piracy is destroying industries like movies, songs, and photographs, plagiarism-free assignments might cause a revolution.

Related Blog - Commercialisation of Education vs State-Controlled Education

Disadvantages of assignment-based evaluation

1. university guidelines.

Learners sometimes struggle with understanding the university guidelines on writing assignments. International learners initially find it difficult to understand complex rules, word limits, and the progression process of assignment-based education systems. However, once the learning curve flattens, this can be less bothersome for these learners.

2. Language and accent differences

International learners struggle with keeping up with the language standards, especially the accent of the university. Non-native learners often struggle with expressing their thoughts and ideas in writing. Also, following the complex grammar rules of the language can be a problem.

3. Difficulty with specific skills

If the learner is new to the assignment-based evaluation system, they will struggle with the extra skills that are needed in writing the assignment. They struggle with researching on the internet, where misinformation and clickbait are plentiful. They struggle to connect their learning with reasoning or to express their ideas through words.

4. Plagiarism

For many learners, writing plagiarism-free content can become a major hurdle. Due to poor research and writing skills, plagiarism levels can go higher than the set limitations. Those learners who are new to plagiarism checking find it hard to paraphrase, cite, and edit their academic work.

However, this problem can be easily overcome with modern AI software like Grammarly , Duplichecker , etc. Many such online tools help in paraphrasing and citing the source. Even then, human intervention is necessary to adjust the assignment to the right accent and tone.

5. Time-consuming for educators

Preparing the assignment questions and pointers is a time-consuming task. Also, evaluating the learner's assignments is even more time-consuming. This can add more complexity to educational institutions where the teacher-to-learner ratio is smaller. As a result, teachers will struggle to make ends meet in terms of time limitations.

Related Blog - How EdTech is changing the world

The advantages of examination-based evaluation

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1. Self-assessment

Examinations are used to quickly measure learning. Learners can easily determine the quality of their study techniques through exams, tests, and quizzes. These help the learner and the educator to identify and avoid key teaching pitfalls faster than an assignment-based evaluation system.

2. Easy detection of teaching flaws

The examination-based evaluation can detect not only key areas where the learner is failing but also the teacher’s and teaching system's overall performance as well. Similar to the self-assessment by a student, exams can also be used by educators to improve their styles.

3. Personality growth

Competitive environment : Examinations create a competitive environment that reflects similar real-life scenarios. Here, learners are educated to provide results that satisfy some set standards, though they are rigid and outdated. This helps learners thrive in competitive environments.

Memory improvement : Exams increase learners’ memory. It introduces them to a range of memory techniques like rote rehearsals, mnemonics, visualisation, etc. Contrary to popular opinion, these memorization techniques can benefit the brain, thinking, and reasoning of the learner in many ways (Source: Forbes ).

Stress management : Examinations induce stress in learners. The need to excel, the possibility of failure and its consequences keep many learners awake at night. However, this can also help in learning and thriving under such pressure.

Such benefits can help the learner develop their competence and performance. This helps with overall personality development.

4. Scholarships and employment opportunities

Finally, examinations and their grades, ranks, or marks can get you scholarships if you are planning to continue your education and job opportunities if you are job hunting. Even today, higher ranks and marks are the sole measure of human intelligence in many countries and companies. This benefits the learner in landing better entry-level jobs.

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Disadvantages of examination based evaluation

1. examinations have become a formality..

There is always the risk in the examination-based education system that the learner only learns the syllabus to pass and obtain the degree or certification. As a result, the learner focuses only on some key areas of the syllabus and uses memorization instead of understanding the subject to pass the exam. This defeats the purpose of education. As education is viewed as solely a formality to get a job or a seat in a prestigious institution, education loses its meaning. After passing out, most learners won’t even remember what they have learnt. Education that does not develop the learner's knowledge and thinking is only a waste of time and effort.

2. Examinations cause stress.

In many cases, examinations cause anxiety in learners. As exams typically test the learner's knowledge of the whole syllabus on a single day, it causes learning overload or revision overload, which results in stress. This is especially a problem for learners struggling with procrastination and poor time management skills.

In many countries, like India, suicide due to failure in exams is a major drawback of examination-based evaluation. Because of this, over 4,000 students lost their lives by suicide between 2017 and 2019 (Source: The Hindustan Times ). This happens due to the social stigma against those who have failed examinations. Unhealthy competition between institutions, and unreasonable expectations of self, family, and society are some of the reasons why many learners lose their precious lives to suicide.

3. Unhealthy rivalry

Examinations are a primary source of the status quo for many prestigious institutions. To secure top ranks, these institutions admit only competitive individuals, which side-lines other learners who are as much in need of quality education as others. This applies to teaching staff as well. Overall, examinations can cause immense stress for both learners and staff, for better or worse. Competition between such institutes leaves a negative effect on their students about the idea of education.

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The SNATIKA pedagogy

SNATIKA combines both these evaluation methods in its pedagogy. The primary evaluation method for learning is assignment-based evaluation. The same is used to evaluate the progress of SNATIKA learners in all the programs. However, SNATIKA uses quizzes for each unit to help learners assess their progress. A quiz in each unit tests the learners' knowledge and helps in identifying the gaps immediately. However, this is only for personal assessment rather than for university assessment. As a result, learners gain robust learning experiences without leaving out the advantages of either of these two evaluation methods.

Both assignment-based evaluation and examination-based evaluation have their merits and demerits. To be successful, learners and educators need to play the learning game to the strengths of both types of systems.

While the assignment-based evaluation develops critical academic and life skills and deepens the thinking capacity of a learner, the examination-based evaluation creates a competitive environment and a drive to perform better in education. However, both systems will fail in the absence of a true learning spirit on the part of the learner. Learning solely for grades, marks, or qualifications defeats the purpose of education. Care must be taken to truly employ both systems to independently develop the thinking capacity, skills, and knowledge of the learner.

While both systems have their own pros and cons, a mixed system carefully wrought according to the needs of learners can be the ideal system for learning. With decades of education experience, our founders at SNATIKA have developed a smart pedagogy that uses both systems to make your crucial higher educational qualification pursuit an enjoyable learning experience for senior learners. Visit SNATIKA and explore our range of prestigious international programs in the higher education category.

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Assignment Based Learning

London School of International Business (LSIB) uses an assessment strategy which includes assignment-based learning. We believe in assignments and assessments as a key aspects of learning: completing an assignment is an opportunity to demonstrate your achievements. LSIB will offer you feedback on assignments as to allow you to measure your achievement in relation to the standards set by the course and the college. LSIB has devised this Assignments and Assessment Policy to set out what is required and expected of both students and staff. This allows to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to demonstrate what they can do, and to receive accurate and useful feedback on their work.

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How to Use Project-Based Assessments (PBAs) in Education

by The Propello Crew on Nov 2, 2023 9:00:00 AM

Over the past several years, educators have increasingly adopted personalized, student-centered teaching practices to ensure they reach and engage a broad spectrum of learners. Yet, when evaluating students’ knowledge and grasp of new concepts, many schools still rely on traditional assessment methods like tests and quizzes. While these assessments have their place, they’re not always the best indicator of how well students understand materials or whether they can apply their new knowledge in a real-world context. Instead, it can be more beneficial (and enjoyable) for students to participate in project-based assessments: activities that require them to demonstrate their grasp of new information and skills in ways that promote further development and deep learning .

What are Project-Based Assessments?

Project-based assessments (PBAs) are the means through which teachers measure student knowledge gained via project-based learning (PBL) — a student-centered teaching approach that uses engaging, real-world applications and hands-on learning to help students build knowledge while strengthening critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In classrooms that use PBL, students often work together to answer curriculum-relevant questions and solve challenges, preparing them to become adept communicators and collaborators in their future lives and careers. Instead of end-of-unit tests, they are assessed through group or independent projects. For example, in a unit about environmental pollution, students might be asked to prepare and present a strategy for reducing pollutants in their community. Or, to learn about the Supreme Court, you might hold a mock hearing where students research and argue for or against one side of a historic case.

One of the best benefits of using PBAs is that you can vary the format depending on the subject, unit, skills involved, and learning objective. Examples of PBAs include:

Presentations
Labs and experiments
Physical crafts and creations
Written reports
Classroom debates or mock trials
Plays and performances
Journals, blogs, or photo logs
Videos or podcasts
Plans, strategies, or campaigns

How Do Project-Based Assessments Differ from Traditional Assessments?

In PBL, teachers act as guides, supporting students as they define problems and work to ideate and test solutions. Instead of lecturing, teachers ask probing questions that directly engage students , ignite their creativity and critical thinking, and frame challenges in the proper contexts. And instead of using traditional assessment methods like tests and quizzes, teachers assess student learning by evaluating their projects. However, it’s important to recognize that PBAs are different from the projects teachers sometimes assign students after covering curriculum material in a traditional way. Unlike those lighter projects, a project-based assessment is the primary means for covering a unit.

In other words, students learn the material by completing a project, which may involve multiple phases and span several weeks. Assessments may include a combination of group collaboration and independent work and can even cover numerous subjects or curriculum areas. For projects with multiple steps, teachers might assess students at the end of each phase and on the final product.

PBAs differ from tests and quizzes, which can fall short in deciphering between actual knowledge and rote memorization. Instead, they (PBAs) help students build knowledge and challenge them to apply their new knowledge in meaningful ways.

What Does the Research Say About Project-Based Assessments in Education?

While transitioning to PBL from traditional methods can take some getting used to, research shows it’s well worth the effort, boosting student engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. In a study of middle school students , 7th and 8th graders taught via PBL displayed higher academic achievement in math and reading than non-PBL peers. And a 2020 study found that PBL techniques improve student engagement by supporting knowledge and information sharing and discussion. Additionally, a study of vocational high school students found that PBL increased problem-solving abilities and learning motivation, while a 2019 study published in the International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research found multidisciplinary integrated PBL improved critical thinking and collaboration skills.

PBL can also make learning more fun for students, potentially reducing stress — particularly for those with test anxiety — while helping them excel academically. In a 2023 study where students’ exams were replaced with PBAs, students not only received higher marks but also reported a better learning experience.

Excelling with PBAs in Your Classroom

We know what you’re probably thinking. “This sounds great in theory, but how do I successfully introduce PBAs into my classroom(s)?”

Here are a few recommendations:

Don’t change too much too soon PBAs — and project-based learning in general — isn’t something you swap to overnight. Instead, it’s better to introduce the approach slowly, experiment with it, and tweak it over time. You might start by trying PBL for a unit on the solar system, switching out your usual lectures and end-unit test with a multi-week classroom project that covers the same standards. For example, Propello includes an earth/space science project in which students demonstrate their comprehension of geologic time, Earth’s history, and the formation of the solar system. The project also challenges students to use data collection and analysis to predict its future and build a 3D model.
Set clear parameters Define your scope. For example, how many weeks will the project take? How many priority standards will the project cover? What criteria or rubric will you use to evaluate students’ projects? In Propello, each project lists how many class periods it will take and approximately how long each session will require so you can plan accordingly. For example, a Propello life science PBA on mapping inheritance should span 4 to 5 class periods of 45 minutes each. By setting clear expectations, you and your students can get accustomed to the new pace and way of learning.
Make it your own Remember that PBAs won’t look the same for every classroom (or even every student) and will likely vary from year to year as you become more familiar with what works best. Fortunately, the flexible nature of project-based assessments makes it easy to build in modifications, learning accommodations , and differentiation. Some teachers even present students with a “menu” of projects so they can select the assessment that best aligns with their interests, skills, and how they learn.
Leverage supportive tools One of the biggest challenges associated with project-based assessments in education is that it can be labor-intensive for teachers. Projects are often more complicated to evaluate than a multiple-choice test, and developing fresh ideas for assessments and ensuring projects include modifications for different learners requires a lot of time and mental bandwidth. This is where technology can help. Propello was designed by educators to provide teachers with customizable and flexible lesson planning for active learning approaches like PBL. With built-in assessment options and embedded scaffolding, you’ll have all the support you need to succeed while conserving your energy.

Interested in leveraging PBAs in your classroom but not sure where to start? Sign up for a free Propello account to access hundreds of customized activities and projects.

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Teaching in All Modalities

Designing Assignments for Learning

The rapid shift to remote teaching and learning meant that many instructors reimagined their assessment practices. Whether adapting existing assignments or creatively designing new opportunities for their students to learn, instructors focused on helping students make meaning and demonstrate their learning outside of the traditional, face-to-face classroom setting. This resource distills the elements of assignment design that are important to carry forward as we continue to seek better ways of assessing learning and build on our innovative assignment designs.

Reflect On Your Assignment Design

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Resources and References

Cite this resource: Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning (2021). Designing Assignments for Learning. Columbia University. Retrieved [today’s date] from https://ctl.columbia.edu/resources-and-technology/teaching-with-technology/teaching-online/designing-assignments/

Traditional assessments tend to reveal whether students can recognize, recall, or replicate what was learned out of context, and tend to focus on students providing correct responses (Wiggins, 1990). In contrast, authentic assignments, which are course assessments, engage students in higher order thinking, as they grapple with real or simulated challenges that help them prepare for their professional lives, and draw on the course knowledge learned and the skills acquired to create justifiable answers, performances or products (Wiggins, 1990). An authentic assessment provides opportunities for students to practice, consult resources, learn from feedback, and refine their performances and products accordingly (Wiggins 1990, 1998, 2014).

Authentic assignments ask students to “do” the subject with an audience in mind and apply their learning in a new situation. Examples of authentic assignments include asking students to:

Write for a real audience (e.g., a memo, a policy brief, letter to the editor, a grant proposal, reports, building a website) and/or publication;
Solve problem sets that have real world application;
Design projects that address a real world problem;
Engage in a community-partnered research project;
Create an exhibit, performance, or conference presentation ;
Compile and reflect on their work through a portfolio/e-portfolio.

Noteworthy elements of authentic designs are that instructors scaffold the assignment, and play an active role in preparing students for the tasks assigned, while students are intentionally asked to reflect on the process and product of their work thus building their metacognitive skills (Herrington and Oliver, 2000; Ashford-Rowe, Herrington and Brown, 2013; Frey, Schmitt, and Allen, 2012).

It’s worth noting here that authentic assessments can initially be time consuming to design, implement, and grade. They are critiqued for being challenging to use across course contexts and for grading reliability issues (Maclellan, 2004). Despite these challenges, authentic assessments are recognized as beneficial to student learning (Svinicki, 2004) as they are learner-centered (Weimer, 2013), promote academic integrity (McLaughlin, L. and Ricevuto, 2021; Sotiriadou et al., 2019; Schroeder, 2021) and motivate students to learn (Ambrose et al., 2010). The Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning is always available to consult with faculty who are considering authentic assessment designs and to discuss challenges and affordances.

Examples from the Columbia University Classroom

Columbia instructors have experimented with alternative ways of assessing student learning from oral exams to technology-enhanced assignments. Below are a few examples of authentic assignments in various teaching contexts across Columbia University.

E-portfolios: Statia Cook shares her experiences with an ePorfolio assignment in her co-taught Frontiers of Science course (a submission to the Voices of Hybrid and Online Teaching and Learning initiative); CUIMC use of ePortfolios ;
Case studies: Columbia instructors have engaged their students in authentic ways through case studies drawing on the Case Consortium at Columbia University. Read and watch a faculty spotlight to learn how Professor Mary Ann Price uses the case method to place pre-med students in real-life scenarios;
Simulations: students at CUIMC engage in simulations to develop their professional skills in The Mary & Michael Jaharis Simulation Center in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation Center in the Columbia School of Nursing;
Experiential learning: instructors have drawn on New York City as a learning laboratory such as Barnard’s NYC as Lab webpage which highlights courses that engage students in NYC;
Design projects that address real world problems: Yevgeniy Yesilevskiy on the Engineering design projects completed using lab kits during remote learning. Watch Dr. Yesilevskiy talk about his teaching and read the Columbia News article .
Writing assignments: Lia Marshall and her teaching associate Aparna Balasundaram reflect on their “non-disposable or renewable assignments” to prepare social work students for their professional lives as they write for a real audience; and Hannah Weaver spoke about a sandbox assignment used in her Core Literature Humanities course at the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and Learning Symposium . Watch Dr. Weaver share her experiences.

Tips for Designing Assignments for Learning

While designing an effective authentic assignment may seem like a daunting task, the following tips can be used as a starting point. See the Resources section for frameworks and tools that may be useful in this effort.

Align the assignment with your course learning objectives

Identify the kind of thinking that is important in your course, the knowledge students will apply, and the skills they will practice using through the assignment. What kind of thinking will students be asked to do for the assignment? What will students learn by completing this assignment? How will the assignment help students achieve the desired course learning outcomes? For more information on course learning objectives, see the CTL’s Course Design Essentials self-paced course and watch the video on Articulating Learning Objectives .

Identify an authentic meaning-making task

For meaning-making to occur, students need to understand the relevance of the assignment to the course and beyond (Ambrose et al., 2010). To Bean (2011) a “meaning-making” or “meaning-constructing” task has two dimensions: 1) it presents students with an authentic disciplinary problem or asks students to formulate their own problems, both of which engage them in active critical thinking, and 2) the problem is placed in “a context that gives students a role or purpose, a targeted audience, and a genre.” (Bean, 2011: 97-98).

An authentic task gives students a realistic challenge to grapple with, a role to take on that allows them to “rehearse for the complex ambiguities” of life, provides resources and supports to draw on, and requires students to justify their work and the process they used to inform their solution (Wiggins, 1990). Note that if students find an assignment interesting or relevant, they will see value in completing it.

Consider the kind of activities in the real world that use the knowledge and skills that are the focus of your course. How is this knowledge and these skills applied to answer real-world questions to solve real-world problems? (Herrington et al., 2010: 22). What do professionals or academics in your discipline do on a regular basis? What does it mean to think like a biologist, statistician, historian, social scientist? How might your assignment ask students to draw on current events, issues, or problems that relate to the course and are of interest to them? How might your assignment tap into student motivation and engage them in the kinds of thinking they can apply to better understand the world around them? (Ambrose et al., 2010).

Determine the evaluation criteria and create a rubric

To ensure equitable and consistent grading of assignments across students, make transparent the criteria you will use to evaluate student work. The criteria should focus on the knowledge and skills that are central to the assignment. Build on the criteria identified, create a rubric that makes explicit the expectations of deliverables and share this rubric with your students so they can use it as they work on the assignment. For more information on rubrics, see the CTL’s resource Incorporating Rubrics into Your Grading and Feedback Practices , and explore the Association of American Colleges & Universities VALUE Rubrics (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education).

Build in metacognition

Ask students to reflect on what and how they learned from the assignment. Help students uncover personal relevance of the assignment, find intrinsic value in their work, and deepen their motivation by asking them to reflect on their process and their assignment deliverable. Sample prompts might include: what did you learn from this assignment? How might you draw on the knowledge and skills you used on this assignment in the future? See Ambrose et al., 2010 for more strategies that support motivation and the CTL’s resource on Metacognition ).

Provide students with opportunities to practice

Design your assignment to be a learning experience and prepare students for success on the assignment. If students can reasonably expect to be successful on an assignment when they put in the required effort ,with the support and guidance of the instructor, they are more likely to engage in the behaviors necessary for learning (Ambrose et al., 2010). Ensure student success by actively teaching the knowledge and skills of the course (e.g., how to problem solve, how to write for a particular audience), modeling the desired thinking, and creating learning activities that build up to a graded assignment. Provide opportunities for students to practice using the knowledge and skills they will need for the assignment, whether through low-stakes in-class activities or homework activities that include opportunities to receive and incorporate formative feedback. For more information on providing feedback, see the CTL resource Feedback for Learning .

Communicate about the assignment

Share the purpose, task, audience, expectations, and criteria for the assignment. Students may have expectations about assessments and how they will be graded that is informed by their prior experiences completing high-stakes assessments, so be transparent. Tell your students why you are asking them to do this assignment, what skills they will be using, how it aligns with the course learning outcomes, and why it is relevant to their learning and their professional lives (i.e., how practitioners / professionals use the knowledge and skills in your course in real world contexts and for what purposes). Finally, verify that students understand what they need to do to complete the assignment. This can be done by asking students to respond to poll questions about different parts of the assignment, a “scavenger hunt” of the assignment instructions–giving students questions to answer about the assignment and having them work in small groups to answer the questions, or by having students share back what they think is expected of them.

Plan to iterate and to keep the focus on learning

Draw on multiple sources of data to help make decisions about what changes are needed to the assignment, the assignment instructions, and/or rubric to ensure that it contributes to student learning. Explore assignment performance data. As Deandra Little reminds us: “a really good assignment, which is a really good assessment, also teaches you something or tells the instructor something. As much as it tells you what students are learning, it’s also telling you what they aren’t learning.” ( Teaching in Higher Ed podcast episode 337 ). Assignment bottlenecks–where students get stuck or struggle–can be good indicators that students need further support or opportunities to practice prior to completing an assignment. This awareness can inform teaching decisions.

