assignment overview university

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that they will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove their point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, they still have to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and they already know everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality they expect.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Understanding Writing Assignments

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How to Decipher the Paper Assignment

Many instructors write their assignment prompts differently. By following a few steps, you can better understand the requirements for the assignment. The best way, as always, is to ask the instructor about anything confusing.

• Read the prompt the entire way through once. This gives you an overall view of what is going on.
• Underline or circle the portions that you absolutely must know. This information may include due date, research (source) requirements, page length, and format (MLA, APA, CMS).
• Underline or circle important phrases. You should know your instructor at least a little by now - what phrases do they use in class? Does he repeatedly say a specific word? If these are in the prompt, you know the instructor wants you to use them in the assignment.
• Think about how you will address the prompt. The prompt contains clues on how to write the assignment. Your instructor will often describe the ideas they want discussed either in questions, in bullet points, or in the text of the prompt. Think about each of these sentences and number them so that you can write a paragraph or section of your essay on that portion if necessary.
• Rank ideas in descending order, from most important to least important. Instructors may include more questions or talking points than you can cover in your assignment, so rank them in the order you think is more important. One area of the prompt may be more interesting to you than another.
• Ask your instructor questions if you have any.

After you are finished with these steps, ask yourself the following:

• What is the purpose of this assignment? Is my purpose to provide information without forming an argument, to construct an argument based on research, or analyze a poem and discuss its imagery?
• Who is my audience? Is my instructor my only audience? Who else might read this? Will it be posted online? What are my readers' needs and expectations?
• What resources do I need to begin work? Do I need to conduct literature (hermeneutic or historical) research, or do I need to review important literature on the topic and then conduct empirical research, such as a survey or an observation? How many sources are required?
• Who - beyond my instructor - can I contact to help me if I have questions? Do you have a writing lab or student service center that offers tutorials in writing?

(Notes on prompts made in blue )

Poster or Song Analysis: Poster or Song? Poster!

Goals : To systematically consider the rhetorical choices made in either a poster or a song. She says that all the time.

Things to Consider: ah- talking points

• how the poster addresses its audience and is affected by context I'll do this first - 1.
• general layout, use of color, contours of light and shade, etc.
• use of contrast, alignment, repetition, and proximity C.A.R.P. They say that, too. I'll do this third - 3.
• the point of view the viewer is invited to take, poses of figures in the poster, etc. any text that may be present
• possible cultural ramifications or social issues that have bearing I'll cover this second - 2.
• ethical implications
• how the poster affects us emotionally, or what mood it evokes
• the poster's implicit argument and its effectiveness said that was important in class, so I'll discuss this last - 4.
• how the song addresses its audience
• lyrics: how they rhyme, repeat, what they say
• use of music, tempo, different instruments
• possible cultural ramifications or social issues that have bearing
• emotional effects
• the implicit argument and its effectiveness

These thinking points are not a step-by-step guideline on how to write your paper; instead, they are various means through which you can approach the subject. I do expect to see at least a few of them addressed, and there are other aspects that may be pertinent to your choice that have not been included in these lists. You will want to find a central idea and base your argument around that. Additionally, you must include a copy of the poster or song that you are working with. Really important!

I will be your audience. This is a formal paper, and you should use academic conventions throughout.

Length: 4 pages Format: Typed, double-spaced, 10-12 point Times New Roman, 1 inch margins I need to remember the format stuff. I messed this up last time =(

Academic Argument Essay

5-7 pages, Times New Roman 12 pt. font, 1 inch margins.

Minimum of five cited sources: 3 must be from academic journals or books

• Design Plan due: Thurs. 10/19
• Rough Draft due: Monday 10/30
• Final Draft due: Thurs. 11/9

Remember this! I missed the deadline last time

The design plan is simply a statement of purpose, as described on pages 40-41 of the book, and an outline. The outline may be formal, as we discussed in class, or a printout of an Open Mind project. It must be a minimum of 1 page typed information, plus 1 page outline.

This project is an expansion of your opinion editorial. While you should avoid repeating any of your exact phrases from Project 2, you may reuse some of the same ideas. Your topic should be similar. You must use research to support your position, and you must also demonstrate a fairly thorough knowledge of any opposing position(s). 2 things to do - my position and the opposite.

