Designing Better Assignments

Dr. Andrea Williams

Director, Writing and Rhetoric, Innis College &
Creator, Assignments Across Disciplines
Dr. Andrea Graham
Learning Strategist, Academic Success
Student Life
Aug 24, 2022
 Workshop Preview
1. Assignment design principles and strategies
2. Applying a principle or strategy to improve or create
an assignment.
3. Rubric design and use.
4. Helping students with assignments.
5. Joining an assignment design
community: Assignments Across Disciplines

2
 What you want from today

In the shared word document please write one

thing you'd like to learn about assignments
today...

3
 Assignments are
building blocks of learning
 Assignments as
Teaching & Learning Tools
“Students fail assignments and sometimes assignments fail students.”
(p. 95)

“if student work is the engine of a course, then the assignments are the
creative centre of our teaching practice” (p. 110)

William Germano & Kit Nicholls, Syllabus: The remarkable, unremarkable

document that changes everything
 Assignments and Backward Design

Conventional Backward
• Instructor-focused • Student-focused
• Content-focused • Driven by learning
• Focused exclusively on objectives that include skills
evaluation and summative as well as knowledge
feedback • Includes formative feedback

Wiggins & McTighe, 1998/99

6
 Backwards Design Focuses on
Students
TEACHING GOALS: LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

What you want to The knowledge, skills,

teach and/or values students will
get from an activity,
assignment, class, course,
program, and/or degree

Adapted from CTSI’s Course Design Institute, 2016

 Reframing Assignments around Objectives or
Outcomes
Types of outcomes:
• Cognitive
• Affective
• Kinesthetic

Assessment asks:
“To what degree did the student meet the outcomes?”

8
 Good Learning Objectives
1. Focus on students applying and integrating
both knowledge and skills.
2. Use specific, active, and concrete language.
3. Make evaluation criteria explicit through
rubrics or scoring guides.
4. Help both teachers and students focus their
effort and time.

9
 From Teaching Goals to
Learning Outcomes
Vague teaching goal: Specific learning objective:

"By the end of this course, “By the end of this course, students will be able
students will understand to:
the research process."

• Describe the research process in social

interventions
• Evaluate critically the quality of research by
others
• Formulate research questions designed to
test, refine, and build theories
• Identify and demonstrate facility in research
design and data collection and analysis
strategies
OTA course designed by Prof. Susan McCahan, “Fundamentals of University
Teaching” 10
 Progressive Cognitive Learning Outcomes

Images of Bloom’s taxonomy taken from Educational Origami, http://edorigami.wikispaces.com/Bloom%27s+Digital+Taxonomy

Bloom, Benjamin S. (1974). Taxonomy of educational objectives: Classification of educational goals. New York: D. McKay.
11
 How well does the assignment fit the
learning outcome?

Learning Outcome Assignment

Apply economic concepts Write a policy memo
and models to a real-world
problem
Critique different ways to Write a historiography
study history
Learn scientific methods Write a lab report
and processes
Apply evolutionary theory Write a research proposal that
to an organism. identifies a trait that is the result of
evolutionary adaptation for a given
organism.

12
 Disciplinary learning outcomes
Sociology Integrative Physiology
1. Summarize Durkheim's theory of 1. Define viscoelasticity
society
2. Construct a model that
2. Apply Durkheim's theory to the demonstrates the properties of
nation's drug problem viscoelasticity
3. Based on current data, what 3. What predictions could you
predictions can you make about make if the patellar tendon were
the drug problem in the near replaced with a non-yielding
future? Kevlar band? Elastic band?
4. Write an analysis and critique of 4. Compare and contrast several
the current drug problem, in the materials that could be used to
context of Durkheim's theory replace a torn ACL. Show that
and explain whether or not the one would be best and explain
problem can be solved. why.

Source: Border, Laura. (2005). The University of Colorado at Boulder Lead Graduate Teacher
13
Manual, UC Boulder
 Confusing Assignments form part of the “The
Hidden Curriculum"
• Unccipline (e.g., English language learners, international students, first generation,
etc.)

