What Every "Good" Assignment Should Include
From LibraryWiki
Back to Writing Across the Curriculum Resources
Back to Creating and Implementing Effective Writing Assignments
What Every "Good" Assignment Should Always Include
- Your expectations for the topic/type of the paper: Each time you create an assignment, make clear what is the question or topic that they are to address. Also, lay out for your students which class materials are appropriate for the assignment, what kind of outside research you expect to see, and what types of references (i.e. quotes, charts, graphs, etc.) you expect them to include.
- How you will be grading the paper: Each time you create an assignment let your students know how you will be grading their papers, using what criteria. For example, you may be looking at how well they constructed and then followed their thesis statement through the entire paper. Or perhaps you are looking at how the students organized their statement and how clearly they argued or supported their points.
- Your expectations for the conditions of the paper: Each time you create an assignment, make it known what size font, how many pages, which style of citation, and (if necessary) the number of sources to use. Also make it clear when each draft is due either to you or to the class for workshopping.
Remember, organizing the assignment into "bite-sized" pieces is not only helpful to the students, but also helpful for you. When the time comes to sit down and grade the papers, the criteria for how you are going to respond and grade is already laid out for you!
