Chapter 12. Assignments
The twelve assignment and project ideas below can be scaffolded, aligned with common learning outcomes and skills, and adapted across disciplines. This list is not exhaustive or prescriptive. Rather, these examples represent the various types of activities that you may ask your students to undertake and are intended to generate creative thinking and adaptation.
Each category includes a brief description of the assignment, skills that can be developed and assessed through the assignment, and some tips and notes. We conclude with some more creative options for assignments.
1. Review of the Literature
Description: A literature review is a scholarly paper focused on synthesizing current knowledge and major contributions to the area of research that students are interested in pursuing. This is a useful method of enabling students to become more familiar with scholarship on a particular topic. If assigned as part of a larger research project, completing a literature review also provides students with the opportunity to contextualize their research interests and ideas, and/or refine their research questions. This assignment works very well across the disciplines, and can function as a precursor to a research project or as a stand-alone assignment.
Learning Outcomes:
Intermediate-to-Advanced Research Skills
Collect and analyze literature and data to address a research question.
Identify relevant sources needed and required for the research project.
Critical Thinking/Analysis Skills
Evaluate claims and arguments in a text.
Draw connections between and contextualize a series of texts.
Persuasive Writing Skills
Construct a clear and cohesive rationale for a research project through writing.
Integrate elements from secondary sources into your narrative.
2. Site Visit Report or Reflection
Description: A site visit is a great opportunity for students to connect theory to practice. This is especially powerful in a discipline that is preparing students to become practitioners in their respective fields. You should consider pre-selecting a list of sites where students may visit, and think through ways in which the site can provide opportunity for students to reflect on or develop an awareness of praxis.
The site visit can be conceived as a place-based learning assignment. Guidelines for the report or reflection can function as a means of facilitating how you want the students to engage and interact with the space. It could be beneficial to include a set of questions or prompts for guidance.
Learning Outcomes:
Critical/Analytical Thinking Skills
Connect theory to practice or real-world applications, and make sense of an experience within a larger framework.
Test, challenge, and/or problematize theory by examining how it works in practice.
Narrative Writing
Construct a clear and cohesive narrative.
Employ writing to reflect on theory and practice.
Notes:
You may consider asking the students to take photographs or record audio if and when it is appropriate and permitted, and integrate visual media into a final report or reflection on a digital platform.
While this assignment can work well as a group visit, be mindful that off site visits can be difficult to schedule with a large group of students. It is important to be mindful of student’s schedules and accessibility issues when designing this assignment.
3. Case Study Report
Description: Invite students to identify a relevant site for doing research, and then use an appropriate methodology to gather data from that site. Ask students to engage with theories presented in class to contextualize their findings. Alternatively, you can provide students with published case studies and ask them to analyze these case studies using disciplinary criteria. In this version you can focus on evaluating and critiquing the methodology and/or findings of the case study.
Learning Outcomes:
Intermediate-Advanced Research Skills
Analyze and evaluate research tools and methodologies.
Read and interpret scientific measuring instruments and research findings.
Design a method of collecting data from the site.
Critical Thinking/Analytical Skills
Identify connections between theory and practice.
Evaluate best practices for data collection.
Examine and critique research findings based on a disciplinary standard or course criteria.
Weigh the validity of claims based on a careful analysis of how evidence is used and claims are supported.
Close/Critical Reading
Conduct a thoughtful analysis of the text, and evaluate the argumentation and claim presented.
Notes:
This assignment is suitable for a midterm or final assignment as a vehicle to assess students’ comprehension of research methodologies and analytical skills. It is an opportunity for students to practice evaluating how theory fits into real-world applications. Students can also practice using disciplinary language as they engage with doing or analyzing a case study. Alternatively, this assignment can work as a low-stakes in-class group activity if they are using preexisting case studies. Consider modelling a case study with the students before asking them to undertake this assignment.
4. Scavenger Hunt
Description: Provide students with a list of types of sources or artifacts that they must locate. You may consider asking students to create a reference page or bibliography of their sources, and even annotating them if appropriate. This is a practical introductory exercise to academic research. By encouraging students to search intentionally for relevant materials, you provide the conditions for students to use library resources and the opportunity to expand their knowledge of the different types of sources and research available. The scavenger hunt also offers opportunities for collaborative group work.
Learning Outcomes:
Basic Research Skills
Locate appropriate sources.
Differentiate between primary and secondary sources.
Cite in proper disciplinary style.
Collaboration Skills
Communicate and coordinate with peers (either in person or virtually) towards a common goal.
Notes:
The scavenger hunt is suitable for the early part of semester in courses that might need students to develop academic research skills. It can be used as a primer for research projects later in the semester. It is also a good opportunity for early exposure to materials students might need to know later. Depending on campus or time constraints, some component of the hunt can occur during the class session if you have easy access to library and computers. Alternatively, you can adapt this assignment to use at a museum or another site that invites students to find particular artifacts.