Triangulate the performance data by collecting student feedback, and noting your own reflections about what worked well and what did not. Revise the assignment instructions, rubric, and teaching practices accordingly. Consider how you might better align your assignment with your course objectives and/or provide more opportunities for students to practice using the knowledge and skills that they will rely on for the assignment. Additionally, keep in mind societal, disciplinary, and technological changes as you tweak your assignments for future use.

Now is a great time to reflect on your practices and experiences with assignment design and think critically about your approach. Take a closer look at an existing assignment. Questions to consider include: What is this assignment meant to do? What purpose does it serve? Why do you ask students to do this assignment? How are they prepared to complete the assignment? Does the assignment assess the kind of learning that you really want? What would help students learn from this assignment?

Using the tips in the previous section: How can the assignment be tweaked to be more authentic and meaningful to students?

As you plan forward for post-pandemic teaching and reflect on your practices and reimagine your course design, you may find the following CTL resources helpful: Reflecting On Your Experiences with Remote Teaching , Transition to In-Person Teaching , and Course Design Support .

The Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is here to help!

For assistance with assignment design, rubric design, or any other teaching and learning need, please request a consultation by emailing [email protected] .

Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework for assignments. The TILT Examples and Resources page ( https://tilthighered.com/tiltexamplesandresources ) includes example assignments from across disciplines, as well as a transparent assignment template and a checklist for designing transparent assignments . Each emphasizes the importance of articulating to students the purpose of the assignment or activity, the what and how of the task, and specifying the criteria that will be used to assess students.

Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) offers VALUE ADD (Assignment Design and Diagnostic) tools ( https://www.aacu.org/value-add-tools ) to help with the creation of clear and effective assignments that align with the desired learning outcomes and associated VALUE rubrics (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education). VALUE ADD encourages instructors to explicitly state assignment information such as the purpose of the assignment, what skills students will be using, how it aligns with course learning outcomes, the assignment type, the audience and context for the assignment, clear evaluation criteria, desired formatting, and expectations for completion whether individual or in a group.

Villarroel et al. (2017) propose a blueprint for building authentic assessments which includes four steps: 1) consider the workplace context, 2) design the authentic assessment; 3) learn and apply standards for judgement; and 4) give feedback.

References

Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., & DiPietro, M. (2010). Chapter 3: What Factors Motivate Students to Learn? In How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching . Jossey-Bass.

Ashford-Rowe, K., Herrington, J., and Brown, C. (2013). Establishing the critical elements that determine authentic assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 39(2), 205-222, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2013.819566 .

Bean, J.C. (2011). Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom . Second Edition. Jossey-Bass.

Frey, B. B, Schmitt, V. L., and Allen, J. P. (2012). Defining Authentic Classroom Assessment. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation. 17(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.7275/sxbs-0829

Herrington, J., Reeves, T. C., and Oliver, R. (2010). A Guide to Authentic e-Learning . Routledge.

Herrington, J. and Oliver, R. (2000). An instructional design framework for authentic learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48(3), 23-48.

Litchfield, B. C. and Dempsey, J. V. (2015). Authentic Assessment of Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. 142 (Summer 2015), 65-80.

Maclellan, E. (2004). How convincing is alternative assessment for use in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 29(3), June 2004. DOI: 10.1080/0260293042000188267

McLaughlin, L. and Ricevuto, J. (2021). Assessments in a Virtual Environment: You Won’t Need that Lockdown Browser! Faculty Focus. June 2, 2021.

Mueller, J. (2005). The Authentic Assessment Toolbox: Enhancing Student Learning through Online Faculty Development . MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. 1(1). July 2005. Mueller’s Authentic Assessment Toolbox is available online.

Schroeder, R. (2021). Vaccinate Against Cheating With Authentic Assessment . Inside Higher Ed. (February 26, 2021).

Sotiriadou, P., Logan, D., Daly, A., and Guest, R. (2019). The role of authentic assessment to preserve academic integrity and promote skills development and employability. Studies in Higher Education. 45(111), 2132-2148. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1582015

Stachowiak, B. (Host). (November 25, 2020). Authentic Assignments with Deandra Little. (Episode 337). In Teaching in Higher Ed . https://teachinginhighered.com/podcast/authentic-assignments/

Svinicki, M. D. (2004). Authentic Assessment: Testing in Reality. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. 100 (Winter 2004): 23-29.

Villarroel, V., Bloxham, S, Bruna, D., Bruna, C., and Herrera-Seda, C. (2017). Authentic assessment: creating a blueprint for course design. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 43(5), 840-854. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1412396

Weimer, M. (2013). Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice . Second Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Wiggins, G. (2014). Authenticity in assessment, (re-)defined and explained. Retrieved from https://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/authenticity-in-assessment-re-defined-and-explained/

Wiggins, G. (1998). Teaching to the (Authentic) Test. Educational Leadership . April 1989. 41-47.

Wiggins, Grant (1990). The Case for Authentic Assessment . Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation , 2(2).

Wondering how AI tools might play a role in your course assignments?

See the CTL’s resource “Considerations for AI Tools in the Classroom.”

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The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that they will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove their point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, they still have to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and they already know everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality they expect.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Teaching, Learning, & Professional Development Center

Teaching Resources
TLPDC Teaching Resources

How Do I Create Meaningful and Effective Assignments?

Prepared by allison boye, ph.d. teaching, learning, and professional development center.

Assessment is a necessary part of the teaching and learning process, helping us measure whether our students have really learned what we want them to learn. While exams and quizzes are certainly favorite and useful methods of assessment, out of class assignments (written or otherwise) can offer similar insights into our students' learning. And just as creating a reliable test takes thoughtfulness and skill, so does creating meaningful and effective assignments. Undoubtedly, many instructors have been on the receiving end of disappointing student work, left wondering what went wrong… and often, those problems can be remedied in the future by some simple fine-tuning of the original assignment. This paper will take a look at some important elements to consider when developing assignments, and offer some easy approaches to creating a valuable assessment experience for all involved.

First Things First…

Before assigning any major tasks to students, it is imperative that you first define a few things for yourself as the instructor:

Your goals for the assignment . Why are you assigning this project, and what do you hope your students will gain from completing it? What knowledge, skills, and abilities do you aim to measure with this assignment? Creating assignments is a major part of overall course design, and every project you assign should clearly align with your goals for the course in general. For instance, if you want your students to demonstrate critical thinking, perhaps asking them to simply summarize an article is not the best match for that goal; a more appropriate option might be to ask for an analysis of a controversial issue in the discipline. Ultimately, the connection between the assignment and its purpose should be clear to both you and your students to ensure that it is fulfilling the desired goals and doesn't seem like “busy work.” For some ideas about what kinds of assignments match certain learning goals, take a look at this page from DePaul University's Teaching Commons.
Have they experienced “socialization” in the culture of your discipline (Flaxman, 2005)? Are they familiar with any conventions you might want them to know? In other words, do they know the “language” of your discipline, generally accepted style guidelines, or research protocols?
Do they know how to conduct research? Do they know the proper style format, documentation style, acceptable resources, etc.? Do they know how to use the library (Fitzpatrick, 1989) or evaluate resources?
What kinds of writing or work have they previously engaged in? For instance, have they completed long, formal writing assignments or research projects before? Have they ever engaged in analysis, reflection, or argumentation? Have they completed group assignments before? Do they know how to write a literature review or scientific report?

In his book Engaging Ideas (1996), John Bean provides a great list of questions to help instructors focus on their main teaching goals when creating an assignment (p.78):

1. What are the main units/modules in my course?

2. What are my main learning objectives for each module and for the course?

3. What thinking skills am I trying to develop within each unit and throughout the course?

4. What are the most difficult aspects of my course for students?

5. If I could change my students' study habits, what would I most like to change?

6. What difference do I want my course to make in my students' lives?

What your students need to know

Once you have determined your own goals for the assignment and the levels of your students, you can begin creating your assignment. However, when introducing your assignment to your students, there are several things you will need to clearly outline for them in order to ensure the most successful assignments possible.

First, you will need to articulate the purpose of the assignment . Even though you know why the assignment is important and what it is meant to accomplish, you cannot assume that your students will intuit that purpose. Your students will appreciate an understanding of how the assignment fits into the larger goals of the course and what they will learn from the process (Hass & Osborn, 2007). Being transparent with your students and explaining why you are asking them to complete a given assignment can ultimately help motivate them to complete the assignment more thoughtfully.
If you are asking your students to complete a writing assignment, you should define for them the “rhetorical or cognitive mode/s” you want them to employ in their writing (Flaxman, 2005). In other words, use precise verbs that communicate whether you are asking them to analyze, argue, describe, inform, etc. (Verbs like “explore” or “comment on” can be too vague and cause confusion.) Provide them with a specific task to complete, such as a problem to solve, a question to answer, or an argument to support. For those who want assignments to lead to top-down, thesis-driven writing, John Bean (1996) suggests presenting a proposition that students must defend or refute, or a problem that demands a thesis answer.
It is also a good idea to define the audience you want your students to address with their assignment, if possible – especially with writing assignments. Otherwise, students will address only the instructor, often assuming little requires explanation or development (Hedengren, 2004; MIT, 1999). Further, asking students to address the instructor, who typically knows more about the topic than the student, places the student in an unnatural rhetorical position. Instead, you might consider asking your students to prepare their assignments for alternative audiences such as other students who missed last week's classes, a group that opposes their position, or people reading a popular magazine or newspaper. In fact, a study by Bean (1996) indicated the students often appreciate and enjoy assignments that vary elements such as audience or rhetorical context, so don't be afraid to get creative!
Obviously, you will also need to articulate clearly the logistics or “business aspects” of the assignment . In other words, be explicit with your students about required elements such as the format, length, documentation style, writing style (formal or informal?), and deadlines. One caveat, however: do not allow the logistics of the paper take precedence over the content in your assignment description; if you spend all of your time describing these things, students might suspect that is all you care about in their execution of the assignment.
Finally, you should clarify your evaluation criteria for the assignment. What elements of content are most important? Will you grade holistically or weight features separately? How much weight will be given to individual elements, etc? Another precaution to take when defining requirements for your students is to take care that your instructions and rubric also do not overshadow the content; prescribing too rigidly each element of an assignment can limit students' freedom to explore and discover. According to Beth Finch Hedengren, “A good assignment provides the purpose and guidelines… without dictating exactly what to say” (2004, p. 27). If you decide to utilize a grading rubric, be sure to provide that to the students along with the assignment description, prior to their completion of the assignment.

A great way to get students engaged with an assignment and build buy-in is to encourage their collaboration on its design and/or on the grading criteria (Hudd, 2003). In his article “Conducting Writing Assignments,” Richard Leahy (2002) offers a few ideas for building in said collaboration:

• Ask the students to develop the grading scale themselves from scratch, starting with choosing the categories.

• Set the grading categories yourself, but ask the students to help write the descriptions.

• Draft the complete grading scale yourself, then give it to your students for review and suggestions.

A Few Do's and Don'ts…

Determining your goals for the assignment and its essential logistics is a good start to creating an effective assignment. However, there are a few more simple factors to consider in your final design. First, here are a few things you should do :

Do provide detail in your assignment description . Research has shown that students frequently prefer some guiding constraints when completing assignments (Bean, 1996), and that more detail (within reason) can lead to more successful student responses. One idea is to provide students with physical assignment handouts , in addition to or instead of a simple description in a syllabus. This can meet the needs of concrete learners and give them something tangible to refer to. Likewise, it is often beneficial to make explicit for students the process or steps necessary to complete an assignment, given that students – especially younger ones – might need guidance in planning and time management (MIT, 1999).
Do use open-ended questions. The most effective and challenging assignments focus on questions that lead students to thinking and explaining, rather than simple yes or no answers, whether explicitly part of the assignment description or in the brainstorming heuristics (Gardner, 2005).
Do direct students to appropriate available resources . Giving students pointers about other venues for assistance can help them get started on the right track independently. These kinds of suggestions might include information about campus resources such as the University Writing Center or discipline-specific librarians, suggesting specific journals or books, or even sections of their textbook, or providing them with lists of research ideas or links to acceptable websites.
Do consider providing models – both successful and unsuccessful models (Miller, 2007). These models could be provided by past students, or models you have created yourself. You could even ask students to evaluate the models themselves using the determined evaluation criteria, helping them to visualize the final product, think critically about how to complete the assignment, and ideally, recognize success in their own work.
Do consider including a way for students to make the assignment their own. In their study, Hass and Osborn (2007) confirmed the importance of personal engagement for students when completing an assignment. Indeed, students will be more engaged in an assignment if it is personally meaningful, practical, or purposeful beyond the classroom. You might think of ways to encourage students to tap into their own experiences or curiosities, to solve or explore a real problem, or connect to the larger community. Offering variety in assignment selection can also help students feel more individualized, creative, and in control.
If your assignment is substantial or long, do consider sequencing it. Far too often, assignments are given as one-shot final products that receive grades at the end of the semester, eternally abandoned by the student. By sequencing a large assignment, or essentially breaking it down into a systematic approach consisting of interconnected smaller elements (such as a project proposal, an annotated bibliography, or a rough draft, or a series of mini-assignments related to the longer assignment), you can encourage thoughtfulness, complexity, and thoroughness in your students, as well as emphasize process over final product.

Next are a few elements to avoid in your assignments:

Do not ask too many questions in your assignment. In an effort to challenge students, instructors often err in the other direction, asking more questions than students can reasonably address in a single assignment without losing focus. Offering an overly specific “checklist” prompt often leads to externally organized papers, in which inexperienced students “slavishly follow the checklist instead of integrating their ideas into more organically-discovered structure” (Flaxman, 2005).
Do not expect or suggest that there is an “ideal” response to the assignment. A common error for instructors is to dictate content of an assignment too rigidly, or to imply that there is a single correct response or a specific conclusion to reach, either explicitly or implicitly (Flaxman, 2005). Undoubtedly, students do not appreciate feeling as if they must read an instructor's mind to complete an assignment successfully, or that their own ideas have nowhere to go, and can lose motivation as a result. Similarly, avoid assignments that simply ask for regurgitation (Miller, 2007). Again, the best assignments invite students to engage in critical thinking, not just reproduce lectures or readings.
Do not provide vague or confusing commands . Do students know what you mean when they are asked to “examine” or “discuss” a topic? Return to what you determined about your students' experiences and levels to help you decide what directions will make the most sense to them and what will require more explanation or guidance, and avoid verbiage that might confound them.
Do not impose impossible time restraints or require the use of insufficient resources for completion of the assignment. For instance, if you are asking all of your students to use the same resource, ensure that there are enough copies available for all students to access – or at least put one copy on reserve in the library. Likewise, make sure that you are providing your students with ample time to locate resources and effectively complete the assignment (Fitzpatrick, 1989).

The assignments we give to students don't simply have to be research papers or reports. There are many options for effective yet creative ways to assess your students' learning! Here are just a few:

Journals, Posters, Portfolios, Letters, Brochures, Management plans, Editorials, Instruction Manuals, Imitations of a text, Case studies, Debates, News release, Dialogues, Videos, Collages, Plays, Power Point presentations

Ultimately, the success of student responses to an assignment often rests on the instructor's deliberate design of the assignment. By being purposeful and thoughtful from the beginning, you can ensure that your assignments will not only serve as effective assessment methods, but also engage and delight your students. If you would like further help in constructing or revising an assignment, the Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development Center is glad to offer individual consultations. In addition, look into some of the resources provided below.

Online Resources

“Creating Effective Assignments” http://www.unh.edu/teaching-excellence/resources/Assignments.htm This site, from the University of New Hampshire's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, provides a brief overview of effective assignment design, with a focus on determining and communicating goals and expectations.

Gardner, T. (2005, June 12). Ten Tips for Designing Writing Assignments. Traci's Lists of Ten. http://www.tengrrl.com/tens/034.shtml This is a brief yet useful list of tips for assignment design, prepared by a writing teacher and curriculum developer for the National Council of Teachers of English . The website will also link you to several other lists of “ten tips” related to literacy pedagogy.

“How to Create Effective Assignments for College Students.” http:// tilt.colostate.edu/retreat/2011/zimmerman.pdf This PDF is a simplified bulleted list, prepared by Dr. Toni Zimmerman from Colorado State University, offering some helpful ideas for coming up with creative assignments.

“Learner-Centered Assessment” http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/learner_centered_assessment.html From the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo, this is a short list of suggestions for the process of designing an assessment with your students' interests in mind. “Matching Learning Goals to Assignment Types.” http://teachingcommons.depaul.edu/How_to/design_assignments/assignments_learning_goals.html This is a great page from DePaul University's Teaching Commons, providing a chart that helps instructors match assignments with learning goals.

Additional References Bean, J.C. (1996). Engaging ideas: The professor's guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Fitzpatrick, R. (1989). Research and writing assignments that reduce fear lead to better papers and more confident students. Writing Across the Curriculum , 3.2, pp. 15 – 24.

Flaxman, R. (2005). Creating meaningful writing assignments. The Teaching Exchange . Retrieved Jan. 9, 2008 from http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Sheridan_Center/pubs/teachingExchange/jan2005/01_flaxman.pdf

Hass, M. & Osborn, J. (2007, August 13). An emic view of student writing and the writing process. Across the Disciplines, 4.

Hedengren, B.F. (2004). A TA's guide to teaching writing in all disciplines . Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Hudd, S. S. (2003, April). Syllabus under construction: Involving students in the creation of class assignments. Teaching Sociology , 31, pp. 195 – 202.

Leahy, R. (2002). Conducting writing assignments. College Teaching , 50.2, pp. 50 – 54.

Miller, H. (2007). Designing effective writing assignments. Teaching with writing . University of Minnesota Center for Writing. Retrieved Jan. 9, 2008, from http://writing.umn.edu/tww/assignments/designing.html

MIT Online Writing and Communication Center (1999). Creating Writing Assignments. Retrieved January 9, 2008 from http://web.mit.edu/writing/Faculty/createeffective.html .

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Center for Teaching and Learning

Step 4: develop assessment criteria and rubrics.

Just as we align assessments with the course learning objectives, we also align the grading criteria for each assessment with the goals of that unit of content or practice, especially for assignments than cannot be graded through automation the way that multiple-choice tests can. Grading criteria articulate what is important in each assessment, what knowledge or skills students should be able to demonstrate, and how they can best communicate that to you. When you share grading criteria with students, you help them understand what to focus on and how to demonstrate their learning successfully. From good assessment criteria, you can develop a grading rubric .

Develop Your Assessment Criteria | Decide on a Rating Scale | Create the Rubric

Developing Your Assessment Criteria

Good assessment criteria are

Clear and easy to understand as a guide for students
Attainable rather than beyond students’ grasp in the current place in the course
Significant in terms of the learning students should demonstrate
Relevant in that they assess student learning toward course objectives related to that one assessment.

To create your grading criteria, consider the following questions:

What is the most significant content or knowledge students should be able to demonstrate understanding of at this point in the course?
What specific skills, techniques, or applications should students be able to use to demonstrate using at this point in the course?
What secondary skills or practices are important for students to demonstrate in this assessment? (for example, critical thinking, public speaking skills, or writing as well as more abstract concepts such as completeness, creativity, precision, or problem-solving abilities)
Do the criteria align with the objectives for both the assessment and the course?

Once you have developed some ideas about the assessment’s grading criteria, double-check to make sure the criteria are observable, measurable, significant, and distinct from each other.

Assessment Criteria Example Using the questions above, the performance criteria in the example below were designed for an assignment in which students had to create an explainer video about a scientific concept for a specified audience. Each elements can be observed and measured based on both expert instructor and peer feedback, and each is significant because it relates to the course and assignment learning goals.

Additional Assessment Criteria Resources Developing Grading Criteria (Vanderbilt University) Creating Grading Criteria (Brown University) Sample Criteria (Brown University) Developing Grading Criteria (Temple University)

Decide on a Rating Scale

Deciding what scale you will use for an assessment depends on the type of learning you want students to demonstrate and the type of feedback you want to give students on this particular assignment or test. For example, for an introductory lab report early in the semester, you might not be as concerned with advanced levels of precision as much as correct displays of data and the tone of the report; therefore, grading heavily on copy editing or advanced analysis would not be appropriate. The criteria would likely more rigorous by the end of the semester, as you build up to the advanced level you want students to reach in the course.

Rating scales turn the grading criteria you have defined into levels of performance expectations for the students that can then be interpreted as a letter, number, or level. Common rating scales include

A, B, C, etc. (without or without + and -)
100 point scale with defined cut-off for a letter grade if desired (ex. a B = 89-80; or a B+ = 89-87, B = 86-83, B- = 82-80)
Yes or no, present or not present (if the rubric is a checklist of items students must show)
below expectations, meets expectations, exceeds expectations
not demonstrated, poor, average, good, excellent

Once you have decided on a scale for the type of assignment and the learning you want students to demonstrate, you can use the scale to clearly articulate what each level of performance looks like, such as defining what A, B, C, etc. level work would look like for each grading criteria. What would distinguish a student who earns a B from one who earns a C? What would distinguish a student who excelled in demonstrating use of a tool from a student who clearly was not familiar with it? Write these distinctions out in descriptive notes or brief paragraphs.