Your essay should begin with an introduction that encapsulates your topic and indicates 1 the general trajectory of your argument. You need to have a discernable thesis that appears early in your paper. Your conclusion should restate the thesis in different words, 2 and then draw some additional meaningful analysis out of the developments of your argument. Think of this as a "so what" factor. What are some implications for the future, relating to your topic? What does all this (what you have argued) mean for society, or for the section of it to which your argument pertains? A good conclusion moves outside the topic in the paper and deals with a larger issue.

You should spend at least one paragraph acknowledging and describing the opposing position in a manner that is respectful and honestly representative of the opposition’s 3 views. The counterargument does not need to occur in a certain area, but generally begins or ends your argument. Asserting and attempting to prove each aspect of your argument’s structure should comprise the majority of your paper. Ask yourself what your argument assumes and what must be proven in order to validate your claims. Then go step-by-step, paragraph-by-paragraph, addressing each facet of your position. Most important part!

Finally, pay attention to readability . Just because this is a research paper does not mean that it has to be boring. Use examples and allow your opinion to show through word choice and tone. Proofread before you turn in the paper. Your audience is generally the academic community and specifically me, as a representative of that community. Ok, They want this to be easy to read, to contain examples I find, and they want it to be grammatically correct. I can visit the tutoring center if I get stuck, or I can email the OWL Email Tutors short questions if I have any more problems.

Assignments usually ask you to demonstrate that you have immersed yourself in the course material and that you've done some thinking on your own; questions not treated at length in class often serve as assignments. Fortunately, if you've put the time into getting to know the material, then you've almost certainly begun thinking independently. In responding to assignments, keep in mind the following advice.

• Beware of straying.  Especially in the draft stage, "discussion" and "analysis" can lead you from one intrinsically interesting problem to another, then another, and then ... You may wind up following a garden of forking paths and lose your way. To prevent this, stop periodically while drafting your essay and reread the assignment. Its purposes are likely to become clearer.
• Consider the assignment in relation to previous and upcoming assignments.  Ask yourself what is new about the task you're setting out to do. Instructors often design assignments to build in complexity. Knowing where an assignment falls in this progression can help you concentrate on the specific, fresh challenges at hand.

Understanding some key words commonly used in assignments also may simplify your task. Toward this end, let's take a look at two seemingly impenetrable instructions: "discuss" and "analyze."

1. Discuss the role of gender in bringing about the French Revolution.

• "Discuss" is easy to misunderstand because the word calls to mind the oral/spoken dimension of communication. "Discuss" suggests conversation, which often is casual and undirected. In the context of an assignment, however, discussion entails fulfilling a defined and organized task: to construct an argument that considers and responds to an ample range of materials. To "discuss," in assignment language, means to make a broad argument about a set of arguments you have studied. In the case above, you can do this by
• pointing to consistencies and inconsistencies in the evidence of gendered causes of the Revolution;
• raising the implications of these consistencies and/or inconsistencies (perhaps they suggest a limited role for gender as catalyst);
• evaluating different claims about the role of gender; and
• asking what is gained and what is lost by focusing on gendered symbols, icons and events.

A weak discussion essay in response to the question above might simply list a few aspects of the Revolution—the image of Liberty, the executions of the King and Marie Antoinette, the cry "Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite!" —and make separate comments about how each, being "gendered," is therefore a powerful political force. Such an essay would offer no original thesis, but instead restate the question asked in the assignment (i.e., "The role of gender was very important in the French Revolution" or "Gender did not play a large role in the French Revolution").

In a strong discussion essay, the thesis would go beyond a basic restatement of the assignment question. You might test the similarities and differences of the revolutionary aspects being discussed. You might draw on fresh or unexpected evidence, perhaps using as a source an intriguing reading that was only briefly touched upon in lecture.

2. Analyze two of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, including one not discussed in class, as literary works and in terms of sources/analogues.

The words "analyze" and "analysis" may seem to denote highly advanced, even arcane skills, possessed in virtual monopoly by mathematicians and scientists. Happily, the terms refer to mental activity we all perform regularly; the terms just need decoding. "Analyze" means two things in this specific assignment prompt.

• First, you need to divide the two tales into parts, elements, or features. You might start with a basic approach: looking at the beginning, middle, and end. These structural features of literary works—and of historical events and many other subjects of academic study—may seem simple or even simplistic, but they can yield surprising insights when examined closely.
• Alternatively, you might begin at a more complex level of analysis. For example, you might search for and distinguish between kinds of humor in the two tales and their sources in Boccaccio or the Roman de la Rose: banter, wordplay, bawdy jokes, pranks, burlesque, satire, etc.

