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Teaching Tips | Week 7: Using Assignments to Build Student Involvement
Spring 2009
Midterms are a great time to think about how your class is going so far and what changes will make the second half of the semester as successful as possible. Many instructors are concerned at this time about dwindling class participation, incomplete or missing assignments, and low motivation. Making some of the minor adjustments below to your assignments and readings can help address these issues and strengthen the overall course.
Homework Assignments:
- Ask yourself these questions: what is the purpose of your assignment? What do you hope students will get out of doing the activity? What will you and your students do to build on homework in class: review it for comprehension, synthesize materials, have students practice a skill in a controlled setting, or apply it to a new context? Do your assignments align with your course outcomes?
- Choose a variety of assignments (and activities to process them!) as students skills grow and as the course changes.
- Introduce assignments in the middle of class so that students get interested and have the opportunity to discuss and ask questions. Survey students on their existing knowledge, view past student work, or have them generate criteria for successful projects.
- Explain the relevance of your activities and assignments. Their presence on your syllabus may be obvious to you, but your students may not see the connection between their weekly activities and the bigger picture of their skills and careers.
Readings:
- Are the "required readings" necessary to understand course content and succeed in the class? If not, can you locate some that will enhance the content, rather than distract from it?
- If readings are an ongoing part of your class, consider putting them first: use class time to review and apply past readings rather than preview upcoming readings. Research suggests that students learn more when they have some background knowledge and aren't presented with content for the first time in a lecture. If they haven't grappled with any of the ideas or vocabulary before, then valuable out-of-class time has been wasted.
- When you assign readings, consider providing reading guides, study questions, or short writing assignments to reinforce both the completion and importance of the readings. This will also make students take the readings seriously and not put them off until the last minute. Follow up and actually use the completed guides and questions in class.
Resources
Creating Effective Assignments from the U. of New Hampshire
Assignments that Help Students Learn More Effectively
How do I design effective writing assignments?
Getting Students to Read: Fourteen Tips
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