5. Interview
Description: Conducting an interview provides students with opportunities to engage in collecting their own primary source data. Depending on the needs of the course, you can couch this assignment within a larger research project that invites students to contribute primary source data. It can also work as a stand-alone exercise. You may ask the students to present their interview findings in the form of an edited video, as part of a research project or a short essay.
Learning Outcomes:
Intermediate-Advanced Research Skills
Design a basic interview protocol.
Conduct an interview using appropriate methodology.
Record and report findings in an appropriate format.
Descriptive or Narrative Writing Skills
Construct appropriate interview questions.
Describe the process of gathering data in a written format.
Communicate research findings in a clear and descriptive written narrative.
Oral Communication Skills
Effectively pose interview questions.
Notes:
This assignment provides an opportunity for students to make original contributions to a research project. By asking them to step outside of the class and draw on resources around them, this assignment empowers students to engage in knowledge construction. Consider coupling this with a site visit or case study if you want to guide students through a project.
6. Survey
Description: Designing and implementing a survey is an effective exercise to engage students in quantitative research methods and enable them to grapple with the process of data collection. Students can gather data by using a range of free online tools, and can work individually, in pairs, or in small groups. Findings can be integrated into a larger research project, or as a stand-alone presentation or report.
Learning Outcomes:
Intermediate-Advanced Research Skills
Design a basic survey.
Record, report and cite findings in an appropriate format.
Collaboration Skills
Communicate and coordinate with peers (either in person or virtually) towards a common goal.
Digital Literacy Skills
Engage digital technology to collect data.
Writing Skills
Construct clear, concise and appropriate questions.
Notes:
Creating and implementing a survey does not have to be complicated or grand in scope, and students do not necessarily have to become trained survey designers. Rather, this assignment can function as a rich opportunity for students to make decisions about data collection. There are a number of easy and free digital survey tools that students can use to create and implement their survey.
7. Speakback/Feedback
Description: This reading assignment provides the conditions for students to engage and interact with texts closely. For the speakback/feedback paper, ask students to respond to a written piece with critical comments, questions, and ideas. They can do this on the margins of a text or as a separate document. You may consider integrating an annotation tool if you want students to do the work digitally. This assignment also works well for gathering student responses to instructor feedback. You can ask students to write a response to your feedback, with an emphasis on how they will develop their work by integrating the feedback.
Learning Outcomes:
Close/Critical Reading Skills
Conduct a thoughtful analysis of a text by evaluating the argumentation, claims, and/or use of evidence presented.
Critical/Analytical Thinking
Formulate responses to an argument.
Weigh the validity of claims based on a careful analysis of how evidence is used and claims are supported.
Notes:
The speakback/feedback assignment provides an excellent low-stakes opportunity to use an online reading tool and for students to digitally interact with a text together or individually. There are a number of annotation tools that can facilitate this process. It is also an effective way to ask students to engage with your feedback on their work. By asking them to write a short paper on how they might incorporate your suggestions, it enables them to consider the feedback critically and to draw up a plan of action for the next draft or phase of their larger assignment.
8. Blogs
Description: Invite students to utilize an informal digital platform to express ideas and responses to course material. Instructors can use weekly prompts to enable students to write frequently, or can assign the blog as a supplement to a more formal assignment as a means of documenting the process of learning. Journaling or blogging can function as a good low-stakes and informal platform for ongoing dialogue between a student’s own ideas and course material.
Learning Outcomes:
Narrative Writing/Creative Writing Skills
Position one’s experiences within a larger social, cultural, or political context through writing about the self.
Deploy reflection and storytelling as a space to learn and share ideas.
Cultivate awareness of different audiences.
Practice writing in a digital, networked environment about a range of media.
Reflexive/Critical Thinking Skills
Develop appreciation for subjectivity, and position identity issues (e.g., race, ethnicity, class, culture, gender, sexuality, ability) within a political, social, cultural, psychological, or inter-personal context.
Digital Literacy Skills
Engage digital technology to build a presence online.
Develop aesthetic sensibilities about presentation of work.
Cultivate an understanding of privacy issues related to sharing work online.
Notes:
Before asking students to engage in journaling or blogging, provide them with a platform to do so, and an overview on how to use available tools. We tend to forget that students have widely varying degrees of comfort and literacy with digital technology. Getting a lab space with access to computers for a portion of a class session and giving a quick tutorial could be extremely helpful for providing adequate support structures.
9. Wiki
Description: A Wiki assignment is a rich opportunity for students to engage in producing and contributing to a live body of knowledge. Invite students to edit or contribute to a Wikipedia page. You can have them undertake this work individually or in small groups. Wikis have become increasingly popular and relevant to the college classroom, and CUNY has a number of resources on teaching with and using wikis in the classroom.
Learning Outcomes:
Intermediate Research Skills
Locate relevant and appropriate sources.
Use appropriate citations.
Collaboration Skills
Communicate and coordinate with peers (either in person or virtually) towards a common goal.
Writing Skills
Summarize and synthesize relevant texts and materials into concise pieces of writing.