Ethical Implications of Rating Scales There are ethical implications in each of these types of rating skills. On a project worth 100 points, what is the objective difference between earning an 85 or and 87? On an exceeds/meets/does not meet scale, how can those levels be objectively applied? Different understandings of "fairness" can lead to several ways of grading that might disadvantage some students. Learn more about equitable grading practices here.

Create the Rubric

Rubrics Can Make Grading More Effective

Provide students with more complete and targeted feedback
Make grading more timely by enabling the provision of feedback soon after assignment is submitted/presented.
Standardize assessment criteria among those assigning/assessing the same assignment.
Facilitate peer evaluation of early drafts of assignment.

Rubrics Can Help Student Learning

Convey your expectations about the assignment through a classroom discussion of the rubric prior to the beginning of the assignment
Level the playing field by clarifying academic expectations and assignments so that all students understand regardless of their educational backgrounds.(e.g. define what we expect analysis, critical thinking, or even introductions/conclusions should include)
Promote student independence and motivation by enabling self-assessment
Prepare students to use detailed feedback.

Rubrics Have Other Uses:

Track development of student skills over several assignments
Facilitate communication with others (e.g. TAs, communication center, tutors, other faculty, etc)
Refine own teaching skills (e.g. by responding to common areas of weaknesses, feedback on how well teaching strategies are working in preparing students for their assignments).

In this video, CTL's Dr. Carol Subino Sullivan discusses the value of the different types of rubrics.

Many non-test-based assessments might seem daunting to grade, but a well-designed rubric can alleviate some of that work. A rubric is a table that usually has these parts:

a clear description of the learning activity being assessed
criteria by which the activity will be evaluated
a rating scale identifying different levels of performance
descriptions of the level of performance a student must reach to earn that level.

When you define the criteria and pre-define what acceptable performance for each of those criteria looks like ahead of time, you can use the rubric to compare with student work and assign grades or points for each criteria accordingly. Rubrics work very well for projects, papers/reports, and presentations , as well as in peer review, and good rubrics can save instructors and TAs time when grading .

Sample Rubrics This final rubric for the scientific concept explainer video combines the assessment criteria and the holistic rating scale:

When using this rubric, which can be easily adapted to use a present/not present rating scale or a letter grade scale, you can use a combination of checking items off and adding written (or audio/video) comments in the different boxes to provide the student more detailed feedback.

As a second example, this descriptive rubric was used to ask students to peer assess and self-assess their contributions to a collaborative project. The rating scale is 1 through 4, and each description of performance builds on the previous. ( See the full rubric with scales for both product and process here. This rubric was designed for students working in teams to assess their own contributions to the project as well as their peers.)

Building a Rubric in Canvas Assignments You can create rubrics for assignments and discussions boards in Canvas. Review these Canvas guides for tips and tricks. Rubrics Overview for Instructors What are rubrics? How do I align a rubric with a learning outcome? How do I add a rubric to an assignment? How do I add a rubric to a quiz? How do I add a rubric to a graded discussion? How do I use a rubric to grade submissions in SpeedGrader? How do I manage rubrics in a course?

Additional Resources for Developing Rubrics Designing Grading Rubrics (Brown University) Step-by-step process for creating an effective, fair, and efficient grading rubric.

Creating and Using Rubrics (Carnegie Mellon University) Explores the basics of rubric design along with multiple examples for grading different types of assignments.

Using Rubrics (Cornell University) Argument for the value of rubrics to support student learning.

Rubrics (University of California Berkeley) Shares "fun facts" about rubrics, and links the rubric guidelines from many higher ed organizations such as the AAC&U.

Creating and Using Rubrics (Yale University) Introduces different styles of rubrics and ways to decide what style to use given your course's learning goals.

Best Practices for Designing Effective Resources (Arizona State University) Comprehensive overview of rubric design principles.

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Rubric Best Practices, Examples, and Templates

A rubric is a scoring tool that identifies the different criteria relevant to an assignment, assessment, or learning outcome and states the possible levels of achievement in a specific, clear, and objective way. Use rubrics to assess project-based student work including essays, group projects, creative endeavors, and oral presentations.

Rubrics can help instructors communicate expectations to students and assess student work fairly, consistently and efficiently. Rubrics can provide students with informative feedback on their strengths and weaknesses so that they can reflect on their performance and work on areas that need improvement.

How to Get Started

Best practices, moodle how-to guides.

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Step 1: Analyze the assignment

The first step in the rubric creation process is to analyze the assignment or assessment for which you are creating a rubric. To do this, consider the following questions:

What is the purpose of the assignment and your feedback? What do you want students to demonstrate through the completion of this assignment (i.e. what are the learning objectives measured by it)? Is it a summative assessment, or will students use the feedback to create an improved product?
Does the assignment break down into different or smaller tasks? Are these tasks equally important as the main assignment?
What would an “excellent” assignment look like? An “acceptable” assignment? One that still needs major work?
How detailed do you want the feedback you give students to be? Do you want/need to give them a grade?

Step 2: Decide what kind of rubric you will use

Types of rubrics: holistic, analytic/descriptive, single-point

Holistic Rubric. A holistic rubric includes all the criteria (such as clarity, organization, mechanics, etc.) to be considered together and included in a single evaluation. With a holistic rubric, the rater or grader assigns a single score based on an overall judgment of the student’s work, using descriptions of each performance level to assign the score.

Advantages of holistic rubrics:

Can p lace an emphasis on what learners can demonstrate rather than what they cannot
Save grader time by minimizing the number of evaluations to be made for each student
Can be used consistently across raters, provided they have all been trained

Disadvantages of holistic rubrics:

Provide less specific feedback than analytic/descriptive rubrics
Can be difficult to choose a score when a student’s work is at varying levels across the criteria
Any weighting of c riteria cannot be indicated in the rubric

Analytic/Descriptive Rubric . An analytic or descriptive rubric often takes the form of a table with the criteria listed in the left column and with levels of performance listed across the top row. Each cell contains a description of what the specified criterion looks like at a given level of performance. Each of the criteria is scored individually.

Advantages of analytic rubrics:

Provide detailed feedback on areas of strength or weakness
Each criterion can be weighted to reflect its relative importance

Disadvantages of analytic rubrics:

More time-consuming to create and use than a holistic rubric
May not be used consistently across raters unless the cells are well defined
May result in giving less personalized feedback

Single-Point Rubric . A single-point rubric is breaks down the components of an assignment into different criteria, but instead of describing different levels of performance, only the “proficient” level is described. Feedback space is provided for instructors to give individualized comments to help students improve and/or show where they excelled beyond the proficiency descriptors.

Advantages of single-point rubrics:

Easier to create than an analytic/descriptive rubric
Perhaps more likely that students will read the descriptors
Areas of concern and excellence are open-ended
May removes a focus on the grade/points
May increase student creativity in project-based assignments

Disadvantage of analytic rubrics: Requires more work for instructors writing feedback

Step 3 (Optional): Look for templates and examples.

You might Google, “Rubric for persuasive essay at the college level” and see if there are any publicly available examples to start from. Ask your colleagues if they have used a rubric for a similar assignment. Some examples are also available at the end of this article. These rubrics can be a great starting point for you, but consider steps 3, 4, and 5 below to ensure that the rubric matches your assignment description, learning objectives and expectations.

Step 4: Define the assignment criteria

Make a list of the knowledge and skills are you measuring with the assignment/assessment Refer to your stated learning objectives, the assignment instructions, past examples of student work, etc. for help.

Helpful strategies for defining grading criteria:

Collaborate with co-instructors, teaching assistants, and other colleagues
Brainstorm and discuss with students
Can they be observed and measured?
Are they important and essential?
Are they distinct from other criteria?
Are they phrased in precise, unambiguous language?
Revise the criteria as needed
Consider whether some are more important than others, and how you will weight them.

Step 5: Design the rating scale

Most ratings scales include between 3 and 5 levels. Consider the following questions when designing your rating scale:

Given what students are able to demonstrate in this assignment/assessment, what are the possible levels of achievement?
How many levels would you like to include (more levels means more detailed descriptions)
Will you use numbers and/or descriptive labels for each level of performance? (for example 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and/or Exceeds expectations, Accomplished, Proficient, Developing, Beginning, etc.)
Don’t use too many columns, and recognize that some criteria can have more columns that others . The rubric needs to be comprehensible and organized. Pick the right amount of columns so that the criteria flow logically and naturally across levels.

Step 6: Write descriptions for each level of the rating scale

Artificial Intelligence tools like Chat GPT have proven to be useful tools for creating a rubric. You will want to engineer your prompt that you provide the AI assistant to ensure you get what you want. For example, you might provide the assignment description, the criteria you feel are important, and the number of levels of performance you want in your prompt. Use the results as a starting point, and adjust the descriptions as needed.

Building a rubric from scratch

For a single-point rubric , describe what would be considered “proficient,” i.e. B-level work, and provide that description. You might also include suggestions for students outside of the actual rubric about how they might surpass proficient-level work.

For analytic and holistic rubrics , c reate statements of expected performance at each level of the rubric.

Consider what descriptor is appropriate for each criteria, e.g., presence vs absence, complete vs incomplete, many vs none, major vs minor, consistent vs inconsistent, always vs never. If you have an indicator described in one level, it will need to be described in each level.
You might start with the top/exemplary level. What does it look like when a student has achieved excellence for each/every criterion? Then, look at the “bottom” level. What does it look like when a student has not achieved the learning goals in any way? Then, complete the in-between levels.
For an analytic rubric , do this for each particular criterion of the rubric so that every cell in the table is filled. These descriptions help students understand your expectations and their performance in regard to those expectations.

Well-written descriptions:

Describe observable and measurable behavior
Use parallel language across the scale
Indicate the degree to which the standards are met

Step 7: Create your rubric

Create your rubric in a table or spreadsheet in Word, Google Docs, Sheets, etc., and then transfer it by typing it into Moodle. You can also use online tools to create the rubric, but you will still have to type the criteria, indicators, levels, etc., into Moodle. Rubric creators: Rubistar , iRubric

Step 8: Pilot-test your rubric

Prior to implementing your rubric on a live course, obtain feedback from:

Teacher assistants

Try out your new rubric on a sample of student work. After you pilot-test your rubric, analyze the results to consider its effectiveness and revise accordingly.

Limit the rubric to a single page for reading and grading ease
Use parallel language . Use similar language and syntax/wording from column to column. Make sure that the rubric can be easily read from left to right or vice versa.
Use student-friendly language . Make sure the language is learning-level appropriate. If you use academic language or concepts, you will need to teach those concepts.
Share and discuss the rubric with your students . Students should understand that the rubric is there to help them learn, reflect, and self-assess. If students use a rubric, they will understand the expectations and their relevance to learning.
Consider scalability and reusability of rubrics. Create rubric templates that you can alter as needed for multiple assignments.
Maximize the descriptiveness of your language. Avoid words like “good” and “excellent.” For example, instead of saying, “uses excellent sources,” you might describe what makes a resource excellent so that students will know. You might also consider reducing the reliance on quantity, such as a number of allowable misspelled words. Focus instead, for example, on how distracting any spelling errors are.

Example of an analytic rubric for a final paper

	Above Average (4)	Sufficient (3)	Developing (2)	Needs improvement (1)
(Thesis supported by relevant information and ideas	The central purpose of the student work is clear and supporting ideas always are always well-focused. Details are relevant, enrich the work.	The central purpose of the student work is clear and ideas are almost always focused in a way that supports the thesis. Relevant details illustrate the author’s ideas.	The central purpose of the student work is identified. Ideas are mostly focused in a way that supports the thesis.	The purpose of the student work is not well-defined. A number of central ideas do not support the thesis. Thoughts appear disconnected.
(Sequencing of elements/ ideas)	Information and ideas are presented in a logical sequence which flows naturally and is engaging to the audience.	Information and ideas are presented in a logical sequence which is followed by the reader with little or no difficulty.	Information and ideas are presented in an order that the audience can mostly follow.	Information and ideas are poorly sequenced. The audience has difficulty following the thread of thought.
(Correctness of grammar and spelling)	Minimal to no distracting errors in grammar and spelling.	The readability of the work is only slightly interrupted by spelling and/or grammatical errors.	Grammatical and/or spelling errors distract from the work.	The readability of the work is seriously hampered by spelling and/or grammatical errors.

Example of a holistic rubric for a final paper

The audience is able to easily identify the central message of the work and is engaged by the paper’s clear focus and relevant details. Information is presented logically and naturally. There are minimal to no distracting errors in grammar and spelling. : The audience is easily able to identify the focus of the student work which is supported by relevant ideas and supporting details. Information is presented in a logical manner that is easily followed. The readability of the work is only slightly interrupted by errors. : The audience can identify the central purpose of the student work without little difficulty and supporting ideas are present and clear. The information is presented in an orderly fashion that can be followed with little difficulty. Grammatical and spelling errors distract from the work. : The audience cannot clearly or easily identify the central ideas or purpose of the student work. Information is presented in a disorganized fashion causing the audience to have difficulty following the author’s ideas. The readability of the work is seriously hampered by errors.

Single-Point Rubric

Advanced (evidence of exceeding standards)	Criteria described a proficient level	Concerns (things that need work)
	Criteria #1: Description reflecting achievement of proficient level of performance
	Criteria #2: Description reflecting achievement of proficient level of performance
	Criteria #3: Description reflecting achievement of proficient level of performance
	Criteria #4: Description reflecting achievement of proficient level of performance
90-100 points	80-90 points	<80 points

More examples:

Single Point Rubric Template ( variation )
Analytic Rubric Template make a copy to edit
A Rubric for Rubrics
Bank of Online Discussion Rubrics in different formats
Mathematical Presentations Descriptive Rubric
Math Proof Assessment Rubric
Kansas State Sample Rubrics
Design Single Point Rubric

Technology Tools: Rubrics in Moodle

Moodle Docs: Rubrics
Moodle Docs: Grading Guide (use for single-point rubrics)

Tools with rubrics (other than Moodle)

Google Assignments
Turnitin Assignments: Rubric or Grading Form

Other resources

DePaul University (n.d.). Rubrics .
Gonzalez, J. (2014). Know your terms: Holistic, Analytic, and Single-Point Rubrics . Cult of Pedagogy.
Goodrich, H. (1996). Understanding rubrics . Teaching for Authentic Student Performance, 54 (4), 14-17. Retrieved from
Miller, A. (2012). Tame the beast: tips for designing and using rubrics.
Ragupathi, K., Lee, A. (2020). Beyond Fairness and Consistency in Grading: The Role of Rubrics in Higher Education. In: Sanger, C., Gleason, N. (eds) Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.

Assignments usually ask you to demonstrate that you have immersed yourself in the course material and that you've done some thinking on your own; questions not treated at length in class often serve as assignments. Fortunately, if you've put the time into getting to know the material, then you've almost certainly begun thinking independently. In responding to assignments, keep in mind the following advice.

Beware of straying. Especially in the draft stage, "discussion" and "analysis" can lead you from one intrinsically interesting problem to another, then another, and then ... You may wind up following a garden of forking paths and lose your way. To prevent this, stop periodically while drafting your essay and reread the assignment. Its purposes are likely to become clearer.
Consider the assignment in relation to previous and upcoming assignments. Ask yourself what is new about the task you're setting out to do. Instructors often design assignments to build in complexity. Knowing where an assignment falls in this progression can help you concentrate on the specific, fresh challenges at hand.

Understanding some key words commonly used in assignments also may simplify your task. Toward this end, let's take a look at two seemingly impenetrable instructions: "discuss" and "analyze."

1. Discuss the role of gender in bringing about the French Revolution.

"Discuss" is easy to misunderstand because the word calls to mind the oral/spoken dimension of communication. "Discuss" suggests conversation, which often is casual and undirected. In the context of an assignment, however, discussion entails fulfilling a defined and organized task: to construct an argument that considers and responds to an ample range of materials. To "discuss," in assignment language, means to make a broad argument about a set of arguments you have studied. In the case above, you can do this by
pointing to consistencies and inconsistencies in the evidence of gendered causes of the Revolution;
raising the implications of these consistencies and/or inconsistencies (perhaps they suggest a limited role for gender as catalyst);
evaluating different claims about the role of gender; and
asking what is gained and what is lost by focusing on gendered symbols, icons and events.

A weak discussion essay in response to the question above might simply list a few aspects of the Revolution—the image of Liberty, the executions of the King and Marie Antoinette, the cry "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite!" —and make separate comments about how each, being "gendered," is therefore a powerful political force. Such an essay would offer no original thesis, but instead restate the question asked in the assignment (i.e., "The role of gender was very important in the French Revolution" or "Gender did not play a large role in the French Revolution").

In a strong discussion essay, the thesis would go beyond a basic restatement of the assignment question. You might test the similarities and differences of the revolutionary aspects being discussed. You might draw on fresh or unexpected evidence, perhaps using as a source an intriguing reading that was only briefly touched upon in lecture.

2. Analyze two of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, including one not discussed in class, as literary works and in terms of sources/analogues.

The words "analyze" and "analysis" may seem to denote highly advanced, even arcane skills, possessed in virtual monopoly by mathematicians and scientists. Happily, the terms refer to mental activity we all perform regularly; the terms just need decoding. "Analyze" means two things in this specific assignment prompt.

First, you need to divide the two tales into parts, elements, or features. You might start with a basic approach: looking at the beginning, middle, and end. These structural features of literary works—and of historical events and many other subjects of academic study—may seem simple or even simplistic, but they can yield surprising insights when examined closely.
Alternatively, you might begin at a more complex level of analysis. For example, you might search for and distinguish between kinds of humor in the two tales and their sources in Boccaccio or the Roman de la Rose: banter, wordplay, bawdy jokes, pranks, burlesque, satire, etc.

Second, you need to consider the two tales critically to arrive at some reward for having observed how the tales are made and where they came from (their sources/analogues). In the course of your essay, you might work your way to investigating Chaucer's broader attitude toward his sources, which alternates between playful variation and strict adherence. Your complex analysis of kinds of humor might reveal differing conceptions of masculine and feminine between Chaucer and his literary sources, or some other important cultural distinction.

Analysis involves both a set of observations about the composition or workings of your subject and a critical approach that keeps you from noticing just anything—from excessive listing or summarizing—and instead leads you to construct an interpretation, using textual evidence to support your ideas.

Some Final Advice

If, having read the assignment carefully, you're still confused by it, don't hesitate to ask for clarification from your instructor. He or she may be able to elucidate the question or to furnish some sample responses to the assignment. Knowing the expectations of an assignment can help when you're feeling puzzled. Conversely, knowing the boundaries can head off trouble if you're contemplating an unorthodox approach. In either case, before you go to your instructor, it's a good idea to list, underline or circle the specific places in the assignment where the language makes you feel uncertain.

William C. Rice, for the Writing Center at Harvard University

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Step-by-step Guide to Create Competency-Based Assignments as an Alternative for Traditional Summative Assessment

Hebat allah amin.

1 Helwan University

Mohamed H. K. Shehata

2 Department of Family and Community Medicine

Samar A. Ahmed

3 ASU-MENA-FRI-Ain Shams University

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended.

The sudden, prolonged COVID-19 lockdown has offered a great challenge to the medical school. This was not only at the level of learning and curricular design but also the level of assessment. The traditional summative assessment tools have collapsed during this Pandemic.

Herein, we provide a five-step guide for designing competency-based E-assignments for summative assessment. Innovative assignments designs are crucially required for fair summative assessment of the medical students, mainly in the pre-clerkship phase. These need to be innovative, engaging, competency-based, well-designed, with defined rubrics, integrated, and interdisciplinary whenever possible.

These should also enforce the concepts of self-assessment and student peer assessment. Including the students in the formulation and design enhances their self-motivation where there is no face-to-face education. Designing an assignment with a quality product as an outcome increases the students’ enthusiasm and self-confidence. A brief case-study is included as an example.

Teaching after the pandemic era will greatly change with inevitable changes in the dogmatic concepts. Formative and summative assessments are probably changing seats which might be sustained for some time post-COVID-19.

Introduction

There is a generally acknowledged concept that assessment drives learning. This mandate acquiring a new vision for creating assessment tools to meet the shift of the medical curricula to integrated, competency-based learning ( Sohrmann et al. , 2020 ).

Competency-based medical education (CBME), requires an innovative integrated assessment tool. CBME assessment necessitates continuous, criterion-based, work-based strategies. “Best practices” should be highlighted and encouraged. CBME assessment should enhance life-long learning as the expertise is the goal, not merely the competence ( Holmboe et al. , 2010 ).

The new assessment strategy should be tailored in tandem with the development of the new curricula. This could be achieved by strategic planning, including the educators, administrators, and the student to formulate a structured plan for the assignment design ( Ferris, 2015 ).

A well-designed assignment can guide students through engaging deep learning experiences and divert their attention from grades towards creativity and critical thinking ( Liu and Carless, 2006 ). Both summative and formative assessment methods are useful when applied in the correct setting and at an appropriate stage of learning. Online problem-based learning techniques have proved to be incredibly popular ( Ahmed et al., 2020 ).

Novel assessment methods including self and peer assessment strategies enhance students’ engagement and self-motivation. Besides, it promotes developing their critical thinking skills ( Bloxham and West, 2004 ).

