Designing Effective Assignments

Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Program in Collaboration with the Reading Effectively Across the Disciplines (READ) ProgramOctober 22nd, 20131Designing Effective Assignments1Reading and Writing to Learn2Writing as active readingExamples: note taking, concept maps, summarizing lectures or course readingsExplain to students the value of writing for organizing their ideas & better understanding course contentExplicitly state how writing assignments link to later work, exams, etc.Purposeful writing assignmentsConnect to course objectives

Connect to personal experiences or prior knowledge (e.g., journal entries linked to current course topic or theory)2

Reading and Writing as Tools to LearningLearners remember what they write about content material they read.Writing helps enhance readers metacognitive skills.Writing can be an effective means of learning in every content area.

3Reading and Writing to LearnReading for learning in content areasPre-readingPost-readingWriting for learningin content areas StrategiesvocabularyReading GuidesAnnotationGraphic organizers Concept mapsStudent-generated questionsConnection to readingDuring readingSummaryLow-stake assignments4Writing-to-learn StrategiesTwo-column note taking

Question what text means or how the parts of the topic connect

Cubing

Prediction

Define concepts or ideas about subject matter

Paraphrase, translate, or rephrase the text

React or response to texts

Create problems to be solved with subject matter

Apply the subject matter to ones life

Summarize concepts and ideas from text/discussion

5Two Column note takingTopics and notes to yourselfLecture notesSummarizing and Main Ideas6Cubing StrategyPurposes:

To develop conceptual understanding of a topicTo develop reading comprehensionTo develop prewriting abilities

Tasks:

Describe the subjectCompare the subject with something elseAssociate the subject with something elseAnalyze the subjectApply Uses of the subjectArgue for or against the subject

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8Reading-to-Learn StrategiesPre-reading

Previewing vocabularyReading Guides

During Reading

AnnotationGraphic OrganizersConcept Maps

Post-reading

Student-generated questions Summary

9Concept MappingPurpose:

To develop an understanding of a body of knowledge.

To explore new information and relationships.

To access prior knowledge.

To gather new knowledge and information.

To share knowledge and information generated.

To determine problem-solving options.10

Informal vs. Formal Writing Assignments12Informal writing: low-stakes (not graded or minimal points), very limited structure so as to encourage creativity & critical thinkingPurposesProcess (writing to learn)End product (leads to something more formal)Formal writing: high-stakes (graded) structured, end product only (not process-related)

1213Homework(low-stakes)In Class(low-stakes)Formal Assignments(high-stakes)Linking to previous knowledgeRetaining informationUnderstanding key conceptsAssessing student comprehensionInteracting with a textKeeping up with readingFocusing on key pointsLearning the discourseEvaluating and interpreting data & sourcesDeveloping and supporting a thesisMastering discourseWriting to Learn13All Assignments Benefit From Clarity14Always Provide Students with a Typed Assignment HandoutHelps the students understand what they need to do Assists tutors in the Learning Center in providing appropriate assistance to the studentProvides reference for instructors14Assignment Handout Checklist15Do students know what they need to do? Is the task clear? E.g. compare/contrast, summarize, etc.Do students know what theyre being graded for?Do students know which essay format they are being asked to compose? Have I expressed who the intended audience is for this paper?Have I expressed the acceptable and minimum number of sources (e.g., a minimum of 5 articles from scholarly journals)?Have I listed the assignment requirements?Length? Deadlines? Reference-style and formatting? Font, margins, title page, bibliographyHave I stressed the importance of proofreading? (peer evaluation can be helpful)Has class material prepared students for this assignment?Put this information in handout15Benefits of Informal Writing Assignments16Requires students to interact with course content.Helps students make connections between new concepts and previous knowledge.Encourages concentration and helps students to understand and retain key concepts and processes.Gives students an opportunity to grapple with problems and tasks, to speculate about possible answers or solutions without risk.Helps instructors to assess student comprehension and progress.Helps prevent plagiarism in high-stakes papers.16Informal Writing Assignments: Prompts17What did you find most interesting about this chapter?

Relate concept X from todays class to our previous lecture on Y/your personal experience.

What didnt you understand about the reading? Write 3 questions about the reading that you would like to be answered.

Compose a question about this weeks reading to be discussed in class.

17Informal Writing Assignments: Summaries and Explain to New Learner18SummaryWrite for about 5 min. summarizing the class lecture.Make a list of key concepts highlighted in todays lab.