Second, you need to consider the two tales critically to arrive at some reward for having observed how the tales are made and where they came from (their sources/analogues). In the course of your essay, you might work your way to investigating Chaucer's broader attitude toward his sources, which alternates between playful variation and strict adherence. Your complex analysis of kinds of humor might reveal differing conceptions of masculine and feminine between Chaucer and his literary sources, or some other important cultural distinction.

Analysis involves both a set of observations about the composition or workings of your subject and a critical approach that keeps you from noticing just anything—from excessive listing or summarizing—and instead leads you to construct an interpretation, using textual evidence to support your ideas.

Some Final Advice

If, having read the assignment carefully, you're still confused by it, don't hesitate to ask for clarification from your instructor. He or she may be able to elucidate the question or to furnish some sample responses to the assignment. Knowing the expectations of an assignment can help when you're feeling puzzled. Conversely, knowing the boundaries can head off trouble if you're contemplating an unorthodox approach. In either case, before you go to your instructor, it's a good idea to list, underline or circle the specific places in the assignment where the language makes you feel uncertain.

William C. Rice, for the Writing Center at Harvard University

• Utility Menu

• Writing Center
• Writing Program
• Designing Essay Assignments

by Gordon Harvey

Students often do their best and hardest thinking, and feel the greatest sense of mastery and growth, in their writing. Courses and assignments should be planned with this in mind. Three principles are paramount:

1. Name what you want and imagine students doing it

However free students are to range and explore in a paper, the general kind of paper you’re inviting has common components, operations, and criteria of success, and you should make these explicit. Having satisfied yourself, as you should, that what you’re asking is doable, with dignity, by writers just learning the material, try to anticipate in your prompt or discussions of the assignment the following queries:

• What is the purpose of this? How am I going beyond what we have done, or applying it in a new area, or practicing a key academic skill or kind of work?
• To what audience should I imagine myself writing?
• What is the main task or tasks, in a nutshell? What does that key word (e.g., analyze, significance of, critique, explore, interesting, support) really mean in this context or this field?
• What will be most challenging in this and what qualities will most distinguish a good paper? Where should I put my energy? (Lists of possible questions for students to answer in a paper are often not sufficiently prioritized to be helpful.)
• What misconceptions might I have about what I’m to do? (How is this like or unlike other papers I may have written?) Are there too-easy approaches I might take or likely pitfalls? An ambitious goal or standard that I might think I’m expected to meet but am not?
• What form will evidence take in my paper (e.g., block quotations? paraphrase? graphs or charts?) How should I cite it? Should I use/cite material from lecture or section?
• Are there some broad options for structure, emphasis, or approach that I’ll likely be choosing among?
• How should I get started on this? What would be a helpful (or unhelpful) way to take notes, gather data, discover a question or idea? Should I do research? 

2. Take time in class to prepare students to succeed at the paper

Resist the impulse to think of class meetings as time for “content” and of writing as work done outside class. Your students won’t have mastered the art of paper writing (if such a mastery is possible) and won’t know the particular disciplinary expectations or moves relevant to the material at hand. Take time in class to show them: 

• discuss the assignment in class when you give it, so students can see that you take it seriously, so they can ask questions about it, so they can have it in mind during subsequent class discussions;
• introduce the analytic vocabulary of your assignment into class discussions, and take opportunities to note relevant moves made in discussion or good paper topics that arise;
• have students practice key tasks in class discussions, or in informal writing they do in before or after discussions;
• show examples of writing that illustrates components and criteria of the assignment and that inspires (class readings can sometimes serve as illustrations of a writing principle; so can short excerpts of writing—e.g., a sampling of introductions; and so can bad writing—e.g., a list of problematic thesis statements);
• the topics of originality and plagiarism (what the temptations might be, how to avoid risks) should at some point be addressed directly. 