As a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, the Egyptian Ministry of Higher education mandates that medical school should consider student assignments as an alternative for summative assessment for all students in the pre-clerkship phase. This article tries to put a general stepwise approach to plan such assignments where formative and summative assessments are probably changing seats which might be sustained for some time post-COVID-19.

Steps of conducting a competency-based integrated assignment

Step one: position your assignment in the curriculum, identify competency/ competencies to assess.

When starting to consider designing an assignment as alternatives for summative assessment object in the curriculum it is advised to take a step back and look to the bigger picture. Revise your national/school’s competency framework program competencies and identify the competencies you will be testing ( Humphrey-Murto et al., 2017 ). Consider your school’s educational strategy. Assignment in a school that adopts a clinical presentation curriculum would be different from assignments in a school that adopts problem-based learning for example. One more important aspect to consider is the availability of inter-disciplinary cooperation with other institutes, schools, or bodies as this will provide the designed assignments with a new dimension. It is important to have clear objectives for the designed assignments as clearly articulated learning goals and objectives are an important part of any learning activity (Gagne et al. 1992; Al-Eraky, 2012).

E-assignments provide an excellent opportunity to encourage students to collaborate together to achieve projects that will help them develop some competencies that are not-uncommonly ignored or minimized during traditional teaching where different departments usually compete for a space in the teaching schedule in integrated medical schools.

List basic skills required to be incorporated in the assignment

Place the expected skills to be tested on a comprehensive list. Consider each skill independently and ensure that this is consistent with your complex assessment system considering summative as well as developmental assessments. The electronic assignments triangulate with other methods of assessment and will probably add to the validity, reliability, and most importantly the educational impact of your assessment system. To achieve this, planners might need to map new skills on their assessment blueprint.

Revise each skill and align with the competency selected

The skills are aligned to the competencies -The graduate as a health care provider, health care promoter, professional, scholar and scientist, member of the health team, and a part of the lifelong learner and researcher- through mapping a program matrix.

Step two: Design

Designing an assignment through a holistic visionary strategy can magnify the outcomes. Apply the steps of strategic planning through clarifying the vision, needs assessment, formulation of the assignment/project, implementation, followed by evaluation of the process, and correction actions. This should be established throughout the following steps:

Form a team

A team representing relevant departments with student’s representation will probably come out with a design that is more applicable and acceptable to various stakeholders.

Review of literature

After coming up with initial ideas for assignments’ formats, team members might need to look for similar ideas that were implemented in other medical education institutes to learn from the published experience of other educators.

Allow sub-teams to brainstorm possible formats of assignments creatively. In this initial planning phase, team members should adhere to the Problem-solving process and avoid criticizing the first versions of ideas. In brainstorming several decisions are made and many questions are raised

1. Decisions

Degree of integration.

Integrative Learning is an approach to education that highlights the importance of addressing real-world issues relevant to students’ life experiences and interests. Hence, Integrative assignments focus on:

• The utilization of multiple modes of inquiry and multiple venues of knowledge
• The application of theory to practice employing interdisciplinary diverse perspectives
• The contextualization of students’ personal experiences in larger societal and global patterns
• We believe that Integrative Learning is essential for students’ success, self, and social responsibility and civic engagement in a rapidly changing and connecting the world ( Sites.google.com , 2020).

The format of the assignment should be discussed whether it will be a web-based assignment or a paper form one.

Tools available for executing the assignment should be discussed. It is advised to reflect on the value of the choice of the tools and whether it feeds into the competencies assessed through the assignment. If this is not the case, then the tools used are better left to the student creativity. This will allow a degree of freedom for the students to take ownership of the process and the outcome.

Group/individual

Well-designed group assignments with clear, defined, individual roles could be fairly assessed in addition to covering the competency area of teamwork. When considering group-assignments it is important to identify the role of every individual in the team. Possible roles in a group could also be the role of a peer mentor identified from a previous batch to help align the work of the students towards the objective.

The basic aim is to have a fair and valid effective assessment tool. However, designing the assignment to be engaging and usable magnifies the expected outcomes. The purpose of the assignment and its contribution to the hidden aspect of the curriculum should be discussed elaborately in the brainstorming phase. This will later reflect on all decisions made regarding tools, context, format, etc. This will also reflect on the degree of flexibility the students are given in the assignment.

Type of assignment

Based on their purpose, assignments designed within a competency-based framework can add value to the learning experience of students. As the team designs the assignments, it is valuable to consider the level of the assignment. Whether they will be only at the summarization level or be at higher levels such as simplification and delivery of information. Whether the assignments include only medical students or provide them with the opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary team is another point to consider. The drive-in this stage will be the usability of the assignments which would be a major motivator for students and staff to create and innovate. In the following diagram ( Figure 1 ), a model suggested by the authors that describe various levels and examples of E-assignments that can be used.

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2. Questions

It is important to spend some time deliberating on a few questions to reflect on the decisions of design. A guide to these questions is offered below.

Is the format relevant to the student’s professional future?

The assignment should respect the required competencies and poses an integrated vision between the different disciplines. The context in which the assignment is delivered is an important part of the learning. Creating assignments that respect the future profession, creates better student engagement and reflects later on their life-long learning skills. Students identify learning goals easier when the assignment represents their future profession. An example of this in medical curricula could be assignments that require the student to mimic a doctor-patient encounter in a video format.

Is the requirement comparable to the grades/ stake?

The time the student is requested to spend on the assignment should be weighed against the grade assigned to the task or the stake associated with it. An example of this is the time allocated for summative assessment assignments and the degree of complexity associated with it. When assignments are used for differentiating purposes, it is expected that the time the student dedicates for the assignment and the degree of assignment complexity is high.

When learners are encountering a complex topic or if they are unfamiliar with a genre or learning format, provide less material, easier tasks, or more time to complete the assignment. Similarly, learners will be able to cover less material on their own than can be covered in more didactic and interactive sessions like lectures. Independent learning assignments may require more time or less material than typically allotted to a lecture or cover less material than if the same topic were to be covered in a lecture ( Rachul et al . 2020 ).

Is there an output/product?

A usable quality product enhances students’ engagement and enthusiasm. Being participants in the formulation of vision magnifies the expected outcome.

How can we make the output usable and sustainable?

This could be achieved through having a holistic vision with a clear, challenging, yet applicable goal. To ensure that the assignment product is usable make sure it results in bridging an already existing gap. This can be attained by visiting the course report from previous years and the results of student feedback to identify learning gaps and gaps in resources. When these have been identified they can be then designed into a needed resource list. Given these resources are generated from actual learning gaps they will later be usable for future instruction.

To keep the outcomes and products usable and sustainable, it is recommended that they are hosted on a visible portal where students themselves take the quest to ensure they are publicized to others. Using YouTube where other students can log in their feedback and questions in the future will be very useful as well as using the existing blackboard to host the material for future student reference.

Is the requirement quantifiable/measurable?

The clear quantifiable requirement ensures a fair assessment tool.

Is there a degree of individuality in the task to protect from designed-in plagiarism?

Balancing out assignments to ensure that different teams are subsequently engaged in the design process is extremely important to ensure the reliability of the process as an alternative for conventional assessment. In our experience when students are asked to design a product, it is an important step to enhance student creativity and thus ensure that students exert the required effort.

Another important step to designing the assignment to prevent plagiarism is to make sure that products of assignments are published after peer review. This means that assignments that produce written content are directed to journal publications and those that produce video content are directed to YouTube publishing. This makes products visible rather than having products of assignments seen solely for teacher evaluation.

What are the elements of the product? Can it be broken down?

Designing an integrated, multidisciplinary assignment through a holistic vision can create an enthusiastic project with main and subsidiary outputs. These outputs can include the production of quality educational material adding value to the curricular content. These can also include awareness sessions or videos serving the community inside the campus and even the larger community. Involvement in scholarly research work documenting the educational practices.

Break down these outputs into specific elements. Map each element on the first column of the matrix against the skills listed. Map the elements to make sure that the desired tested skills are covered by the output elements. This stage is where assignments can be tweaked to add or remove elements.

An example of these elements is the elements needed to produce an educational video. These can be dissected in several ways but for example one of the elements would be the scientific content. Another element can be the video scenario and a third can be graphic design. Each of these elements should be mapped against the listed skills we are testing. If you cannot map it to a specific skill, then most probably it lies beyond the skill set needed to be assessed and so it becomes a potential area for support from teachers to their students during the assignment ( Figure 2 ).

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Does it serve the social responsibility of the school?

Once the desired output is described evaluate this output in terms of its utility and its weight in social responsibility if the schools. Rate the projected product against its added value. Whenever the output can be identified as an asset or a product of extended value to others it is better.

Design Assignment instructions

Design written procedures that are simple and clear for the expected steps that organize implementation timeframe, team relationships, and advised steps.

Make sure the instructions are:

• Concise

Assignment Instructions should ideally be no more than one A4 paper long ( Rachul et al. 2020 ). Assignment instructions that are long cause students to feel overwhelmed and potion the assignment as a single response activity and encourage student plagiarism

• Detailed

Research has shown that the more detailed a writing assignment is, the better the student papers are in response to that assignment. Instructors can often help students write more effective papers by giving students written instructions about that assignment. Explicit descriptions of assignments on the syllabus or an “assignment sheet” tend to produce the best results. These instructions might make explicit the process or steps necessary to complete the assignment. Assignment sheets should detail:

• Purpose

Discuss the purpose of the assignment. Learners benefit from not just knowing what they are required to learn but also knowing why they are required to learn such knowledge, skills, or attitudes. Providing the context for an assignment will highlight its relevance in the course or program, but also its relevance for future clinical practice ( Emig, 1977 ).

Summary of the assignment explaining the overall task

The learning objectives to which the assignment ties back so students understand how the assignment fits into the course and their learning.

• How this assignment benefits student learning in terms of the course, their program, or their careers.
• Any assignments to which this assignment ties back or any assignments that will build off this assignment ( Marian.instructure.com , 2020)
• The kind of writing expected
• The scope of acceptable subject matter
• Length requirements
• Formatting requirements
• Documentation format
• The amount and type of research expected (if any)
• The responder’s role
• Deadlines for the first draft and its revision
• Providing questions or needed data in the assignment helps students get started. For instance, some questions can suggest a mode of organization to the students. Other questions might suggest a procedure to follow. The questions posed should require that students assert a thesis ( Cmsw.mit.edu, 2020 )
• Add any reference the students will need to refer to: This should be related to the program specifications and preferably selected from faculty-approved references. The selection of specific and limited references helps the students easily reach their target goals. Make a clear point that allows for student independent search for references.
• Includes examples for clarification: Providing templates and the delivery of a demo presentation or video improves the quality of the output. Moreover, it unifies the output format.
• Includes information on who to contact for questions and detailed contact information. Adding contact information for students at the end of the assignment or an email to direct questions to gives students a sense of security and an opportunity to reach out for clarifications. The faculty assigned to answering student questions should be fully aware of the required assignment and the grading criteria. Consider holding a faculty orientation session before assigning student assignments to them.

Make sure the assignment is read by any of your colleagues. Examine the assignment with reference to understandability, feasibility, logic. Revise the instructions to affirm that students are given enough space for creativity.

Plan an assessment guide

An assessment guide is a very important document for faculty to assess the student’s work. This document is an outline document that is attached to the assignment instruction document. This document is of maximum importance to ensure the reliability of the assessment tool.

Design Rubrics

Design a set of rubrics for each skill to be assessed. In the case of differentiating summative exams. Design multilevel achievement rubrics for each skill. In each level describe the level of achievement in measurable details.

Train faculty assessors

Make sure you train faculty on the use of rubrics in assessing process and output. Faculty who are using rubrics for the first time will need to be trained in a hands-on setting with mock assignments.

Step three: Implementation

The role of mentorship is irreplaceable for multiple reasons. Mentors do not only coach students to achieve the outcomes of the assignment but also provides the required context/structure for the work, monitor the timely achievement of assignment milestones and offer a role model to students in the means of teamwork, giving and receiving feedback as well as communication. Having a trained mentor will add value to the overall outcomes of the E-assignment and help students to develop professionalism attributes. Another tip might be adding two faculty members to mentor each group of students to support each other and provide more accessibility to students when they need advice.

Role of Faculty

The role of faculty during implementation is listed in Table 1 .

Role	Description
	• Providing guidance at the beginning of and throughout an assignment. • When appropriate, and particularly for new or complex concepts, outlining the potential learning strategies with learners can be helpful (Gagne et al., 1992; Al-Eraky, 2012).
	• Offer resources addition to those offered in the assignment guidelines
	• Provide clear expectations for an independent learning assignment will facilitate learning (Thomas et al., 2015; Hockings et al., 2018). • Identify areas of direction that can be given by faculty. These are the areas identified as outside the assessed skill set in the element blueprint. • Examples can be offered from similar assignments presented in preceding years
	• Designate office hours and make sure students are aware of the office hours of the contact person identified in the assignment
	• The plan of action can be considered as one of the elements of the assignment.
	• Ensure the integrity of process and methods by continuous follow up of the preapproved plan. • Ensure the quality of output in the pre-evaluation phase. • Quality assurance of the process and product before submission of the assignment. This can be done on a checklist generated from the instruction sheet. This checklist can be designed by the students as an element of their assignment. They can use this checklist within the process of self-evaluation, peer evaluation of faculty evaluation.
	• This is an excellent opportunity for faculty to teach professionalism to students to be open to their ideas, to teach them discipline, how to give and receive feedback, how to commit to the time frame previously planned by the team, and finally how to react to unexpected outcomes.

Role of student

The role of the student during implementation is listed in Table 2 .

Role	Description
	• The student takes an active role in assignments to ask questions and reach out for required help from faculty • Students ate engaged and taking a more active role in their learning.
	• The student takes charge of generating ideas and brainstorming them in groups until they come out with an assumption regarding the scope of the output.
	• The plan is generated by the students after understanding the task and after having generated all the needed questions and elicited all the required information from the faculty. • The plan should contain a description of the product or output as well as a list of the tasks needed to be performed associated with a clear Gannt chart or timeline. • Tasks should be distributed among the group members provisionally and the whole plan should be approved by the faculty in charge. • Provide clear expectations for an independent learning assignment will facilitate learning (Thomas et al. 2015; Hockings et al. 2018).
	• Students are encouraged to evaluate themselves in the process and in the product as well as evaluate each other. • The timing of the evaluation should be integrated timely into the assignment instructions. • Peer assessment should be done at a phase in the execution where corrective action can be done. • It is preferred that it is conducted mid-way in the process in order to contribute to the student’s understanding of their contribution and how it can be improved.

Step four: Assessment

Faculty approach assessment with a complete focus on two areas, both done in the rubric-guided process to ensure reliability.

Process assessment

Since faculty have been engaged throughout the planning and execution phase, they are capable of assessing the process that they witnessed and were a part of. Items to be assessed in the process include quality of the execution plan and student adherence to it, interpersonal communication within the group, etc.

Product assessment

The output is assessed against the pre-set rubrics. Assessment is done to grade or rank students based on items including quality of product and adherence to the guidelines, creativity, utility, and replicability.

Adherence to the rubrics established a near to reliable process that can be effective for summative assessment.

Step five: Evaluation

Despite having the evaluation part as the last step, but it needs to be planned for at the early stages of designing the assignments. Evaluation equals organizational learning. Where all stakeholders can see tangible outcomes of the assignments and can learn from the experience of students and staff members while conducting these assignments that are usable and usable by others. Only through good evaluation, the next cycles of E-assignments will include better plans, more innovative approaches, and maybe more involvement of students and community members.

Decide upon level(s) of evaluation (Kirkpatrick)

Evaluating the assignments at multiple levels (according to Kirkpatrick’s model) provides planners and stakeholders with a comprehensive evaluation that helps further planning. The satisfaction of different parties is important and easy to evaluate including students, staff members, and other stakeholders. As acceptability of assignments is key to their success. Rubrics will help evaluate the learning component from the assignments which is another crucial outcome of the whole process. The behaviours of participating students should also be evaluated using tools that evaluate professionalism and other various competencies such as collaboration, communication, and community awareness. A suggested tool is the 30 degrees evaluation (AKA Multisource feedback) to let all involved individuals evaluate their peers. At last, comparing the students’ overall performance before and after the E-assignment might be another method to evaluate the impact of such a process.

Develop data collection tools (forms)

The planning team should pay attention to the development of data collection tools once they agree on the evaluation framework. Using validated tools for data collection is a possibility and saves a lot of the team’s effort and time. However, innovative assignments might require the development of authentic tools that will need validation by medical education experts.

The team will also need to consider not to overwhelm users with multiple forms. The role is always to select a manageable number of indicators while planning. Select the essential and not interesting indicators. Using electronic forms for data collection will provide better access to various stakeholders with also initial analysis that can be done.

Analyse results

A simple and representative analysis of the results will be an outcome of a well-planned design of the evaluation that is most importantly has clear objectives. Some very important outcomes from our perspective are acceptability of the assignment, evidence of learning among students, and the development of the students’ personalities and behaviours. Proper and deliberate analysis of results will defiantly make the next step easier and specific to serve the process of E-assignments.

Discuss results with stakeholders

Involving various stakeholders is an essential step to ensure not only more development and improvement of E-assignments but also to sustain them as a norm in health-professions education institutes and promote the acceptability of this method among other less-involved staff members. Stakeholders include decision-makers, staff members from the same school, staff, members from other schools who are partners, or potential partners in interdisciplinary assignments, students, and community members.

Decide on further planning and implementation for better outcomes

Considering the feedback from various stakeholders and evaluation results, discussions regarding further plans and next steps should take place to design the E-assignments for the next cycle. Learning from lessons and realize that we always have an opportunity for improvement are important norms for team planning and implementing E-assignments to consider.

Disseminate results

Part of the academic scholarship of such experience should include dissemination of the results of such a useful experience. This dissemination can be performed at the local level where students themselves can put their work on posters or E-posters and have the chance to display them to peers and staff in some event. Publication of the experience will also help expand on the use of such valuable learning and assessment tools.

Replicate experience

After proper dissemination, multiple parties can be inspired by such a unique, creative, and active learning tool. This will include the wider application of E-assignment to cover other curricular areas or other phases in the medical school as well as replication of the successful experience in other health professions or even non-health professions institutes.

An integrated assignment was held for 3rd-year medical students. This started with a needs assessment done through a set of questionnaires administered to students. The questionnaires included both quantitative (5-Likert scale questions) and qualitative data (open-ended questions). Priorities identified were discussed in a focus group. Rubrics for assignment grading were designed in a series of faculty meetings that resulted in an approved assignment guide containing the instructions and the rubrics that were announced to students before the start of the assignment. A plan was developed with students to build a question bank.

Training sessions were held for the staff members, then the students over Zoom on how to develop an item for a question bank. The scope of questions was identified for students guided by the integrated lecture schedule. Templates were developed and handed to students. Students were assigned specific integrated lectures to study and the task was to develop a case scenario item for each lecture. Thus, the primary outcome of acquiring deep understanding, develop analytical thinking, together with the clinical application are ensured.

Items are screened for face validity revised by mentors and those accepted had to pass through a three-student committee for peer review and comments and Cases were submitted to the required formatting process to be published to the students’ Question bank. As a result of this assignment, we ended up with a seven hundred-item bank completely revised and validated and ready to be added to the faculty item bank. The authors and reviewers were affiliated in the section they have created.

Online quiz competitions were held using the students’ Q bank items to maximize student engagement. Item analysis for post-validation was performed. The whole process was evaluated by analysing student responses to the questionnaire and opinions expressed in a focus group.

The students enjoyed the experience as was apparent from the low percentage of student drop out from the activity (4.7%) and the comments that were seen in the focus group follow up call that was held to collect student opinions and satisfaction level as indicated from what they expressed during the focus group:

“I wish this technique could be applied in all years”

“It was an extremely fruitful experience and it is a sincere pleasure working with this competent team. Next time, the teams should be more organised. Better communication between the organisers, writers, and reviewers. Starting up an online upload of the questions is a great step as well.”

“I found the experience very satisfying and didn’t find any problem concerning my part”.

“I got a good experience in this workshop. It’s well organized and the instructor was very encouraging and cooperating.”

I don’t think that this work is over. And I believe we should continue working to increase and improve our question bank so that it could withhold more topics and not necessarily only the topics predetermined by our Faculty. We could also and hopefully do such question banks for other fields too.

Other ideas for multidisciplinary assignment-projects can even cover even clinical skills and competencies. Proposed examples for this are creating virtual patients’ videos ( Berman et al., 2016 and Consorti et al., 2012 ). This can be used as an assignment for assessing algorithm reasoning among students.

Take Home Messages

An integrated competency-based assignment can be well-tailored to an enthusiastic project, not only to provide a fair assessment but also, to create a usable product. Students’ engagement in the needs assessment, design, plan, implementation, and evaluation of the end product maximize the outputs to unexpected horizons. In addition to ensuring acquiring the intended skills and competencies.

