Welcome to the Tuesday Teaching Tip, an easy-to-implement tool that you can use immediately in your classroom teaching. 

TUESDAY TEACHING TIP: TRANSPARENT ASSIGNMENT DESIGN

Effective learning hinges on students understanding exactly what is expected of them. By explicitly communicating assignment goals and expectations, transparent design helps students understand what they need to do, reducing uncertainty and improving learning outcomes. Research by Winkelmes and colleagues (2019) has shown transparent assignments can significantly boost student success, particularly for students who have been historically underserved. This week, we challenge you to redesign one assignment to make its purpose, tasks, and criteria absolutely transparent to your students.

Here's one way to do it

• Clearly articulate the purpose of the assignment: Why are students doing this assignment? What skills or knowledge will they develop?
• Break down the assignment into specific tasks. What steps will student take along the way? 
• Provide a detailed rubric that explicitly outlines the criteria for success. You can also create or provide at least one example or model of a successful assignment submission.

The Transparency in Learning and Teaching project (TILT Higher Ed) Examples and Resources webpage includes video overviews of the transparency framework, sample assignments, and a transparent assignment design template for instructors.

DID YOU DO IT?

Let us know how it went. We would love to hear your feedback about how you implemented today’s Tuesday Teaching Tip in your classroom. Click here to fill out our 3-question survey. The survey is anonymous, but if you choose to enter your name, you’ll be entered in a drawing at the end of the quarter to win a new book from Faculty Development!

UPCOMING EVENTS

• Learn more about transparent assignment design at our hands-on CAFE workshop Thursday, February 25 at 12:15 - 1:15 in Varsi 222. Stay for the implementation hour to bounce ideas off our panelists! Sign up here.
• Join us TODAY for our CAFE on Managing Alternative Grading on Tuesday, Feb 18th at 12:15pm in Varsi 222 to learn how your colleagues use technology to track student learning in courses that use alternative grading. 
• Visit CJ Gabbe (ESS) during his office hours on Mondays 2.30-3.30 pm to get feedback and support related to syllabus design, assignment design, and community-based learning. Or, jump on a zoom call with the SCU Union Leaders on Tuesdays 8:45-9:45 am. You can see all Faculty Associates bios and office hours here. No need to register, just show up!

WANT TO READ A LITTLE MORE?

• SCU DRT page on Assignment Design
• TILT Higher Ed
• Winkelmes, M., Boye, A., & Tapp, S. (Eds.). (2019). Transparent design in higher education teaching and leadership. Stylus Publishing. [E-book available through the SCU Library]

 

This week’s Tuesday Teaching Tip was prepared by C.J. Gabbe and Diana Morlang on behalf of the Faculty Collaborative.

Missed a teaching tip? Read them all here. Don’t forget to check out our Faculty Associates office hours here.

And check out our full calendar of CAFEs and other Faculty Development and Faculty Collaborative events.