Transparent Assignment Design

Start learning about transparent assignment design with this short, 4-video series by Mary Ann Winkelmes of TILT Higher Education (1-2 minutes each video). This is the model we want you to use in each of your assignments.

4-minute video playlist: The Unwritten Rules of College Success Links to an external site.

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As you saw in the video, transparent assignment design is a series of steps that can help students succeed by making assignment prompts clearer, and it's particularly effective for students most statistically most likely to struggle: low-income students, first generation college students, and students of color. As you create your major assignments, we want to challenge you to use this method to build from the beginning. 

Three aspects of transparent assignment design

Purpose- How does this assignment connect to course goals? Is it a building block in a larger piece of learning? Does it build on previous assignments? How might it connect to students' personal goals, or connect to their own growth? Put purpose in its own section at the beginning so students can understand why they are being asked to do this thing!

Tasks - List all tasks. Make sure due dates are clearly listed (and set in Canvas). Bulleted lists are often more helpful than paragraphs here 

Criteria for Success- Demystify success for your students! Can you offer models, checklists or descriptions of what a successful project will entail? Can you show them an example of an excellent assignment? Just like purpose, this may seem clear to us, but is not always obvious to students!

More on transparent assignment design from TILT Higher Ed Links to an external site.

Learn more about the research behind transparent assignment design, why it's so needed, and more tips on how to do it in this video lecture from Marc Boots-Ebenfield on optimizing assignment design (again, this was made for another course, so ignore any mention of Module numbers!):