Notes On Contributors

Hebat Allah A. Amin: MSc, MD, AICPD, FAIMER fellow 2020. She is a lecturer of Histopathology, the Academic Co-chair of the Steering Committee for the MBBCh program, phase I coordinator, Head of the E-Learning Committee, and member in the exam Committee and the medical education unit, Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University (FMHU). ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3311-4840

Mohamed Hany K. Shehata: MSc, MD, MHPE, FAIMER Fellow. He is a Professor of Family Medicine - AGU. Faculty in EMR Regional FAIMER Institute. He founded the Medical Education Unit at Helwan University. Worked as an educational consultant in the Egyptian Fellowship. In Suez Canal University he led the school’s teams of field training, Clinical teaching, and OSCE.ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7069-9329

Samar A. Ahmed: Medical Doctorate, MHPE, FAIMER Fellow, UNESCO TOT, Full professor in Forensic Medicine Ain Shams University, Director of ASU-MENA-FRI. She has a wide experience in project management and proposal writing after being a part of the Ministry of Higher Education EU project team for quite some time. She held many educational positions as a director of the quality assurance unit and the Director of the education development unit in more than one university. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8119-9258

Declarations

The author has declared that there are no conflicts of interest.

Ethics Statement

Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University, Research Ethics Committee for Human & Animal Research (FMHU-REC) has approved the project entitled ‘Medical Students’ Contribution to Curriculum Reformation’, REC no 24/2020. The included case-study is the phase I implementation. FMHU-REC is organised and operated according to the Declaration of Helsinki.

External Funding

This article has not had any External Funding

Acknowledgments

Figures 1 & 2 : Source: the authors.

The authors greatly acknowledge the batches’ (2016 and 2017) students for their outstanding performance, cooperation, and enthusiasm. Special thanks to the students’ CBL writing team. Their tedious efforts are well appreciated.

[version 1; peer review: This article was migrated, the article was marked as recommended]

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Version 1. MedEdPublish (2016). 2020; 9: 120.

Reviewer response for version 1

Keith wilson.

1 Dalhousie University

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 4 stars out of 5 The authors of this paper help the reader explore a roadmap to developing innovative assessments in an era of COVID-19. They rightly argue that we are exploring the exchange of formative and summative approaches to assessment.They provide a case example at the end of the article although I do feel this may better be served up front to provide context. Alternatively, as they elaborate on their suggested steps, elements of the case example could be woven in to give more ideas to the reader. The article has so many good elements/learning points that it may have been helpful to simplify down some of the messages – it could be turned into a new model of thinking about assessment. My worry is that some of the suggestions may be diluted down in the list. One of the most practical sections of the article is in the section on “Questions” – it provides some really great advice on how educators can build an innovative assessment. I feel that there are a number of areas where additional references would be beneficial for the reader. I would be happy to share these with the authors if interested. Overall this is a very interesting and timely article on how we can approach creative assessments in light of COVID-19. However, the real impact is how this approach can be realised beyond our restrictions during COVID-19. Anyone interested in assessment of students should read this article as it contains a number of practical tips.

Reviewer Expertise:

No decision status is available

Gehan Sadek

1 Menoufia Faculty of Medicine

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Professional beneficial well-structured work. I got many new ideas from it. Can be very useful in the current situation regarding COVID 19 pandemic. Thanks for this work

Anne D Souza

1 Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 4 stars out of 5 I enjoyed reading this article. Especially the description of the case study is quite impressive.The mapping of skills for each assignment could be a highly recommendable approach. The guidelines provided are precise and give a bird’s eye view on how an online assignment needs to be designed. The summary describes the entire process thoroughly.My suggestion is a flow diagram describing the entire process of creating e-assignments that could reinforce the summary.Thank you for this innovative and informative work.

Susmita Reddy Karri

1 Topiwala national medical college and BYL nair charitable hospital, mumbai. india

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Great work. A very thorough and well structured work.

Felix Silwimba

1 University of Lusaka

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Well detailed and clearly shared knowledge on e-assessments. I have personally picked a number of good ideas.

mariam asaad amin ibrahim

1 ain shams faculty of medicine

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Very innovative and professionalThank you for the excellent guide

Mustafa.H Shahin

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 It really was a great experince to join and work in a great team . I hope to make more and more achievments in the near future with this enthusiastic and cooparative partners.

dalia gaber

1 faculty of medicine, helwan university

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Thank you for establishing such amazing work that can be a guide for medical educators as an innovative assessment tool.

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 It is an amazing idea and a great workThanks for your efforts

Nagwa Hegazy

1 Menoufia university

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 4 stars out of 5 Thanks for this authentic detailed work.It suits the current era. I enjoyed reading the suggested model of E-Assignments levels and the matrix for the assignment elements. That was really descriptive. I believe that combining it with Miller pyramid could be a good step. My question for the authors; isn't product assessment part of the evaluation? The presence of the case study had shown the applicability of the proposed model.Thanks again for this great work

Zeinab Kasemy

1 Menoufia faculty of medicine

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Nice work

Haidy Khalil

1 Faculty of Medicine / Helwan University

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Very fruitful and to the point, Great work.

Amany Shabaiek

1 Forensic medicine authority

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Meticulous innovative work and great effort.. From a professional team.. God blesses you

1 Helwan faculty of medicine

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Great work as usual Dr Heba and Dr Mohamed.. Being a part of Helwan faculty of Medicine, I can see how those assignments develop students' skills.. Hope this will be a part of routine practice in Helwan after Covid elemenation..

Nagwa Kostandy Kalleny Nasrallah Nasrallah

1 Faculty of Medicice Ain Shams University

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 A great professional very helpful work. Keep it up.

Dalia Abouelfadl

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Great work as usual Dr HebaVery beneficial in times of pandemics like these days.Keep going

sally saied

1 egyptian medicolegal authority

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Great job and amazing effort, meticulous results. very professional And useful work

Shaimaa Bahr

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Very informative,beneficial and applicable! Great work doctors.

Safa Alkalash

1 Menoufia univeristy

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 4 stars out of 5 Excellent and great work dear professors.

Jihan Ahmed Elwahab

1 Environmental sciences and research institution

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 A strong paper based on current situation and establishing quick response to educational proplems. And great effort

Sherin Naguib

1 Egyptian Forensic medicine authority

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Great and professional job, hard effort, and amazing results

Lamyaa El Hassan

1 Faculty of Medicine. Jazan University

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 5 stars out of 5 Excellent. Very informative and useful.

Nayera Mostafa

1 Faculty of medicine, Ain Shams University

This review has been migrated. The reviewer awarded 4 stars out of 5 Great and beneficial work. Keep it up!

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Writing Assignments

Kate Derrington; Cristy Bartlett; and Sarah Irvine

Introduction

Assignments are a common method of assessment at university and require careful planning and good quality research. Developing critical thinking and writing skills are also necessary to demonstrate your ability to understand and apply information about your topic. It is not uncommon to be unsure about the processes of writing assignments at university.

You may be returning to study after a break
You may have come from an exam based assessment system and never written an assignment before
Maybe you have written assignments but would like to improve your processes and strategies

This chapter has a collection of resources that will provide you with the skills and strategies to understand assignment requirements and effectively plan, research, write and edit your assignments. It begins with an explanation of how to analyse an assignment task and start putting your ideas together. It continues by breaking down the components of academic writing and exploring the elements you will need to master in your written assignments. This is followed by a discussion of paraphrasing and synthesis, and how you can use these strategies to create a strong, written argument. The chapter concludes with useful checklists for editing and proofreading to help you get the best possible mark for your work.

Task Analysis and Deconstructing an Assignment

It is important that before you begin researching and writing your assignments you spend sufficient time understanding all the requirements. This will help make your research process more efficient and effective. Check your subject information such as task sheets, criteria sheets and any additional information that may be in your subject portal online. Seek clarification from your lecturer or tutor if you are still unsure about how to begin your assignments.

The task sheet typically provides key information about an assessment including the assignment question. It can be helpful to scan this document for topic, task and limiting words to ensure that you fully understand the concepts you are required to research, how to approach the assignment, and the scope of the task you have been set. These words can typically be found in your assignment question and are outlined in more detail in the two tables below (see Table 19.1 and Table 19.2 ).

Table 19.1 Parts of an Assignment Question

Topic words	These are words and concepts you have to research and write about.
Task words	These will tell you how to approach the assignment and structure the information you find in your research (e.g., discuss, analyse).
Limiting words	These words define the scope of the assignment, e.g., Australian perspectives, relevant codes or standards or a specific timeframe.

Make sure you have a clear understanding of what the task word requires you to address.

Table 19.2 Task words


	Give reasons for or explain something has occurred. This task directs you to consider contributing factors to a certain situation or event. You are expected to make a decision about why these occurred, not just describe the events.	the factors that led to the global financial crisis.
	Consider the different elements of a concept, statement or situation. Show the different components and show how they connect or relate. Your structure and argument should be logical and methodical.	the political, social and economic impacts of climate change.
	Make a judgement on a topic or idea. Consider its reliability, truth and usefulness. In your judgement, consider both the strengths and weaknesses of the opposing arguments to determine your topic’s worth (similar to evaluate).	the efficacy of cogitative behavioural therapy (CBT) for the treatment of depression.
	Divide your topic into categories or sub-topics logically (could possibly be part of a more complex task).	the artists studied this semester according to the artistic periods they best represent. Then choose one artist and evaluate their impact on future artists.
	State your opinion on an issue or idea. You may explain the issue or idea in more detail. Be objective and support your opinion with reliable evidence.	the government’s proposal to legalise safe injecting rooms.
	Show the similarities and differences between two or more ideas, theories, systems, arguments or events. You are expected to provide a balanced response, highlighting similarities and differences.	the efficiency of wind and solar power generation for a construction site.
	Point out only the differences between two or more ideas, theories, systems, arguments or events.	virtue ethics and utilitarianism as models for ethical decision making.
(this is often used with another task word, e.g. critically evaluate, critically analyse, critically discuss)	It does not mean to criticise, instead you are required to give a balanced account, highlighting strengths and weaknesses about the topic. Your overall judgment must be supported by reliable evidence and your interpretation of that evidence.	analyse the impacts of mental health on recidivism within youth justice.
	Provide a precise meaning of a concept. You may need to include the limits or scope of the concept within a given context.	digital disruption as it relates to productivity.
	Provide a thorough description, emphasising the most important points. Use words to show appearance, function, process, events or systems. You are not required to make judgements.	the pathophysiology of Asthma.
	Highlight the differences between two (possibly confusing) items.	between exothermic and endothermic reactions.
	Provide an analysis of a topic. Use evidence to support your argument. Be logical and include different perspectives on the topic (This requires more than a description).	how Brofenbrenner’s ecological system’s theory applies to adolescence.
	Review both positive and negative aspects of a topic. You may need to provide an overall judgement regarding the value or usefulness of the topic. Evidence (referencing) must be included to support your writing.	the impact of inclusive early childhood education programs on subsequent high school completion rates for First Nations students.
	Describe and clarify the situation or topic. Depending on your discipline area and topic, this may include processes, pathways, cause and effect, impact, or outcomes.	the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the film industry in Australia.
	Clarify a point or argument with examples and evidence.	how society’s attitudes to disability have changed from a medical model to a wholistic model of disability.
	Give evidence which supports an argument or idea; show why a decision or conclusions were made. Justify may be used with other topic words, such as outline, argue.	Write a report outlining the key issues and implications of a welfare cashless debit card trial and make three recommendations for future improvements. your decision-making process for the recommendations.
	A comprehensive description of the situation or topic which provides a critical analysis of the key issues.	Provide a of Australia's asylum policies since the Pacific Solution in 2001.
	An overview or brief description of a topic. (This is likely to be part of a larger assessment task.)	the process for calculating the correct load for a plane.

The criteria sheet , also known as the marking sheet or rubric, is another important document to look at before you begin your assignment. The criteria sheet outlines how your assignment will be marked and should be used as a checklist to make sure you have included all the information required.

The task or criteria sheet will also include the:

Word limit (or word count)
Referencing style and research expectations
Formatting requirements

Task analysis and criteria sheets are also discussed in the chapter Managing Assessments for a more detailed discussion on task analysis, criteria sheets, and marking rubrics.

Preparing your ideas

Brainstorm or concept map: List possible ideas to address each part of the assignment task based on what you already know about the topic from lectures and weekly readings.

Finding appropriate information: Learn how to find scholarly information for your assignments which is

See the chapter Working With Information for a more detailed explanation .

What is academic writing?

Academic writing tone and style.

Many of the assessment pieces you prepare will require an academic writing style. This is sometimes called ‘academic tone’ or ‘academic voice’. This section will help you to identify what is required when you are writing academically (see Table 19.3 ). The best way to understand what academic writing looks like, is to read broadly in your discipline area. Look at how your course readings, or scholarly sources, are written. This will help you identify the language of your discipline field, as well as how other writers structure their work.

Table 19.3 Comparison of academic and non-academic writing


Is clear, concise and well-structured	Is verbose and may use more words than are needed
Is formal. It writes numbers under twenty in full.	Writes numbers under twenty as numerals and uses symbols such as “&” instead of writing it in full
Is reasoned and supported (logically developed)	Uses humour (puns, sarcasm)
Is authoritative (writes in third person- This essay argues…)	Writes in first person (I think, I found)
Utilises the language of the field/industry/subject	Uses colloquial language e.g., mate

Thesis statements

Essays are a common form of assessment that you will likely encounter during your university studies. You should apply an academic tone and style when writing an essay, just as you would in in your other assessment pieces. One of the most important steps in writing an essay is constructing your thesis statement. A thesis statement tells the reader the purpose, argument or direction you will take to answer your assignment question. A thesis statement may not be relevant for some questions, if you are unsure check with your lecturer. The thesis statement:

Directly relates to the task . Your thesis statement may even contain some of the key words or synonyms from the task description.
Does more than restate the question.
Is specific and uses precise language.
Let’s your reader know your position or the main argument that you will support with evidence throughout your assignment.
The subject is the key content area you will be covering.
The contention is the position you are taking in relation to the chosen content.

Your thesis statement helps you to structure your essay. It plays a part in each key section: introduction, body and conclusion.

Planning your assignment structure

When planning and drafting assignments, it is important to consider the structure of your writing. Academic writing should have clear and logical structure and incorporate academic research to support your ideas. It can be hard to get started and at first you may feel nervous about the size of the task, this is normal. If you break your assignment into smaller pieces, it will seem more manageable as you can approach the task in sections. Refer to your brainstorm or plan. These ideas should guide your research and will also inform what you write in your draft. It is sometimes easier to draft your assignment using the 2-3-1 approach, that is, write the body paragraphs first followed by the conclusion and finally the introduction.

Writing introductions and conclusions

Clear and purposeful introductions and conclusions in assignments are fundamental to effective academic writing. Your introduction should tell the reader what is going to be covered and how you intend to approach this. Your conclusion should summarise your argument or discussion and signal to the reader that you have come to a conclusion with a final statement. These tips below are based on the requirements usually needed for an essay assignment, however, they can be applied to other assignment types.

Writing introductions

Most writing at university will require a strong and logically structured introduction. An effective introduction should provide some background or context for your assignment, clearly state your thesis and include the key points you will cover in the body of the essay in order to prove your thesis.

Usually, your introduction is approximately 10% of your total assignment word count. It is much easier to write your introduction once you have drafted your body paragraphs and conclusion, as you know what your assignment is going to be about. An effective introduction needs to inform your reader by establishing what the paper is about and provide four basic things:

A brief background or overview of your assignment topic
A thesis statement (see section above)
An outline of your essay structure
An indication of any parameters or scope that will/ will not be covered, e.g. From an Australian perspective.

The below example demonstrates the four different elements of an introductory paragraph.

1) Information technology is having significant effects on the communication of individuals and organisations in different professions. 2) This essay will discuss the impact of information technology on the communication of health professionals. 3) First, the provision of information technology for the educational needs of nurses will be discussed. 4) This will be followed by an explanation of the significant effects that information technology can have on the role of general practitioner in the area of public health. 5) Considerations will then be made regarding the lack of knowledge about the potential of computers among hospital administrators and nursing executives. 6) The final section will explore how information technology assists health professionals in the delivery of services in rural areas . 7) It will be argued that information technology has significant potential to improve health care and medical education, but health professionals are reluctant to use it.

1 Brief background/ overview | 2 Indicates the scope of what will be covered | 3-6 Outline of the main ideas (structure) | 7 The thesis statement

Note : The examples in this document are taken from the University of Canberra and used under a CC-BY-SA-3.0 licence.

Writing conclusions

You should aim to end your assignments with a strong conclusion. Your conclusion should restate your thesis and summarise the key points you have used to prove this thesis. Finish with a key point as a final impactful statement. Similar to your introduction, your conclusion should be approximately 10% of the total assignment word length. If your assessment task asks you to make recommendations, you may need to allocate more words to the conclusion or add a separate recommendations section before the conclusion. Use the checklist below to check your conclusion is doing the right job.

Conclusion checklist

Have you referred to the assignment question and restated your argument (or thesis statement), as outlined in the introduction?
Have you pulled together all the threads of your essay into a logical ending and given it a sense of unity?
Have you presented implications or recommendations in your conclusion? (if required by your task).
Have you added to the overall quality and impact of your essay? This is your final statement about this topic; thus, a key take-away point can make a great impact on the reader.
Remember, do not add any new material or direct quotes in your conclusion.

This below example demonstrates the different elements of a concluding paragraph.

1) It is evident, therefore, that not only do employees need to be trained for working in the Australian multicultural workplace, but managers also need to be trained. 2) Managers must ensure that effective in-house training programs are provided for migrant workers, so that they become more familiar with the English language, Australian communication norms and the Australian work culture. 3) In addition, Australian native English speakers need to be made aware of the differing cultural values of their workmates; particularly the different forms of non-verbal communication used by other cultures. 4) Furthermore, all employees must be provided with clear and detailed guidelines about company expectations. 5) Above all, in order to minimise communication problems and to maintain an atmosphere of tolerance, understanding and cooperation in the multicultural workplace, managers need to have an effective knowledge about their employees. This will help employers understand how their employee’s social conditioning affects their beliefs about work. It will develop their communication skills to develop confidence and self-esteem among diverse work groups. 6) The culturally diverse Australian workplace may never be completely free of communication problems, however, further studies to identify potential problems and solutions, as well as better training in cross cultural communication for managers and employees, should result in a much more understanding and cooperative environment.

1 Reference to thesis statement – In this essay the writer has taken the position that training is required for both employees and employers . | 2-5 Structure overview – Here the writer pulls together the main ideas in the essay. | 6 Final summary statement that is based on the evidence.

Note: The examples in this document are taken from the University of Canberra and used under a CC-BY-SA-3.0 licence.

Writing paragraphs

Paragraph writing is a key skill that enables you to incorporate your academic research into your written work. Each paragraph should have its own clearly identified topic sentence or main idea which relates to the argument or point (thesis) you are developing. This idea should then be explained by additional sentences which you have paraphrased from good quality sources and referenced according to the recommended guidelines of your subject (see the chapter Working with Information ). Paragraphs are characterised by increasing specificity; that is, they move from the general to the specific, increasingly refining the reader’s understanding. A common structure for paragraphs in academic writing is as follows.

Topic Sentence

This is the main idea of the paragraph and should relate to the overall issue or purpose of your assignment is addressing. Often it will be expressed as an assertion or claim which supports the overall argument or purpose of your writing.

Explanation/ Elaboration

The main idea must have its meaning explained and elaborated upon. Think critically, do not just describe the idea.

These explanations must include evidence to support your main idea. This information should be paraphrased and referenced according to the appropriate referencing style of your course.

Concluding sentence (critical thinking)

This should explain why the topic of the paragraph is relevant to the assignment question and link to the following paragraph.

Use the checklist below to check your paragraphs are clear and well formed.

Paragraph checklist

Does your paragraph have a clear main idea?
Is everything in the paragraph related to this main idea?
Is the main idea adequately developed and explained?
Do your sentences run together smoothly?
Have you included evidence to support your ideas?
Have you concluded the paragraph by connecting it to your overall topic?

Writing sentences

Make sure all the sentences in your paragraphs make sense. Each sentence must contain a verb to be a complete sentence. Avoid sentence fragments . These are incomplete sentences or ideas that are unfinished and create confusion for your reader. Avoid also run on sentences . This happens when you join two ideas or clauses without using the appropriate punctuation. This also confuses your meaning (See the chapter English Language Foundations for examples and further explanation).

Use transitions (linking words and phrases) to connect your ideas between paragraphs and make your writing flow. The order that you structure the ideas in your assignment should reflect the structure you have outlined in your introduction. Refer to transition words table in the chapter English Language Foundations.

Paraphrasing and Synthesising

Paraphrasing and synthesising are powerful tools that you can use to support the main idea of a paragraph. It is likely that you will regularly use these skills at university to incorporate evidence into explanatory sentences and strengthen your essay. It is important to paraphrase and synthesise because:

Paraphrasing is regarded more highly at university than direct quoting.
Paraphrasing can also help you better understand the material.
Paraphrasing and synthesising demonstrate you have understood what you have read through your ability to summarise and combine arguments from the literature using your own words.

What is paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is changing the writing of another author into your words while retaining the original meaning. You must acknowledge the original author as the source of the information in your citation. Follow the steps in this table to help you build your skills in paraphrasing (see Table 19.4 ).