Explain to new learnerRestate the main points of todays lecture in your own words.Explain this weeks reading to your grandma.18Formal Assignments19Benefit from scaffolding:Build on/integrate informal assignmentsTend to be high stakesOften ask students to do the disciplineCall for finished proseCan require multiple drafts19Formal Assignment Formats20Write an eight- to ten-page research paper on ____________.TraditionalShorter assignments focusing on specific course concepts or skillDefend a ThesisMicrothemeAnnotated BibliographyScaffolding Traditional AssignmentsA very short piece of formal, closed-form writing usually less than 250 words can prompt intense, purposeful rereading of textbooks and class notesasks students to apply new concepts to familiar situations20Traditional Writing Assignment21Assignment 2: Take-Home Final Exam Essay: Turkey and theEuropean UnionDiscuss the controversy over Turkey's membership in the European Union. What are the potential benefits for Turkey? For the European Union? Beyond Europe?What are the arguments for and against membership? Who's making these arguments and why? What are the economic implications? Papers must be typed, double-spaced and stapled. Sources must be cited, using Chicago style. You must include a list of Works Cited.

This assignment represents the equivalent of a final exam. Therefore, I expect you to put considerable time and energy into it. Papers should be focused, make an argument, and draw on course materials. I want to see evidence of thinking. I will reward originality. Points will be deducted for grammatical and syntactical errors. It's a good idea to write more than one draft of your assignment. If you need extra help, you can get it in the Writing Center. I recommend this strongly. Plagiarism is prohibited by Queens College, and any student caught teaching will receive an F on the assignment, fail the course, and be referred to the Dean of students. Dont do it!

My pet peeves: Confusion between "there" and "their; Pronoun anteceded disagreement; Incorrect verb tenses; Confusion between "it's" and "its; Use of the second person ( "you); Unsupported statements of opinion.

Activity? Split into groups and turn this into 1 reading, 1 informal, and 1 formal assignment?21Scaffolding Traditional Assignments: Defend an Assigned Thesis22This proposed bridge does/does not meet the criteria set forth by the city in its request for proposal.Engineering: Schizophrenia is a brain disease/learned behavior.Psychology: Global climate change is/is not a significant environmental threat at this time.Environmental Science: Short thesis support assignments (2-3 pages) require students to understand and use key concepts while simultaneously practicing the methods of inquiry, research, and argumentation in your fieldGive students the thesis to defending a thesis of their own later in the semester.22Scaffolding Traditional Assignments: Evidence-based Microthemes23Dear Dr. Catlove,

Youve got to help me settle this argument I am having with my girlfriend. We were watching a baseball game several weeks ago when this guy hit a high pop-up straight over the catchers head. When it finally came down, the catcher caught it standing on home plate. Well, my girlfriend told me that when the ball stopped in midair just before it started back down, its velocity was 0, but its acceleration was not 0. I said she was stupid. Needless to say, that started an argument. Please help us save our relationship!

Sincerely, Baseball Blues

Can this relationship be saved? Speaking as Dr. Catlove, write an answer to Baseball Blues. Restrict your answer to 250 words or less. Dont confuse Mr. Blues by using any special physics terms unless you explain clearly what you mean.Next Step: Ask students to more globally compare/contrast learning theories in a more formal wrting assignment later in the semester as an example of scaffolding23Activity 2: Transform The Assignment24Assignment 2: Take-Home Final Exam Essay: Turkey and theEuropean UnionDiscuss the controversy over Turkey's membership in the European Union. What are the potential benefits for Turkey? For the European Union? Beyond Europe?What are the arguments for and against membership? Who's making these arguments and why? What are the economic implications? Papers must be typed, double-spaced and stapled. Sources must be cited, using Chicago style. You must include a list of Works Cited.

This assignment represents the equivalent of a final exam. Therefore, I expect you to put considerable time and energy into it. Papers should be focused, make an argument, and draw on course materials. I want to see evidence of thinking. I will reward originality. Points will be deducted for grammatical and syntactical errors. It's a good idea to write more than one draft of your assignment. If you need extra help, you can get it in the Writing Center. I recommend this strongly. Plagiarism is prohibited by Queens College, and any student caught teaching will receive an F on the assignment, fail the course, and be referred to the Dean of students. Dont do it!

My pet peeves: Confusion between "there" and "their; Pronoun anteceded disagreement; Incorrect verb tenses; Confusion between "it's" and "its; Use of the second person ( "you); Unsupported statements of opinion.

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