Photo by Jeshoots from Unsplash

 From Hidden Curriculum to
Transparent Design
“Transparency means letting students in on
what they’re being asked to do and why
they’re being asked to do it—in other
words, what they can expect to learn from
doing it.”
James Rhem, The National Teaching and Learning Forum
(Preface ix)
Transparent Design in Higher Education, Teaching, and Leadership
Transparent Assignments require instructors to
1. Articulate learning outcomes and share these
with students (and TAs if applicable).
2. Align assignments with significant course learning
outcomes.
3. Scaffold major assignments.
4. Build in formative feedback and opportunities for
revision.
5. Make evaluation criteria explicit (e.g., rubrics) with
students and TAs.
16
 Exercise 1: In your group, analyze and
improve one of the assignments
1 Humanities or Social Sciences Example 2. Science Example

Mateo is a first-year student with little experience Sangeet is one of over a thousand students in a second-
researching and writing essays. He has just received year life sciences class held in Convocation Hall. She
the following assignment. has no research experience and her TA has just given
her the following assignment.
Prepare an annotated bibliography on
the implications of a milestone event Choose a topic of interest in the life
from the first half of the 20th sciences. Using an online database,
century. The items you choose for your find citation information, including the
annotated bibliography will be used for abstract, for five recent peer reviewed
your next assignment, the research articles on your topic. Choose one and
paper. Your bibliography should analyze the first page and the
include 5 recent items including two bibliography. Write a paragraph
scholarly journal articles not from the explaining its relevance to your
course reading list. Websites are not topic. Your paper must be error free
acceptable and be sure to follow and be sure not to plagiarize.
correct citation practices.
17
Exercise 1: Improve an assignment

Brainstorm in your breakout group choose one or more

way to improve the assignment:
1. Identify the hidden skills or knowledge explicit by
creating learning outcomes or objectives.
2. Devise an activity that gives students practice with
required skills.
3. Clarify the instructions.
4. Direct students to university resources (e.g., library
or writing centre) where they can get help.

18
5-minute BREAK

19
 What you want
Why scaffold? them to learn
• Break up learning
outcomes into
manageable steps
• Give students the
support they need to
develop their skills and
build their knowledge.

What students know

and can do now
20
 Examples of Scaffolded Assignments
Humanities/Social Sciences paper:
1. Paper Proposal 5%
2. Annotated Bibliography 5% Feedback at
3. Draft Paper 10% each stage
4. Revised Paper 20%
Sciences: A lab report
1. Write each of the following sections separately and get
feedback on them: hypothesis, methods, results,
discussion).
2. Revise and combine into a complete lab report.

21
 Build in formative feedback

Summative Assessment Formative Feedback

• Backward-looking • Forward-looking
• Assesses mastery to date • Constructive: focused on
• Evaluative/graded how student can improve
• Needn’t include a grade:
e.g., "red light/green light"
for a research question or
hypothesis
“A ‘C’ paper is an ‘A’ paper turned in too soon.”
John C. Bean
22
 Feedback:
Mind your workload through

• Guided peer review

• Encouraging students to consult a learning
strategist or to take work-in-progress to a
Writing Centre.
 Suggestions for Creating or
revising an assignment

1. Remember that small changes lead to big

improvements.
2. Ask your peers (both from your discipline and
outside your field) for feedback.
3. Get feedback from students on assignments .
 Exercise 2
Improve one of your assignments
1. Choose one (or more) things to change such as
• Draft a couple of learning outcomes (chat links to CTSI resource)
• scaffold a major assignment and/or identify places for
formative feedback
• clarify instructions about tasks
• direct students to resources
• show annotated examples of past student work
2. Make or explain your change in writing so you have a
record after the workshop. (7 mins. solo then share if you
wish in chat) 25
 Instructional Rubrics
• Help instructors clarify expectations, e.g.,
what an A, B, C etc. look like.

• Provide transparency and clear direction to

students
 Good Rubrics
1. Are communicated to students early.
2. Remind instructors (and TAs) what to teach.
3. Save time and enable more detailed and
timely tailored feedback to students.
4. Increase consistency and fairness.
5. Are tailored specifically to the assignment.
6. Are descriptive and evaluative.
7. Are developed collaboratively with TAs.
 Exercise 3

Skim one or two of the sample rubrics, then

consider one of your assignments and

1.Make one or two of your learning objectives

into part of a rubric. (3 mins)
2.Share your draft rubric (5 mins)

See handouts 7.1-7.6

28
 The Student Perspective
Students need:
• The purpose, goal and context of the assignment
• Tangible expectations and examples or exemplars
• Transparency in criteria
• Relevant pre-requisite skills and thinking
• Deadlines and structure
• Help, Q/A, Resources
• Assignment visual readability: font, format and layout on the
page, sections, task-ability

29
 The Student Perspective
Students struggle with:
• Getting started and breaking things down
• Awareness of support and research services
• Underestimating the value of process (e.g. pre-
writing)
• Time management with competing deadlines
• Sparse or lengthy assignment descriptions
• Weak pre-requisite skills
• Lack of understanding or experience with the ideal
product (so exemplars are helpful)