Table 19.4 Paraphrasing techniques

1	Make sure you understand what you are reading. Look up keywords to understand their meanings.
2	Record the details of the source so you will be able to cite it correctly in text and in your reference list.
3	Identify words that you can change to synonyms (but do not change the key/topic words).
4	Change the type of word in a sentence (for example change a noun to a verb or vice versa).
5	Eliminate unnecessary words or phrases from the original that you don’t need in your paraphrase.
6	Change the sentence structure (for example change a long sentence to several shorter ones or combine shorter sentences to form a longer sentence).

Example of paraphrasing

Please note that these examples and in text citations are for instructional purposes only.

Original text

Health care professionals assist people often when they are at their most vulnerable . To provide the best care and understand their needs, workers must demonstrate good communication skills . They must develop patient trust and provide empathy to effectively work with patients who are experiencing a variety of situations including those who may be suffering from trauma or violence, physical or mental illness or substance abuse (French & Saunders, 2018).

Poor quality paraphrase example

This is a poor example of paraphrasing. Some synonyms have been used and the order of a few words changed within the sentences however the colours of the sentences indicate that the paragraph follows the same structure as the original text.

Health care sector workers are often responsible for vulnerable patients. To understand patients and deliver good service , they need to be excellent communicators . They must establish patient rapport and show empathy if they are to successfully care for patients from a variety of backgrounds and with different medical, psychological and social needs (French & Saunders, 2018).

A good quality paraphrase example

This example demonstrates a better quality paraphrase. The author has demonstrated more understanding of the overall concept in the text by using the keywords as the basis to reconstruct the paragraph. Note how the blocks of colour have been broken up to see how much the structure has changed from the original text.

Empathetic communication is a vital skill for health care workers. Professionals in these fields are often responsible for patients with complex medical, psychological and social needs. Empathetic communication assists in building rapport and gaining the necessary trust to assist these vulnerable patients by providing appropriate supportive care (French & Saunders, 2018).

The good quality paraphrase example demonstrates understanding of the overall concept in the text by using key words as the basis to reconstruct the paragraph. Note how the blocks of colour have been broken up, which indicates how much the structure has changed from the original text.

What is synthesising?

Synthesising means to bring together more than one source of information to strengthen your argument. Once you have learnt how to paraphrase the ideas of one source at a time, you can consider adding additional sources to support your argument. Synthesis demonstrates your understanding and ability to show connections between multiple pieces of evidence to support your ideas and is a more advanced academic thinking and writing skill.

Follow the steps in this table to improve your synthesis techniques (see Table 19.5 ).

Table 19.5 Synthesising techniques

1	Check your referencing guide to learn how to correctly reference more than one author at a time in your paper.
2	While taking notes for your research, try organising your notes into themes. This way you can keep similar ideas from different authors together.
3	Identify similar language and tone used by authors so that you can group similar ideas together.
4	Synthesis can not only be about grouping ideas together that are similar, but also those that are different. See how you can contrast authors in your writing to also strengthen your argument.

Example of synthesis

There is a relationship between academic procrastination and mental health outcomes. Procrastination has been found to have a negative effect on students’ well-being (Balkis, & Duru, 2016). Yerdelen, McCaffrey, and Klassens’ (2016) research results suggested that there was a positive association between procrastination and anxiety. This was corroborated by Custer’s (2018) findings which indicated that students with higher levels of procrastination also reported greater levels of the anxiety. Therefore, it could be argued that procrastination is an ineffective learning strategy that leads to increased levels of distress.

Topic sentence | Statements using paraphrased evidence | Critical thinking (student voice) | Concluding statement – linking to topic sentence

This example demonstrates a simple synthesis. The author has developed a paragraph with one central theme and included explanatory sentences complete with in-text citations from multiple sources. Note how the blocks of colour have been used to illustrate the paragraph structure and synthesis (i.e., statements using paraphrased evidence from several sources). A more complex synthesis may include more than one citation per sentence.

Creating an argument

What does this mean.

Throughout your university studies, you may be asked to ‘argue’ a particular point or position in your writing. You may already be familiar with the idea of an argument, which in general terms means to have a disagreement with someone. Similarly, in academic writing, if you are asked to create an argument, this means you are asked to have a position on a particular topic, and then justify your position using evidence.

What skills do you need to create an argument?

In order to create a good and effective argument, you need to be able to:

Read critically to find evidence
Plan your argument
Think and write critically throughout your paper to enhance your argument

For tips on how to read and write critically, refer to the chapter Thinking for more information. A formula for developing a strong argument is presented below.

A formula for a good argument

A diagram on the formula for a ggood argument which includes deciding what side of argument you are on, research evidence to support your argument, create a plan to create a logically flowing argument and writing your argument

What does an argument look like?

As can be seen from the figure above, including evidence is a key element of a good argument. While this may seem like a straightforward task, it can be difficult to think of wording to express your argument. The table below provides examples of how you can illustrate your argument in academic writing (see Table 19.6 ).

Table 19.6 Argument

Introducing your argument	• This paper will argue/claim that... • ...is an important factor/concept/idea/ to consider because... • … will be argued/outlined in this paper.
Introducing evidence for your argument	• Smith (2014) outlines that.... • This evidence demonstrates that... • According to Smith (2014)… • For example, evidence/research provided by Smith (2014) indicates that...
Giving the reason why your point/evidence is important	• Therefore this indicates... • This evidence clearly demonstrates.... • This is important/significant because... • This data highlights...
Concluding a point	• Overall, it is clear that... • Therefore, … are reasons which should be considered because... • Consequently, this leads to.... • The research presented therefore indicates...

Editing and proofreading (reviewing)

Once you have finished writing your first draft it is recommended that you spend time revising your work. Proofreading and editing are two different stages of the revision process.

Editing considers the overall focus or bigger picture of the assignment
Proofreading considers the finer details

Editing mindmap with the words sources, content,s tructure and style. Proofreading mindmap with the words referencing, word choice, grammar and spelling and punctuation

As can be seen in the figure above there are four main areas that you should review during the editing phase of the revision process. The main things to consider when editing include content, structure, style, and sources. It is important to check that all the content relates to the assignment task, the structure is appropriate for the purposes of the assignment, the writing is academic in style, and that sources have been adequately acknowledged. Use the checklist below when editing your work.

Editing checklist

Have I answered the question accurately?
Do I have enough credible, scholarly supporting evidence?
Is my writing tone objective and formal enough or have I used emotive and informal language?
Have I written in the third person not the first person?
Do I have appropriate in-text citations for all my information?
Have I included the full details for all my in-text citations in my reference list?

There are also several key things to look out for during the proofreading phase of the revision process. In this stage it is important to check your work for word choice, grammar and spelling, punctuation and referencing errors. It can be easy to mis-type words like ‘from’ and ‘form’ or mix up words like ‘trail’ and ‘trial’ when writing about research, apply American rather than Australian spelling, include unnecessary commas or incorrectly format your references list. The checklist below is a useful guide that you can use when proofreading your work.

Proofreading checklist

Is my spelling and grammar accurate?
Are they complete?
Do they all make sense?
Do they only contain only one idea?
Do the different elements (subject, verb, nouns, pronouns) within my sentences agree?
Are my sentences too long and complicated?
Do they contain only one idea per sentence?
Is my writing concise? Take out words that do not add meaning to your sentences.
Have I used appropriate discipline specific language but avoided words I don’t know or understand that could possibly be out of context?
Have I avoided discriminatory language and colloquial expressions (slang)?
Is my referencing formatted correctly according to my assignment guidelines? (for more information on referencing refer to the Managing Assessment feedback section).

This chapter has examined the experience of writing assignments. It began by focusing on how to read and break down an assignment question, then highlighted the key components of essays. Next, it examined some techniques for paraphrasing and summarising, and how to build an argument. It concluded with a discussion on planning and structuring your assignment and giving it that essential polish with editing and proof-reading. Combining these skills and practising them, can greatly improve your success with this very common form of assessment.

Academic writing requires clear and logical structure, critical thinking and the use of credible scholarly sources.
A thesis statement is important as it tells the reader the position or argument you have adopted in your assignment. Not all assignments will require a thesis statement.
Spending time analysing your task and planning your structure before you start to write your assignment is time well spent.
Information you use in your assignment should come from credible scholarly sources such as textbooks and peer reviewed journals. This information needs to be paraphrased and referenced appropriately.
Paraphrasing means putting something into your own words and synthesising means to bring together several ideas from sources.
Creating an argument is a four step process and can be applied to all types of academic writing.
Editing and proofreading are two separate processes.

Academic Skills Centre. (2013). Writing an introduction and conclusion . University of Canberra, accessed 13 August, 2013, http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/writing/conclusions

Balkis, M., & Duru, E. (2016). Procrastination, self-regulation failure, academic life satisfaction, and affective well-being: underregulation or misregulation form. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 31 (3), 439-459.

Custer, N. (2018). Test anxiety and academic procrastination among prelicensure nursing students. Nursing education perspectives, 39 (3), 162-163.

Yerdelen, S., McCaffrey, A., & Klassen, R. M. (2016). Longitudinal examination of procrastination and anxiety, and their relation to self-efficacy for self-regulated learning: Latent growth curve modeling. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 16 (1).

Writing Assignments Copyright © 2021 by Kate Derrington; Cristy Bartlett; and Sarah Irvine is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Journal Article

Deep reinforcement learning-based task assignment for cooperative mobile edge computing.

Documentation Topics

Published: April 25, 2023 Citation: IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing vol. 23, no. 4, (April 2024) pp. 3156-3171

Li-Tse Hsieh (Catholic University of America) , Hang Liu (Catholic University of America) , Yang Guo (NIST) , Robert Gazda (InterDigital, Inc.)

Mobile edge computing (MEC) integrates computing resources in wireless access networks to process computational tasks in close proximity to mobile users with low latency. This paper investigates the task assignment problem for cooperative MEC networks in which a set of geographically distributed heterogeneous edge servers not only cooperate with remote cloud data centers but also help each other to jointly process user tasks. We introduce a novel stochastic MEC cooperation framework to model the edge-to-edge horizontal cooperation and the edge-to-cloud vertical cooperation. The task assignment optimization problem is formulated by taking into consideration dynamic network states, uncertain node computing capabilities and task arrivals, as well as the heterogeneity of the involved entities. We then develop and compare three task assignment algorithms, based on different deep reinforcement learning (DRL) approaches, value-based, policy-based, and hybrid approaches. In addition, to reduce the search space and computation complexity of the algorithms, we propose decomposition and function approximation techniques by leveraging the structure of the underlying problem. The evaluation results show that the proposed DRL-based task assignment schemes outperform the existing algorithms, and the hybrid actor-critic scheme performs the best under dynamic MEC network environments.

Control Families

None selected

Documentation

Publication: https://doi.org/10.1109/TMC.2023.3270242 Preprint (pdf)

Supplemental Material: None available

Document History: 04/25/23: Journal Article (Final)

cloud & virtualization , mobile

communications & wireless

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Designing Research or Inquiry-Based Assignments

A student looks at artifacts in a museum.

Research or inquiry-based assignments are  those in which  students are required to find, analyze, and use various information sources to:

Explore an issue
Answer a question
Solve a problem
Create new knowledge

 Although they are common assignments, they are frequently sources of frustration for both instructors and students.

Outlined below are helpful steps that you can take as you design your research or inquiry-based assignments. In addition, each section includes questions to consider or actions you can take that may help lessen some of the misunderstandings between students and instructors regarding research or inquiry-based assignments.

Identify Learning Bottlenecks

As a start for designing effective research or inquiry-based assignments, it can be helpful to identify those places where students tend to get stuck, unable to perform specific tasks or move forward in their learning.

These can be referred to as learning bottlenecks .

Ask yourself

Are there aspects of the assignment that significant numbers of students have struggled with in the past? For example, have you noticed that students tend to use inappropriate sources or struggle to cite the sources appropriately?

What are the specific steps that students must take to overcome the bottleneck(s)? What do they need to understand or be able to do?

Could students have any emotional bottlenecks related to the assignment or specific tasks within the assignment? For example, students may have had previous negative experiences with research assignments. Identifying and addressing fears or concerns related to these past experiences may be helpful.

These recommendations are based on the Decoding the Disciplines model, developed by David Pace and Joan Middendorf. For more information on identifying and addressing learning bottlenecks, see Decoding the Disciplines .

Identify Core Assumptions

You may understand the purpose and process for completing research assignments that are not clear to students. For example, you may expect students to actively engage in the conversation on their topic (e.g., advance an argument, make an interpretation, share their perspective), but may not directly convey this to students. You may make assumptions about what students already know about completing research assignments, which can influence the amount of guidance you provide to them. As a result, students may feel that they are being asked to meet expectations they didn’t even know existed or perform complex tasks with little guidance.

Identifying hidden expectations and underlying assumptions that you have and making these clear to students can help avoid misunderstandings (e.g., “I didn’t know I was supposed to cite peer-reviewed articles”).

Ask yourself

Are there underlying expectations that I have about the purpose or process of the assignment that students might not be aware of?

Am I expecting students to approach research as an iterative, inquiry-driven process (rather than a process of compiling and summarizing information)?

Am I expecting that students will recognize scholarship as an ongoing conversation among scholars and researchers?

Am I expecting that students will use certain types of search tools or information sources?

Am I expecting that students will know how to identify credible, relevant, and appropriate information sources?

Am I expecting that students know how scholars use sources and why it is important to provide appropriate attribution?

Use the Framework for Information Literacy

The Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education (Association of College & Research Libraries, 2016) is a great resource you can use to identify potential learning bottlenecks. It highlights six core understandings about the purpose and process of research that are broadly shared among expert researchers, but that students may not yet have grasped. In addition, it outlines the skills (knowledge practices) and habits of mind (dispositions) that are important for novice researchers to develop.

To use the framework

Review the six core concepts and highlight those that you think may be contributing to the bottlenecks that students are experiencing.

For the selected core concepts, review the related knowledge practices and dispositions in order to identify specific learning bottlenecks.

For more information on the Framework, see: Information Literacy: Concepts and Teaching Strategies .

Consider Your Disciplinary Knowledge

As you become more experienced, you develop knowledge about how to conduct research in your field. Without realizing it, this knowledge can influence the expectations you have for students. For novice learners, especially those outside your field, these discipline-specific expectations may not be obvious.

What do I know about research or scholarship in my field that students may not be aware of? For example:

Who are the authorities in my field? What qualifies as an authoritative source?

What search tools or resources are commonly used in my field? Are there discipline-specific databases or highly cited journals?

What method of attribution is used in my field?

How might my disciplinary knowledge be contributing to the expectations I have for students?

Is it necessary that students are able to meet the standards of research that are common in my field? For example: Is it necessary that students use the attribution method used in my field? In courses with primarily non-majors, requiring a discipline-specific attribution method may add an unneeded layer of complication.

These questions are based on Miller, S. D. (2018).

Scaffold Your Assignments

Completing a single large research assignment can be a challenge for students unfamiliar with academic research practices, especially when this assignment may account for a significant portion of a students’ grade.

Instead, you may want to:

Break your large research assignment into smaller, connected assignments.

Model each part of the process for your students and provide examples.

Provide feedback and opportunities for questions after each part of the assignment.

Incorporate Library Resources

The Ohio State University Libraries offers various resources and services that students can use when completing their research assignments. To help your students make the most out of the available resources and services, we recommend you:

Familiarize yourself with resources available through University Libraries, among them:

Subject Guides
Course Guides
Research Databases List
Copyright Basics
Citation Guide
AskUs

If one does not already exist, consider requesting a course-specific guide for your class. To request a course guide, contact your Subject Librarian .

Confirm that the resources students need to complete research assignments are available. (For example, checking that the Libraries’ provides access to the database or journal you want students to use.)

Link directly to available ebooks, journals, articles, and streaming videos in your Canvas course. For guidelines, go to Linking to Library Licensed Resources

Check the number of students who can use e-resources at the same time. (For example, some ebooks allow only a limited number of concurrent users)

Consider incorporating content from the free, open-access textbook: Choosing and Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research . For additional support, see: Choosing and Using Sources: Instructor Resources .

Leverage Library Resources

Instructor Resources at University Libraries provides guidance on incorporating library resources to support student learning in your course. Explore topics such as information literacy, academic research skills, and affordable course content, and access “ready-to-share” instructional materials including videos, Carmen content, and handouts.

Developing effective research or inquiry-based assignments can be challenging. But, don’t think you have to go it alone. The University Libraries provides support for instructors to develop meaningful and equitable research or inquiry-based assignments. For assistance, email [email protected] .

Some additional steps you can take include:

Have a colleague or student review your research assignment instructions and provide feedback.

Consider available professional development opportunities, including the following teaching endorsements available through the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning:

Meaningful Inquiry

Teaching Information Literacy

Teaching through Writing

Miller, S. D. (2018). Diving deep: Reflective questions for identifying tacit disciplinary information literacy knowledge practices, dispositions, and values through the ACRL framework for information literacy. The Journal of Academic Librarianship , 44(3), 412-418.

Eberly Center

Teaching excellence & educational innovation, creating assignments.

Here are some general suggestions and questions to consider when creating assignments. There are also many other resources in print and on the web that provide examples of interesting, discipline-specific assignment ideas.

Consider your learning objectives.

What do you want students to learn in your course? What could they do that would show you that they have learned it? To determine assignments that truly serve your course objectives, it is useful to write out your objectives in this form: I want my students to be able to ____. Use active, measurable verbs as you complete that sentence (e.g., compare theories, discuss ramifications, recommend strategies), and your learning objectives will point you towards suitable assignments.

Design assignments that are interesting and challenging.

This is the fun side of assignment design. Consider how to focus students’ thinking in ways that are creative, challenging, and motivating. Think beyond the conventional assignment type! For example, one American historian requires students to write diary entries for a hypothetical Nebraska farmwoman in the 1890s. By specifying that students’ diary entries must demonstrate the breadth of their historical knowledge (e.g., gender, economics, technology, diet, family structure), the instructor gets students to exercise their imaginations while also accomplishing the learning objectives of the course (Walvoord & Anderson, 1989, p. 25).

Double-check alignment.

After creating your assignments, go back to your learning objectives and make sure there is still a good match between what you want students to learn and what you are asking them to do. If you find a mismatch, you will need to adjust either the assignments or the learning objectives. For instance, if your goal is for students to be able to analyze and evaluate texts, but your assignments only ask them to summarize texts, you would need to add an analytical and evaluative dimension to some assignments or rethink your learning objectives.

Name assignments accurately.

Students can be misled by assignments that are named inappropriately. For example, if you want students to analyze a product’s strengths and weaknesses but you call the assignment a “product description,” students may focus all their energies on the descriptive, not the critical, elements of the task. Thus, it is important to ensure that the titles of your assignments communicate their intention accurately to students.

Consider sequencing.

Think about how to order your assignments so that they build skills in a logical sequence. Ideally, assignments that require the most synthesis of skills and knowledge should come later in the semester, preceded by smaller assignments that build these skills incrementally. For example, if an instructor’s final assignment is a research project that requires students to evaluate a technological solution to an environmental problem, earlier assignments should reinforce component skills, including the ability to identify and discuss key environmental issues, apply evaluative criteria, and find appropriate research sources.

Think about scheduling.

Consider your intended assignments in relation to the academic calendar and decide how they can be reasonably spaced throughout the semester, taking into account holidays and key campus events. Consider how long it will take students to complete all parts of the assignment (e.g., planning, library research, reading, coordinating groups, writing, integrating the contributions of team members, developing a presentation), and be sure to allow sufficient time between assignments.

Check feasibility.

Is the workload you have in mind reasonable for your students? Is the grading burden manageable for you? Sometimes there are ways to reduce workload (whether for you or for students) without compromising learning objectives. For example, if a primary objective in assigning a project is for students to identify an interesting engineering problem and do some preliminary research on it, it might be reasonable to require students to submit a project proposal and annotated bibliography rather than a fully developed report. If your learning objectives are clear, you will see where corners can be cut without sacrificing educational quality.

Articulate the task description clearly.

If an assignment is vague, students may interpret it any number of ways – and not necessarily how you intended. Thus, it is critical to clearly and unambiguously identify the task students are to do (e.g., design a website to help high school students locate environmental resources, create an annotated bibliography of readings on apartheid). It can be helpful to differentiate the central task (what students are supposed to produce) from other advice and information you provide in your assignment description.

Establish clear performance criteria.

Different instructors apply different criteria when grading student work, so it’s important that you clearly articulate to students what your criteria are. To do so, think about the best student work you have seen on similar tasks and try to identify the specific characteristics that made it excellent, such as clarity of thought, originality, logical organization, or use of a wide range of sources. Then identify the characteristics of the worst student work you have seen, such as shaky evidence, weak organizational structure, or lack of focus. Identifying these characteristics can help you consciously articulate the criteria you already apply. It is important to communicate these criteria to students, whether in your assignment description or as a separate rubric or scoring guide . Clearly articulated performance criteria can prevent unnecessary confusion about your expectations while also setting a high standard for students to meet.

Specify the intended audience.