Digital Literacy Skills
Engage digital technology to build a presence online.
Cultivate and understanding of privacy issues related to sharing work online.
Notes:
You can scope wiki assignments down to a classroom activity, or scope them up to a final project. Students can engage with larger sociopolitical issues about knowledge construction by collaborating on and negotiating the process of adding content, and essentially contributing to knowledge beyond the scope of the class. It is advisable to conduct a workshop or demonstration somewhere with computer and internet access. Consider reaching out to your college librarian for support and resources.
10. Autobiography/Autoethnography
Description: A reflexive personal essay can hold great potential for students to position themselves within a social, cultural, or political context. Both the autobiography (a narrative about oneself within a focused context) and the auto-ethnography (a research methodology that uses self-reflection to position one’s experiences within a larger social context) can be effective tools for empowering student voice and positionality.
Learning Outcomes:
Narrative Writing Skills
Utilize writing to examine positionality and engage with a larger social, cultural, or political context.
Critical Thinking Skills
Develop appreciation for subjectivity, and position identity issues (e.g., race, ethnicity, class, culture, gender, sexuality, ability) within a political, social, cultural, psychological, or inter-personal context.
Notes:
Writing an autoethnography or autobiography has been used across the disciplines. Whether you are teaching in the social and behavioral sciences, humanities, arts, or in a STEM discipline, inviting students to reflect critically on their positionality within a specific context is a rich opportunity to engage them in the material, and for you to better understand your students. It would be helpful to hand out a few texts that model the assignment. You could also consider asking students to integrate visual media, whether on paper or on a digital platform.
Keep in mind as you facilitate the assignment that it is personal in nature, and consider how you ask students to share their work.
11. Anthology
Description: Invite students to demonstrate their knowledge of a body of literature, and to formulate an understanding of key theories and debates within a field by bringing a collection of texts into conversation with one another. Have students curate book chapters, articles, poems, songs, letters, and other relevant items. Students must contextualize the collection by writing an introduction and conclusion that frame the themes and ideas they have presented.
Learning Outcomes:
Intermediate Research Skills
Select and curate a collection of relevant literature for a project.
Critical/Analytical Thinking Skills
Construct a claim or argument based on a careful analysis of a body of literature.
Digital Literacy Skills
Engage digital technology to build a presence online.
Develop aesthetic sensibilities about presentation of work.
Persuasive Writing Skills
Present a compelling and cohesive rationale for the literature selected.
Notes:
This assignment works very well for courses that require a deep understanding of a body of literature. The anthology can function as an effective final project that asks students to engage with key themes, debates, and/or discourses in a body of literature.
You may scaffold the project by asking students to complete components of the assignment over the course of the semester (such as annotating one text at a time and creating a project proposal with a rationale for their collection). Consider bringing in one or two anthologies that can function as a model for the students. You may also consider asking students to use digital technology to curate the collection online.
12. Portfolio
Description: Asking students to produce a portfolio of their work can be an effective way to facilitate their understanding of the connections between assignments and course materials throughout the semester, and to encourage students’ metacognitive awareness about their own learning. This project invites students to construct, edit, and curate their work throughout the semester into a print or digital portfolio that can be shared or presented at the end of the semester.
Learning Outcomes:
Information Literacy Skills
Select and curate a set of artifacts.
Digital Literacy Skills
Engage digital technology to build a presence online.
Develop aesthetic sensibilities about presentation of work.
Cultivate an understanding of privacy issues related to sharing work online.
Notes:
If you decide to use the portfolio project, be sure to introduce it relatively early in the semester. This can be a great method to encourage students’ taking ownership of their voices and reflecting on their own intellectual development. This is also a wonderful option for summative assessment.
Creative Components to an Assignment
You can add a creative option to an assignment such as those described above, offer several creative options, or shake up a traditional assignment (such as a final exam or paper) by replacing it altogether with a creative project. Creative work can be accompanied by a piece of reflective or analytical writing or a presentation that may be graded. The ideas below are adapted in part from the Princeton Writing Program.
Creative interpretations of course material
In response to course content, have students
write “flash” fiction or other creative writing (e.g., a poem, play, or short story);
create a piece of artwork (any medium, mixed media);
develop a playlist to accompany a reading or essay;
give a performance (spoken word, dance);
write or record testimony as a witness;
create a vlog on an issue or reading;
record a podcast on a topic for a specific audience;
map course content (using GoogleMaps or GIS);
write a travel narrative or gather materials about travel in a place;
write a piece of satire in the style of The Onion;
report on a news event; and/or
propose a new book, toy, game, etc.
Allow students to channel their creativity toward activism or public outreach. Students can
design their own class, app, workspace, business/start-up, or garden, etc.;
develop a grant proposal inspired by their research;
propose a public memorial in response to a reading or issue;
write a commentary or op-ed inviting the public to reconsider a contested issue (encourage students to send their writing to various outlets, especially online platforms); and/or
write to a member of Congress to convey their findings.