30
 The Student Perspective
Students benefit from:
• Scaffolded assignments
• Learning to project manage (backwards plan) their work
• Visual as well as text representations of the assignment
Challenging, specific research questions and thinking prompts
• Writing assignments of different lengths
• Specificity – but not overwhelming detail – in the assignment
and rubric
• Detailed feedback – especially feedback that can be
applied (formative)

31
 Resources for Students
• Libraries – research skills and resources
https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/research
• Workshops
• Consultations

• English Language Learning (ELL) – academic English

http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/advising/ell
• Speaking, reading, writing programs
• Peer mentor program

• Academic Success Centre – learning skills

https://www.studentlife.utoronto.ca/asc
• Individual appointments, study hubs, Grad Writing Groups, Grad Productivity Groups
• Workshops, programs, events

• Writing Centres - writing skills

http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/
• Individual appointments at Colleges, Faculties and SGS (GCAC)
• Writing Plus workshops, resources
32
 Universal Instructional Design
(IUD)
7 principles to help design accessible teaching and learning activities,
environments and materials, and create learning experiences that respect and
value diversity.

At the core of UID is the concept of

inclusiveness and equity.
The content on this slide is from the University of Guelph’s site. Open Learning and Educational Support, 2016. University of Guelph.
https://opened.uoguelph.ca/student-resources/Universal-Instructional-Design
 Universal Instructional Design

7 Principles

Instructional matters and activities should:

1. Be accessible and fair https://madaniinteriors.com/universal-design/

2. Be straightforward and consistent

3. Provide flexibility in use, participation and presentation
4. Be explicitly presented and readily perceived
5. Provide a supportive learning environment
6. Minimize unnecessary physical effort of requirements
7. Ensure a learning space the accommodates both students and
instructional methods
Open Learning and Educational Support, 2016. University of Guelph.
https://opened.uoguelph.ca/student-resources/Universal-Instructional-Design
 Universal Instructional Design -
Resources
University of Toronto
CTSI
https://tatp.utoronto.ca/teaching-toolkit/effective-strategies/accessible-
learning/

University of Guelph
Open Ed
https://opened.uoguelph.ca/instructor-resources/resources/uid-
implimentation-guide-v13.pdf

Ryerson University
Learning and Teaching Office
https://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/lt/resources/handouts/UDL_handout.
pdf
Building a community of
practice around assessment

al.williams@utoronto.ca
 AAD Values

• Accessibility and inclusion through transparency

(inspired by TILT framework)
• Collaboration (e.g., through the database itself,
feedback and communities of practice)
• Sharing through OER (open educational
resource)
• Innovation (e.g., multimodal and “alternative”
assessments)
• Inviting students’ perspectives on assessment
AAD Purpose, Process and Platform

• Create a peer-reviewed online

database of assessments and related
pedagogical materials, e.g., rubrics,
syllabi

• Make open-access but contributors

choose their preferred type of
creative commons licensing (default:
CC BY-SA)

• Use TSpace
How you can engage with AAD
1. Contribute your assignments and
• Receive formative feedback
• Publish your teaching materials and story.

2. Recommend your colleagues’ assignments

3. Serve as a reviewer
4. Encourage your students to nominate
assignments
 Wrap-Up: Your Next Step(s)
In the chat, please share something you
learned or found inspiring or a change you
are making to an assignment. . .

Thank you!

Andrea Graham ak.graham@utoronto.ca

Andrea Williams al.Williams@utoronto.ca
42
 References and Resources
AACU (American Colleges and Universities) VALUE Rubric Development Project .
https://www.aacu org/value/rubrics
Bloom, Benjamin S. (1974). Taxonomy of educational objectives: Classification of
educational goals. New York: D. McKay.
Bean, J. C. (2011). Engaging ideas: The professor's guide to integrating writing, critical
thinking, and active learning in the classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Stevens, D.D. and A. Levi. (2012). Introduction to Rubrics: An Effective Tool to Save
Grading Time, Convey Effective Feedback, and Promote Student Learning. 2nd
edition. Stylus.
TILT Transparent Assignment Design http://www.unlv.edu/provost/idr
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005) Understanding by design (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development ASCD. 2nd edition
Winklelmes, M. (2019) How to Use the Transparency Framework. Transparent Design
in Higher Education, Teaching and Leadership. Eds. M. Wilkelmes, A. Boye, and S.
Tapp. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

43