Students make assumptions about the audience they are addressing in papers and presentations, which influences how they pitch their message. For example, students may assume that, since the instructor is their primary audience, they do not need to define discipline-specific terms or concepts. These assumptions may not match the instructor’s expectations. Thus, it is important on assignments to specify the intended audience http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop10e.cfm (e.g., undergraduates with no biology background, a potential funder who does not know engineering).

Specify the purpose of the assignment.

If students are unclear about the goals or purpose of the assignment, they may make unnecessary mistakes. For example, if students believe an assignment is focused on summarizing research as opposed to evaluating it, they may seriously miscalculate the task and put their energies in the wrong place. The same is true they think the goal of an economics problem set is to find the correct answer, rather than demonstrate a clear chain of economic reasoning. Consequently, it is important to make your objectives for the assignment clear to students.

Specify the parameters.

If you have specific parameters in mind for the assignment (e.g., length, size, formatting, citation conventions) you should be sure to specify them in your assignment description. Otherwise, students may misapply conventions and formats they learned in other courses that are not appropriate for yours.

A Checklist for Designing Assignments

Here is a set of questions you can ask yourself when creating an assignment.

Provided a written description of the assignment (in the syllabus or in a separate document)?
Specified the purpose of the assignment?
Indicated the intended audience?
Articulated the instructions in precise and unambiguous language?
Provided information about the appropriate format and presentation (e.g., page length, typed, cover sheet, bibliography)?
Indicated special instructions, such as a particular citation style or headings?
Specified the due date and the consequences for missing it?
Articulated performance criteria clearly?
Indicated the assignment’s point value or percentage of the course grade?
Provided students (where appropriate) with models or samples?

Adapted from the WAC Clearinghouse at http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop10e.cfm .

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What Is Task-Based Learning? A Guide to the Popular Teaching Method

Johanna kawasaki.

April 6, 2021

As global language teachers who want to stay up to date with recent developments in education (and also stay competitive when it comes to getting that dream job), we have to constantly evolve as educators and include modern ways of teaching in our lesson planning and our teaching methods. One such method that all ESL teachers should know about is task-based learning (TBL), also referred to as task-based language teaching. What is task-based learning? Read on if you’re interested in learning about this rewarding and fun teaching method!

If you’re new to teaching, you’ll want to get initial training and qualification with a TEFL certificate . You can explore our online TEFL courses to get started!

Why is task-based learning important?

During task-based learning, students solve tasks that are relevant and interesting to them. In order to solve the task, they need to use the target language they’re learning to communicate with their peers. They use authentic language instead of answering grammar or vocabulary questions about the language. Students — especially younger learners — don’t actually feel that they’re studying a language at that moment because they’re engrossed in the task they’re working on.
Task-based learning is especially conducive to group learning. Learning a language as a group is also a very important contributor to effective retention. Collaborating with others and becoming confident with the language within a group is a key step in acquiring that language. Also, receiving positive feedback from peers and teachers increases confidence and motivation to learn and to communicate with others.
Students’ understanding of the language also deepens because the realistic context in which they’re learning the language is relevant to their personal lives. It’s a good idea to ask your students about their hobbies and preferences at the beginning of a course so that you can include their interests in the tasks you set.
In addition to the benefits for students, solid knowledge of this method will also increase your job prospects as a teacher. Some job ads specifically ask for task-based language teaching experience!

A Bridge grad teaching English to young learners in Turkey

What is the task-based method?

The task-based teaching approach is one of many modern ESL teaching methods and focuses on setting a goal for students — this could be a report, a video, or a presentation — and then following three main steps to achieve that goal.

1. The pre-task

During this stage, which can take up a whole lesson if needed, the teacher introduces the task to the students and gets them motivated to solve it. Once everyone is engaged, the teacher should explain what is expected for the task.

Verbal explanations can be supported by an example from the teacher or by showing a previous student’s work. The teacher can then give further instructions if needed and offer advice on how to approach the task.

2. The task

This is the main stage of task-based learning, where students start working on the task, usually in groups or pairs. This stage is done in the target language so that students feel the need to use the language they want to learn in order to solve the task.

The teacher doesn’t usually join in the work process. Instead, he or she will monitor the students and offer hints if students really need support.

Find out about teaching English online to groups.

3. The review (or post-task)

Once the students have completed the task and have something to present, the review stage, also known as the post-task, starts.

It’s a good idea to let students evaluate each other’s work and only offer a teacher review of frequently-made errors during the task. Peer correction could be carried out in the form of comments, feedback discussions, or a checklist with additional room for free commentary.

The review stage offers students the opportunity to reflect on their work and analyze it in order to improve their skills for the future.

BFITS Thailand teacher with a class of students

What is a task (vs. an activity)?

Task-based learning uses a lesson structure that incorporates different activities to solve a task. The task can span the length of an entire lesson or, if it’s project-based learning, it can take up several lessons to complete.

Essentially, the task is the big-picture assignment that students are trying to complete or solve, and the activities are the individual steps or exercises they take to achieve the task.

Examples of tasks include:

Creating a presentation
Making a video or short movie
Writing a piece of text, such as a newsletter article
Acting out a skit
Creating an original game that includes writing down the game rules, playing the game, and evaluating the game
Working out the solution to a practical problem, such as planning an upcoming trip or gathering missing information, like working out who started a rumor at school
Participating in a group debate or discussion, like arguing for a favorite competitor in a TV show

You can develop some great tasks using these fun ESL games and activities for young learners and teens.

What is a task-based activity?

A task-based activity is a procedure in which students have to use the target language in order to achieve a specific outcome. The best TBL activities reflect real-life situations, so the students can see that the lesson is relevant to their own lives.

One of the main task-based learning advantages is that the activities allow students to use the language they know freely and exploratively as long as they are able to complete the overall task. Error correction can be done at the end of the lesson if necessary but not during the activity, so you encourage fluency and motivate students to use the language.

Learn more about correcting students’ mistakes with the Micro-credential Course in Error Correction in the EFL Classroom.

An example of a task-based activity could be to have each student draw a comic picture and explain the content and the inspiration behind it to the group. They then have to collaborate to put together a comic strip that includes each student’s picture, which is the main task (to create an original comic strip).

You can also use task-based language teaching and task-based activities in the online classroom. You can have students submit their work and you can share the results with the group. Then, everyone can work together on the main task that you previously set.

Learn more about creating materials for the EFL classroom!

Jhonny teaching origami online through a video camera

How can you apply a task-based approach to your teaching?

As an English teacher, you will not get around the “boring stuff,” such as grammar drills and vocabulary work. You also have to keep in mind that your students need to practice all four skills: writing, reading, speaking, and listening.

However, keeping the drills and language exercises to a necessary minimum and including more task-based learning in your curriculum can help students use the target language immediately and retain words and grammar points more effectively.

Here are two examples of task-based lesson plans:

In the physical classroom (with a group of 10-15 teenagers)

Greeting and warm-up: While the students are settling in, you can play a song that’s popular among your students. You can let them sing along if they know the song well!
Assign the task and give instructions: “Create your own music video in groups of 4-5 students using a song of your choice. Everybody has to have a role, from managing the camera to coming up with choreography to performing in the video. You have this lesson for planning and the next lesson for filming. We will watch all of the videos in the third lesson and give feedback to each other.”
Do the task: Let students gather in groups and start planning their video. Monitor their language and teamwork, and take notes. Make sure that everybody is engaged and involved and that there are no students who are just standing by.
Review: Before the lesson ends, give brief and motivating feedback to the students, and praise them for their efforts and their use of the language. Remind the students to be ready to start filming during the next lesson.

In the online classroom (with around 5 young learners)

Greeting and warm-up: Call out each student’s name and show each of them a card with a different word on it. It could be “dog,” “play,” “boy,” “girl,” “sunny,” etc. Have each student read their word out loud.
Assign the task and give instructions: “Create a short story that includes all of the words I gave you just now. You can decide the order of the words and how you use them in your story. You can add as many words and plot twists as you like. Each student has to contribute at least one sentence. Please start.”
Do the task: Watch the students on camera and take notes. If communication between them comes to a standstill, you can provide some support by asking questions, such as “What do you think could happen next?” or “Who can come up with the next idea?” or “Who wants to include their word next?” Your support should encourage the students to participate without giving them an idea straight away. Finally, have the students write down the story that they created. They can then take turns reading it out loud, one sentence at a time.
Review: Praise your students for their effort and teamwork, and applaud their story. Let the students have time for self-reflection and respond to questions such as “What did you do especially well today?” or “What would you like to improve for next time?”

If you’re not comfortable with task-based language teaching just yet, don’t let that discourage you. You can envision using this teaching method as your personal task. Set yourself a goal, try TBL out in your next lesson, and review your class afterward to reflect on what to improve and what went well!

In a teaching pinch? Try one of these last-minute ESL lesson plans that can be adapted to any class!

After backpacking Australia on a Working Holiday visa, Bridge graduate Johanna traveled to Japan for a year to teach English. She then moved to New Zealand for another two years before returning to her chosen home country, Japan, where she currently lives. Now, with more than eight years of professional English teaching experience, Johanna enjoys her expat life in Japan teaching teenagers at a private junior and senior high school, where she recently received tenure after only two years. When she’s not teaching, Johanna continues to travel regionally and explore new places.

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Now use role-based access control in Azure Cosmos DB Data Explorer

Meredith Moore

July 2nd, 2024 0 0

Azure Cosmos DB Data Explorer is a web-based tool that allows you to interact with your data, run queries, and visualize results in Azure Cosmos DB. It is available in the Azure Portal and as a standalone web app .

RBAC allows you to use Microsoft Entra ID identities to control data access in Data Explorer, instead of using account keys. This way, you can grant granular permissions to different users and groups and audit their activities. RBAC also enables you to use features such as Entra ID Conditional Access and Entra ID Privileged Identity Management to further protect your data. It allows for finer-grained access control based on roles, reducing the risk associated with key management and distribution.

Previously, RBAC could only be used with the standalone app, and not directly within the Data Explorer in the Azure portal. Today you have enhanced capabilities, and you can use it within the Data Explorer in the portal and the standalone Data Explorer web app for your Azure Cosmos DB NoSQL accounts.

How to enable RBAC in Data Explorer for NoSQL accounts

The use of RBAC in Data Explorer is controlled by the Enable Entra ID RBAC setting. You can access this setting via the “wheel” icon at the upper right-hand side of Data Explorer.

The setting has three values tailored to your needs:

Automatic (default): In this mode, RBAC will be automatically used if the account has disabled the use of keys. Otherwise, Data Explorer will use account keys for requests.
True: In this mode, RBAC will always be used for Data Explorer requests. If the account has not been enabled for RBAC, then the requests will fail.
False: In this mode, account keys will always be used for Data Explorer requests. If the account has disabled the use of keys, then the requests will fail.

Previously, RBAC was only supported in the Data Explorer standalone web app using a feature enabled link . This is still supported and will override the value of the Enable Entra ID RBAC setting. Using this query parameter is equivalent to using the ‘Automatic’ mode mentioned above.

How to use RBAC in Data Explorer

Once you have enabled RBAC and assigned roles to your Entra ID identities, you can use Data Explorer to interact with your data. To do so, you need to sign in to Data Explorer with your Entra ID credentials, either in the Azure Portal or in the standalone web app . You will see a list of Azure Cosmos DB accounts that you have access to, and you can select the one you want to work with. Depending on the role you have been assigned, you can perform different actions in Data Explorer.

RBAC is a powerful feature that enhances the security and governance of your Azure Cosmos Db accounts, by allowing you to use Entra ID identities to control data access. RBAC also enables you to leverage other Entra ID features, such as Conditional Access and Privileged Identity Management, to further protect your data. RBAC is easy to enable and use, and it provides granular and auditable permissions for different users and groups.

Try it out and please share your feedback through the feedback icon in Data Explorer.

Learn more: Configure role-based access control with Microsoft Entra ID – Azure Cosmos Db | Microsoft Learn

About Azure Cosmos DB

Azure Cosmos DB is a fully managed and serverless distributed database for modern app development, with SLA-backed speed and availability, automatic and instant scalability, and support for open-source PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and Apache Cassandra. Try Azure Cosmos DB for free here. To stay in the loop on Azure Cosmos DB updates, follow us on X , YouTube , and LinkedIn .

Meredith Moore Senior Product Manager, Azure Cosmos DB

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Grade Calculator

Use this calculator to find out the grade of a course based on weighted averages. This calculator accepts both numerical as well as letter grades. It also can calculate the grade needed for the remaining assignments in order to get a desired grade for an ongoing course.

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Final Grade Goal
Weight of Remaining Tasks

Grade Format:	Points, percentage, mix Letters
Weight Format:	Percentage Points
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Final Grade Calculator

Use this calculator to find out the grade needed on the final exam in order to get a desired grade in a course. It accepts letter grades, percentage grades, and other numerical inputs.

Related GPA Calculator

The calculators above use the following letter grades and their typical corresponding numerical equivalents based on grade points.

Letter Grade	GPA	Percentage
A+	4.3	97-100%
A	4	93-96%
A-	3.7	90-92%
B+	3.3	87-89%
B	3	83-86%
B-	2.7	80-82%
C+	2.3	77-79%
C	2	73-76%
C-	1.7	70-72%
D+	1.3	67-69%
D	1	63-66%
D-	0.7	60-62%
F	0	0-59%

Brief history of different grading systems

In 1785, students at Yale were ranked based on "optimi" being the highest rank, followed by second optimi, inferiore (lower), and pejores (worse). At William and Mary, students were ranked as either No. 1, or No. 2, where No. 1 represented students that were first in their class, while No. 2 represented those who were "orderly, correct and attentive." Meanwhile at Harvard, students were graded based on a numerical system from 1-200 (except for math and philosophy where 1-100 was used). Later, shortly after 1883, Harvard used a system of "Classes" where students were either Class I, II, III, IV, or V, with V representing a failing grade. All of these examples show the subjective, arbitrary, and inconsistent nature with which different institutions graded their students, demonstrating the need for a more standardized, albeit equally arbitrary grading system.

In 1887, Mount Holyoke College became the first college to use letter grades similar to those commonly used today. The college used a grading scale with the letters A, B, C, D, and E, where E represented a failing grade. This grading system however, was far stricter than those commonly used today, with a failing grade being defined as anything below 75%. The college later re-defined their grading system, adding the letter F for a failing grade (still below 75%). This system of using a letter grading scale became increasingly popular within colleges and high schools, eventually leading to the letter grading systems typically used today. However, there is still significant variation regarding what may constitute an A, or whether a system uses plusses or minuses (i.e. A+ or B-), among other differences.

An alternative to the letter grading system

Letter grades provide an easy means to generalize a student's performance. They can be more effective than qualitative evaluations in situations where "right" or "wrong" answers can be easily quantified, such as an algebra exam, but alone may not provide a student with enough feedback in regards to an assessment like a written paper (which is much more subjective).

Although a written analysis of each individual student's work may be a more effective form of feedback, there exists the argument that students and parents are unlikely to read the feedback, and that teachers do not have the time to write such an analysis. There is precedence for this type of evaluation system however, in Saint Ann's School in New York City, an arts-oriented private school that does not have a letter grading system. Instead, teachers write anecdotal reports for each student. This method of evaluation focuses on promoting learning and improvement, rather than the pursuit of a certain letter grade in a course. For better or for worse however, these types of programs constitute a minority in the United States, and though the experience may be better for the student, most institutions still use a fairly standard letter grading system that students will have to adjust to. The time investment that this type of evaluation method requires of teachers/professors is likely not viable on university campuses with hundreds of students per course. As such, although there are other high schools such as Sanborn High School that approach grading in a more qualitative way, it remains to be seen whether such grading methods can be scalable. Until then, more generalized forms of grading like the letter grading system are unlikely to be entirely replaced. However, many educators already try to create an environment that limits the role that grades play in motivating students. One could argue that a combination of these two systems would likely be the most realistic, and effective way to provide a more standardized evaluation of students, while promoting learning.

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'Activist teacher... race-based assignments': New details into HB 1775 investigations

by TOM FERGUSON

Concerns surfaced through Awareity complaints allege certain books were being taught in Oklahoma public schools. (KOKH)

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — Through Open Records Requests, FOX 25 has obtained new details regarding the previously reported-on investigations into two school districts accused of violating House Bill 1775—also known as Oklahoma's anti-critical race theory law.

Concerns surrounding the districts surfaced after individuals filed complaints through Awareity, an Oklahoma State Department of Education tool that allows parents, students, and community members to report such alleged activity.

"English class, the activist teacher assigned race-based assignments," read one complaint filed on Feb.15 regarding a book entitled Woke allegedly taught at Norman North High School, "racism, sexism, [lawlessness,] and bigotry displayed in this book. This filth needs to be taken out of the school."

FOX 25 has made multiple attempts to confirm with OSDE which book the complaint referenced. The work's author isn't listed on the complaint document.

However, FOX 25 did find one such title by Mahogany L. Browne that advocates for progressive stances on social and political issues through poetry.

On Jun. 27, OSDE General Counsel Michael Beason noted the department is investigating concerns raised in a complaint also filed on Feb. 15 surrounding the book Dear Martin by Nic Stone allegedly taught at Luther High School.

The work's description on Amazon explains that Dear Martin "tackles America's troubled history with race relations."

According to the individual who raised these concerns, the book teaches certain students "[can't] possibly understand racism because they're just entitled white kids... I don't think this is right in any way shape or form."

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters (R-Okla.) stated during June's State Board of Education meeting that the investigations into Norman and Luther Public Schools are "not closed. But we are looking to get more information, working with the districts, looking through the information that is there. So we wanted you to know the process is still ongoing."

His comments came after Beason explained parts of Oklahoma's law against discriminatory racial teachings couldn't be enforced as of Jun. 14 pending a legal challenge.

"It has enjoined the enforcement of what was House Bill 1775," added Beason.

However, what happens if the law stands and these complaints are verified? Will the State Board of Education take action?

Back in 2022, the board downgraded the accreditations of Mustang and Tulsa Public Schools after officials found the districts to have violated HB 1775 provisions.

It remains to be seen where these complaints go and what actions officials will take.

Home » Assignment – Types, Examples and Writing Guide

Assignment – Types, Examples and Writing Guide

Table of Contents

Definition:

Assignment is a task given to students by a teacher or professor, usually as a means of assessing their understanding and application of course material. Assignments can take various forms, including essays, research papers, presentations, problem sets, lab reports, and more.

Assignments are typically designed to be completed outside of class time and may require independent research, critical thinking, and analysis. They are often graded and used as a significant component of a student’s overall course grade. The instructions for an assignment usually specify the goals, requirements, and deadlines for completion, and students are expected to meet these criteria to earn a good grade.

History of Assignment

The use of assignments as a tool for teaching and learning has been a part of education for centuries. Following is a brief history of the Assignment.

Ancient Times: Assignments such as writing exercises, recitations, and memorization tasks were used to reinforce learning.
Medieval Period : Universities began to develop the concept of the assignment, with students completing essays, commentaries, and translations to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the subject matter.
19th Century : With the growth of schools and universities, assignments became more widespread and were used to assess student progress and achievement.
20th Century: The rise of distance education and online learning led to the further development of assignments as an integral part of the educational process.
Present Day: Assignments continue to be used in a variety of educational settings and are seen as an effective way to promote student learning and assess student achievement. The nature and format of assignments continue to evolve in response to changing educational needs and technological innovations.

Types of Assignment

Here are some of the most common types of assignments:

An essay is a piece of writing that presents an argument, analysis, or interpretation of a topic or question. It usually consists of an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Essay structure:

Introduction : introduces the topic and thesis statement
Body paragraphs : each paragraph presents a different argument or idea, with evidence and analysis to support it
Conclusion : summarizes the key points and reiterates the thesis statement

Research paper

A research paper involves gathering and analyzing information on a particular topic, and presenting the findings in a well-structured, documented paper. It usually involves conducting original research, collecting data, and presenting it in a clear, organized manner.

Research paper structure:

Title page : includes the title of the paper, author’s name, date, and institution
Abstract : summarizes the paper’s main points and conclusions
Introduction : provides background information on the topic and research question
Literature review: summarizes previous research on the topic
Methodology : explains how the research was conducted
Results : presents the findings of the research
Discussion : interprets the results and draws conclusions
Conclusion : summarizes the key findings and implications

A case study involves analyzing a real-life situation, problem or issue, and presenting a solution or recommendations based on the analysis. It often involves extensive research, data analysis, and critical thinking.

Case study structure:

Introduction : introduces the case study and its purpose
Background : provides context and background information on the case
Analysis : examines the key issues and problems in the case
Solution/recommendations: proposes solutions or recommendations based on the analysis
Conclusion: Summarize the key points and implications

A lab report is a scientific document that summarizes the results of a laboratory experiment or research project. It typically includes an introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion.

Lab report structure:

Title page : includes the title of the experiment, author’s name, date, and institution
Abstract : summarizes the purpose, methodology, and results of the experiment
Methods : explains how the experiment was conducted
Results : presents the findings of the experiment

Presentation

A presentation involves delivering information, data or findings to an audience, often with the use of visual aids such as slides, charts, or diagrams. It requires clear communication skills, good organization, and effective use of technology.

Presentation structure:

Introduction : introduces the topic and purpose of the presentation
Body : presents the main points, findings, or data, with the help of visual aids
Conclusion : summarizes the key points and provides a closing statement

Creative Project

A creative project is an assignment that requires students to produce something original, such as a painting, sculpture, video, or creative writing piece. It allows students to demonstrate their creativity and artistic skills.

Creative project structure:

Introduction : introduces the project and its purpose
Body : presents the creative work, with explanations or descriptions as needed
Conclusion : summarizes the key elements and reflects on the creative process.

Examples of Assignments

Following are Examples of Assignment templates samples:

Essay template:

I. Introduction

Hook: Grab the reader’s attention with a catchy opening sentence.
Background: Provide some context or background information on the topic.
Thesis statement: State the main argument or point of your essay.

II. Body paragraphs

Topic sentence: Introduce the main idea or argument of the paragraph.
Evidence: Provide evidence or examples to support your point.
Analysis: Explain how the evidence supports your argument.
Transition: Use a transition sentence to lead into the next paragraph.

III. Conclusion

Restate thesis: Summarize your main argument or point.
Review key points: Summarize the main points you made in your essay.
Concluding thoughts: End with a final thought or call to action.

Research paper template:

I. Title page

Title: Give your paper a descriptive title.
Author: Include your name and institutional affiliation.
Date: Provide the date the paper was submitted.

II. Abstract

Background: Summarize the background and purpose of your research.
Methodology: Describe the methods you used to conduct your research.
Results: Summarize the main findings of your research.
Conclusion: Provide a brief summary of the implications and conclusions of your research.

III. Introduction

Background: Provide some background information on the topic.
Research question: State your research question or hypothesis.
Purpose: Explain the purpose of your research.

IV. Literature review

Background: Summarize previous research on the topic.
Gaps in research: Identify gaps or areas that need further research.

V. Methodology

Participants: Describe the participants in your study.
Procedure: Explain the procedure you used to conduct your research.
Measures: Describe the measures you used to collect data.

VI. Results

Quantitative results: Summarize the quantitative data you collected.
Qualitative results: Summarize the qualitative data you collected.

VII. Discussion

Interpretation: Interpret the results and explain what they mean.
Implications: Discuss the implications of your research.
Limitations: Identify any limitations or weaknesses of your research.

VIII. Conclusion

Review key points: Summarize the main points you made in your paper.

Case study template:

Background: Provide background information on the case.
Research question: State the research question or problem you are examining.
Purpose: Explain the purpose of the case study.

II. Analysis

Problem: Identify the main problem or issue in the case.
Factors: Describe the factors that contributed to the problem.
Alternative solutions: Describe potential solutions to the problem.

III. Solution/recommendations

Proposed solution: Describe the solution you are proposing.
Rationale: Explain why this solution is the best one.
Implementation: Describe how the solution can be implemented.

IV. Conclusion

Summary: Summarize the main points of your case study.

Lab report template:

Title: Give your report a descriptive title.
Date: Provide the date the report was submitted.
Background: Summarize the background and purpose of the experiment.
Methodology: Describe the methods you used to conduct the experiment.
Results: Summarize the main findings of the experiment.
Conclusion: Provide a brief summary of the implications and conclusions
Background: Provide some background information on the experiment.
Hypothesis: State your hypothesis or research question.
Purpose: Explain the purpose of the experiment.

IV. Materials and methods

Materials: List the materials and equipment used in the experiment.
Procedure: Describe the procedure you followed to conduct the experiment.
Data: Present the data you collected in tables or graphs.
Analysis: Analyze the data and describe the patterns or trends you observed.

VI. Discussion

Implications: Discuss the implications of your findings.
Limitations: Identify any limitations or weaknesses of the experiment.

VII. Conclusion

Restate hypothesis: Summarize your hypothesis or research question.
Review key points: Summarize the main points you made in your report.

Presentation template:

Attention grabber: Grab the audience’s attention with a catchy opening.
Purpose: Explain the purpose of your presentation.
Overview: Provide an overview of what you will cover in your presentation.

II. Main points

Main point 1: Present the first main point of your presentation.
Supporting details: Provide supporting details or evidence to support your point.
Main point 2: Present the second main point of your presentation.
Main point 3: Present the third main point of your presentation.
Summary: Summarize the main points of your presentation.
Call to action: End with a final thought or call to action.

Creative writing template:

Setting: Describe the setting of your story.
Characters: Introduce the main characters of your story.
Rising action: Introduce the conflict or problem in your story.
Climax: Present the most intense moment of the story.
Falling action: Resolve the conflict or problem in your story.
Resolution: Describe how the conflict or problem was resolved.
Final thoughts: End with a final thought or reflection on the story.

How to Write Assignment

Here is a general guide on how to write an assignment:

Understand the assignment prompt: Before you begin writing, make sure you understand what the assignment requires. Read the prompt carefully and make note of any specific requirements or guidelines.
Research and gather information: Depending on the type of assignment, you may need to do research to gather information to support your argument or points. Use credible sources such as academic journals, books, and reputable websites.
Organize your ideas : Once you have gathered all the necessary information, organize your ideas into a clear and logical structure. Consider creating an outline or diagram to help you visualize your ideas.
Write a draft: Begin writing your assignment using your organized ideas and research. Don’t worry too much about grammar or sentence structure at this point; the goal is to get your thoughts down on paper.
Revise and edit: After you have written a draft, revise and edit your work. Make sure your ideas are presented in a clear and concise manner, and that your sentences and paragraphs flow smoothly.
Proofread: Finally, proofread your work for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. It’s a good idea to have someone else read over your assignment as well to catch any mistakes you may have missed.
Submit your assignment : Once you are satisfied with your work, submit your assignment according to the instructions provided by your instructor or professor.

Applications of Assignment

Assignments have many applications across different fields and industries. Here are a few examples:

Education : Assignments are a common tool used in education to help students learn and demonstrate their knowledge. They can be used to assess a student’s understanding of a particular topic, to develop critical thinking skills, and to improve writing and research abilities.
Business : Assignments can be used in the business world to assess employee skills, to evaluate job performance, and to provide training opportunities. They can also be used to develop business plans, marketing strategies, and financial projections.
Journalism : Assignments are often used in journalism to produce news articles, features, and investigative reports. Journalists may be assigned to cover a particular event or topic, or to research and write a story on a specific subject.
Research : Assignments can be used in research to collect and analyze data, to conduct experiments, and to present findings in written or oral form. Researchers may be assigned to conduct research on a specific topic, to write a research paper, or to present their findings at a conference or seminar.
Government : Assignments can be used in government to develop policy proposals, to conduct research, and to analyze data. Government officials may be assigned to work on a specific project or to conduct research on a particular topic.
Non-profit organizations: Assignments can be used in non-profit organizations to develop fundraising strategies, to plan events, and to conduct research. Volunteers may be assigned to work on a specific project or to help with a particular task.

Purpose of Assignment

The purpose of an assignment varies depending on the context in which it is given. However, some common purposes of assignments include:

Assessing learning: Assignments are often used to assess a student’s understanding of a particular topic or concept. This allows educators to determine if a student has mastered the material or if they need additional support.
Developing skills: Assignments can be used to develop a wide range of skills, such as critical thinking, problem-solving, research, and communication. Assignments that require students to analyze and synthesize information can help to build these skills.
Encouraging creativity: Assignments can be designed to encourage students to be creative and think outside the box. This can help to foster innovation and original thinking.
Providing feedback : Assignments provide an opportunity for teachers to provide feedback to students on their progress and performance. Feedback can help students to understand where they need to improve and to develop a growth mindset.
Meeting learning objectives : Assignments can be designed to help students meet specific learning objectives or outcomes. For example, a writing assignment may be designed to help students improve their writing skills, while a research assignment may be designed to help students develop their research skills.

When to write Assignment

Assignments are typically given by instructors or professors as part of a course or academic program. The timing of when to write an assignment will depend on the specific requirements of the course or program, but in general, assignments should be completed within the timeframe specified by the instructor or program guidelines.

It is important to begin working on assignments as soon as possible to ensure enough time for research, writing, and revisions. Waiting until the last minute can result in rushed work and lower quality output.

It is also important to prioritize assignments based on their due dates and the amount of work required. This will help to manage time effectively and ensure that all assignments are completed on time.

In addition to assignments given by instructors or professors, there may be other situations where writing an assignment is necessary. For example, in the workplace, assignments may be given to complete a specific project or task. In these situations, it is important to establish clear deadlines and expectations to ensure that the assignment is completed on time and to a high standard.

Characteristics of Assignment

Here are some common characteristics of assignments:

Purpose : Assignments have a specific purpose, such as assessing knowledge or developing skills. They are designed to help students learn and achieve specific learning objectives.
Requirements: Assignments have specific requirements that must be met, such as a word count, format, or specific content. These requirements are usually provided by the instructor or professor.
Deadline: Assignments have a specific deadline for completion, which is usually set by the instructor or professor. It is important to meet the deadline to avoid penalties or lower grades.
Individual or group work: Assignments can be completed individually or as part of a group. Group assignments may require collaboration and communication with other group members.
Feedback : Assignments provide an opportunity for feedback from the instructor or professor. This feedback can help students to identify areas of improvement and to develop their skills.
Academic integrity: Assignments require academic integrity, which means that students must submit original work and avoid plagiarism. This includes citing sources properly and following ethical guidelines.
Learning outcomes : Assignments are designed to help students achieve specific learning outcomes. These outcomes are usually related to the course objectives and may include developing critical thinking skills, writing abilities, or subject-specific knowledge.

Advantages of Assignment

There are several advantages of assignment, including:

Helps in learning: Assignments help students to reinforce their learning and understanding of a particular topic. By completing assignments, students get to apply the concepts learned in class, which helps them to better understand and retain the information.
Develops critical thinking skills: Assignments often require students to think critically and analyze information in order to come up with a solution or answer. This helps to develop their critical thinking skills, which are important for success in many areas of life.
Encourages creativity: Assignments that require students to create something, such as a piece of writing or a project, can encourage creativity and innovation. This can help students to develop new ideas and perspectives, which can be beneficial in many areas of life.
Builds time-management skills: Assignments often come with deadlines, which can help students to develop time-management skills. Learning how to manage time effectively is an important skill that can help students to succeed in many areas of life.
Provides feedback: Assignments provide an opportunity for students to receive feedback on their work. This feedback can help students to identify areas where they need to improve and can help them to grow and develop.

Limitations of Assignment

There are also some limitations of assignments that should be considered, including:

Limited scope: Assignments are often limited in scope, and may not provide a comprehensive understanding of a particular topic. They may only cover a specific aspect of a topic, and may not provide a full picture of the subject matter.
Lack of engagement: Some assignments may not engage students in the learning process, particularly if they are repetitive or not challenging enough. This can lead to a lack of motivation and interest in the subject matter.
Time-consuming: Assignments can be time-consuming, particularly if they require a lot of research or writing. This can be a disadvantage for students who have other commitments, such as work or extracurricular activities.
Unreliable assessment: The assessment of assignments can be subjective and may not always accurately reflect a student’s understanding or abilities. The grading may be influenced by factors such as the instructor’s personal biases or the student’s writing style.
Lack of feedback : Although assignments can provide feedback, this feedback may not always be detailed or useful. Instructors may not have the time or resources to provide detailed feedback on every assignment, which can limit the value of the feedback that students receive.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Example to Calculate Rates Based on Grade Ladder With Multiple Assignments

In this example, you calculate grade rate values for monthly salary payments for an employee with multiple assignments.

Priya Krishnan has these two assignments in the Teacher Salary grade ladder:

In her primary assignment, she's a Mathematics teacher in grade 3.

She holds a temporary assignment as the replacement teacher for the Science teacher who's on maternity leave. On this temporary assignment, she teaches Science in grade 1 in the same grade ladder.

Follow these steps to calculate grade rate values for Priya Krishnan's primary assignment.

Set up grades, grade ladder, and rates for the Teacher job to record the level of compensation for all teachers in your school.

Perform these tasks:

Use the Manage Grades task to set up five separate grades, 1 to 5.

For each grade, enter the rates as shown in this table.


1	16600
2	19840
3	20016
4	23231
5	27650

Use the Progression Grade Ladders task to set up a grade ladder, Teachers Salary, with Grades type. Add all five grades to the ladder.

Create a rate definition of category Grade Rate .


Periodicity	Monthly
Periodicity Formula	Standard Rate Annualized
Currency	US Dollar

Add a rate contributor of type Grade Ladder .

When hiring an employee, on the Employment Information page, add the grade ladder and grade details as shown in these tables.

Primary Assignment


Grade Ladder	Teacher Salary
Grade	3

Temporary Assignment


Grade Ladder	Teacher Salary
Grade	1

Run the Generate HCM Rates process to calculate rates for employee's Primary Assignment. On the Home page, click the Submit a Flow quick action under the My Client Groups tab. After selecting a legislative data group, search for and submit the Generate HCM Rates process.

The application returns a monthly rate value of 1668 (20016/12).

Today’s Teenagers Have Invented a Language That Captures the World Perfectly

An illustration of a man with an open book and a pencil, sweating as a teenager stands behind him using a pointer stick to point to the word “cringe,” written on a large paper pad on the wall. They are surrounded by stacks of books.

By Stephen Marche

Mr. Marche is the author, most recently, of “The Next Civil War.”

My son just completed high school and when he leaves for college in the fall my life will change in ways I’m still struggling to contemplate. Among the things I’ll miss most are his lessons in teenage slang. My son has always been generous with me, and I’ve found the slang of his generation to be so much better and more useful than any that I’ve ever used. His slang has also offered me an accidental and useful portrait of how he and his generation see the world.

The primary value of slang has been to create linguistic shibboleths, a way to differentiate yourself quickly from other people. Sometimes the distinction was generational, sometimes it was racial, and sometimes it was ideological, but the slang itself was ultimately a form of social etiquette. From one generation to the next, the terms changed, but the meanings typically didn’t. New words were routinely adopted to express familiar concepts: one generation’s “cool” becomes another’s “dope” and so on.

Members of my son’s generation have a vastly superior approach to slang. They’ve devised a language that responds to the new and distinct reality they face.

Anyone with children, especially ones on the cusp of adulthood, has to reckon with the shameful fact that the world we’re leaving them is so much worse than the one we brought them into. My son’s slang reflects that: It’s a distinct language created for a society that’s characterized, online and off, by collapsing institutions, erosions in trust and a loss of faith in a shared sense of meaning.

“Mid” is an obvious example. I don’t think it even qualifies as teenage slang anymore — it’s too useful and, by now, too widespread. In my son’s usage, things that are mid are things that are essentially average or slightly below. You can’t really complain about them, but they produce no joy. They’re often the result of the refinement of market research to the exact level that tepid consumer acceptance is achieved. Everything in Starbucks falls into the category of “mid.” So does everything in an airport. It’s a brilliant, precise word for a world full of mild disappointments, where the corner bakery that used to do some things well and other things poorly has been reliably replaced by yet another Le Pain Quotidien.

“Glazed” has a similarly impressive precision. When my son describes something as glazed, it’s meant to signify not lying, exactly, or even exaggerating, but the act of positively spinning a judgment. “Glazed” indicates a gilding of information; sports commentary, for example, is 90 percent glaze. When Stephen A. Smith, the quintessential glazer, likens Anthony Edwards to Michael Jordan , a proper response might be “The Ant glazing is crazy.” But glaze is also the perfect description of the way social media works: The world you encounter online is perpetually glazed, with everything taking on an artificially positive, unreal and not entirely trustworthy gloss.

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Project Management Advisor: Gender based violence prevention and response

Advertised on behalf of.

Yangon, MYANMAR

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Aug-2024

Application Deadline :

10-Jul-24 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

1.7.2024 to 31.1.2025

Time left :

Languages required :.

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

The Myanmar CO provides technical gender expertise and policy advice to cluster working groups and their members on gender in humanitarian action. UN Women is a member of the Myanmar Humanitarian Country Team, co-leads with UNFPA the Gender in Humanitarian Action Workstream and co-chairs with UNFPA and UNICEF the PSEA Network.

UN Women is contributing to the UN Transitional Cooperation Framework to ensure support for basic human rights and essential services for women and girls, including prevention of and early detection of and referral of GBV; and exploring livelihood opportunities in for women and girls in crisis-affected regions in Myanmar.

UN Women is recruiting a local GBV specialist with excellent project management expertise to help launch a joint programme on GBV prevention and response in crisis affected regions in consultation with UNFPA, implementing partners and the donor.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Country Representative a.i., the Project management advisor: Gender based violence prevention and response (PMA GBV) and in direct collaboration with implementing partners, UNFPA and UN inter-agency coordination mechanisms on GBV, the PMA GBV will lead on the preparation and launch of a new programme on GBV prevention and response on behalf of UN Women.

1. Manage the preparation and launch of the GBV prevention and response programme on behalf of UN Women:

Finalise the Programme document, the Programme Results Framework and the M&E plan.
Provide overall programme advisory support to the programme, including the launch of the programme Steering Committee and the launch and management of the calls for proposals;
Provide strategic and specialized technical advice on the development of systems, processes and mechanisms to support programme planning, implementation, monitoring and progress reporting.
Review and evaluate proposals by implementing partners;

2. Manage the monitoring and reporting for the programme jointly with the M&E officer:

Recommend and establish programme monitoring standards, criteria, and other indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results;
Manage the monitoring of progress by civil society partners against mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators;
Gather information and prepare report on progress of programme implementation for programme Steering Committee; prepare semi-annual report;

3. Provide technical support to the implementation of the programme:

Organize periodic meetings with UNFPA and implementing partners.
Analyze and ensure alignment of IP budgets with logical framework matrices and work plans;
Ensure programme quality control with partner civil society organizations and identification of potential challenges.

4. Develop and maintain partnerships and provide technical advice on gender mainstreaming and GBV in inter-agency GBV coordination mechanisms

Participate in GBV inter-agency coordination mechanism (protection cluster, GBV technical working groups)

Strengthen collaboration and partnership with other UN agencies and facilitate access to UN Women capacity

development initiatives.

Provide knowledge management knowledge sharing between different partner civil society organizations and contribute to their dissemination (with the communication officer).

5. Perform other duties as deemed needed by UN Women :

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

Yangon, Myanmar and mission travel is needed during the contracted period.

Competencies

Core Values:

Respect for Diversity
Integrity
Professionalism

Core Competencies:

Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
Accountability
Creative Problem Solving
Effective Communication
Inclusive Collaboration
Stakeholder Engagement
Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

Strong programme designing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills ·
Strong knowledge of Results Based Management ·
Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making ·
Strong knowledge of Thematic Area ·
Strong analytical skills ·

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

Master's degree in social sciences with a focus on gender, health, development studies or a related field is required, 5 years of relevant work experience with at least 4 focused on GBV, humanitarian assistance or livelihood provision.;

Experience:

At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in designing and managing GBV programmes, with a particular focus on gender and protection in emergencies;
Technical experience in humanitarian inter-agency coordination;
Experience working on durable solutions to displacement is an asset;
Experience working with, and building partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally and in the field;
Experience of working with UN Agencies, especially UN Women, will be an asset
Excellent reporting skills, knowledge of RBM and result-based reporting
Fluency in Myanmar and in English is required;
Knowledge of an additional Myanmar local language is an asset.

V. How to Apply

Personal P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
The contact details of three referees.
Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.

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Azure Cosmos DB Data Explorer is a web-based tool that allows you to interact with your data, run queries, and visualize results in Azure Cosmos DB. It is available in the Azure Portal and as a standalone web app. RBAC allows you to use Microsoft Entra ID identities to control data access in Data Explorer, instead of using account keys.
Grade Calculator
Grade Calculator. Use this calculator to find out the grade of a course based on weighted averages. This calculator accepts both numerical as well as letter grades. It also can calculate the grade needed for the remaining assignments in order to get a desired grade for an ongoing course. Assignment/Exam.
'Activist teacher... race-based assignments': New details into HB 1775
"English class, the activist teacher assigned race-based assignments," read one complaint filed on Feb.15 regarding a book entitled Woke allegedly taught at Norman North High School, "racism ...
Assignment
Assignment is a task given to students by a teacher or professor, usually as a means of assessing their understanding and application of course material. Assignments can take various forms, including essays, research papers, presentations, problem sets, lab reports, and more. Assignments are typically designed to be completed outside of class ...
Example to Calculate Rates Based on Grade Ladder With Multiple Assignments
Priya Krishnan has these two assignments in the Teacher Salary grade ladder: In her primary assignment, she's a Mathematics teacher in grade 3. She holds a temporary assignment as the replacement teacher for the Science teacher who's on maternity leave. On this temporary assignment, she teaches Science in grade 1 in the same grade ladder.
Today's Teenagers Have Invented a Language That Captures the World
"Based" can have a more malevolent connotation in certain alt-right circles, where being based alludes to allegiance to a contrarian viewpoint. But to my ear, "based" is a perfect word, a ...
UN WOMEN Jobs
Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Country Representative a.i., the Project management advisor: Gender based violence prevention and response (PMA GBV) and in direct collaboration with implementing partners, UNFPA and UN inter-agency coordination mechanisms on GBV, the PMA GBV will lead on the preparation and launch of a new programme ...