3. Build in process

Ideas develop over time, in a process of posing and revising and getting feedback and revising some more. Assignments should allow for this process in the following ways:

• smaller assignments should prepare for larger ones later;
• students should do some thinking and writing before they write a draft and get a response to it (even if only a response to a proposal or thesis statement sent by email, or described in class);
• for larger papers, students should write and get response (using the skills vocabulary of the assignment) to a draft—at least an “oral draft” (condensed for delivery to the class);
• if possible, meet with students individually about their writing: nothing inspires them more than feeling that you care about their work and development;
• let students reflect on their own writing, in brief cover letters attached to drafts and revisions (these may also ask students to perform certain checks on what they have written, before submitting);
• have clear and firm policies about late work that nonetheless allow for exception if students talk to you in advance.

• Pedagogy Workshops
• Responding to Student Writing
• Commenting Efficiently
• Vocabulary for Discussing Student Writing
• Guides to Teaching Writing
• HarvardWrites Instructor Toolkit
• Additional Resources for Teaching Fellows

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Types of Assignments

Cristy Bartlett and Kate Derrington

Introduction

As discussed in the previous chapter, assignments are a common method of assessment at university. You may encounter many assignments over your years of study, yet some will look quite different from others. By recognising different types of assignments and understanding the purpose of the task, you can direct your writing skills effectively to meet task requirements. This chapter draws on the skills from the previous chapter, and extends the discussion, showing you where to aim with different types of assignments.

The chapter begins by exploring the popular essay assignment, with its two common categories, analytical and argumentative essays. It then examines assignments requiring case study responses , as often encountered in fields such as health or business. This is followed by a discussion of assignments seeking a report (such as a scientific report) and reflective writing assignments, common in nursing, education and human services. The chapter concludes with an examination of annotated bibliographies and literature reviews. The chapter also has a selection of templates and examples throughout to enhance your understanding and improve the efficacy of  your assignment writing skills.

Different Types of Written Assignments

At university, an essay is a common form of assessment. In the previous chapter Writing Assignments we discussed what was meant by showing academic writing in your assignments. It is important that you consider these aspects of structure, tone and language when writing an essay.

Components of an essay

Essays should use formal but reader friendly language and have a clear and logical structure. They must include research from credible academic sources such as peer reviewed journal articles and textbooks. This research should be referenced throughout your essay to support your ideas (See the chapter Working with Information ).

If you have never written an essay before, you may feel unsure about how to start.  Breaking your essay into sections and allocating words accordingly will make this process more manageable and will make planning the overall essay structure much easier.

• An essay requires an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.
• Generally, an introduction and conclusion are approximately 10% each of the total word count.
• The remaining words can then be divided into sections and a paragraph allowed for each area of content you need to cover.
• Use your task and criteria sheet to decide what content needs to be in your plan

An effective essay introduction needs to inform your reader by doing four basic things:

Table 15.1 An effective essay

[table “17” not found /]

An effective essay body paragraph needs to:

[table “18” not found /]

An effective essay conclusion needs to:

[table “19” not found /]

Common types of essays

You may be required to write different types of essays, depending on your study area and topic. Two of the most commonly used essays are analytical and argumentative .  The task analysis process discussed in the previous chapter Writing Assignments will help you determine the type of essay required. For example, if your assignment question uses task words such as analyse, examine, discuss, determine or explore, you would be writing an analytical essay . If your assignment question has task words such as argue, evaluate, justify or assess, you would be writing an argumentative essay . Despite the type of essay, your ability to analyse and think critically is important and common across genres.  

Analytical essays

These essays usually provide some background description of the relevant theory, situation, problem, case, image, etcetera that is your topic. Being analytical requires you to look carefully at various components or sections of your topic in a methodical and logical way to create understanding.

The purpose of the analytical essay is to demonstrate your ability to examine the topic thoroughly. This requires you to go deeper than description by considering different sides of the situation, comparing and contrasting a variety of theories and the positives and negatives of the topic. Although in an analytical essay your position on the topic may be clear, it is not necessarily a requirement that you explicitly identify this with a thesis statement, as is the case with an argumentative essay. If you are unsure whether you are required to take a position, and provide a thesis statement, it is best to check with your tutor.

Argumentative essays

These essays require you to take a position on the assignment topic. This is expressed through your thesis statement in your introduction. You must then present and develop your arguments throughout the body of your assignment using logically structured paragraphs. Each of these paragraphs needs a topic sentence that relates to the thesis statement. In an argumentative essay, you must reach a conclusion based on the evidence you have presented.

Case Study Responses

Case studies are a common form of assignment in many study areas and students can underperform in this genre for a number of key reasons.

Students typically lose marks for not:

• Relating their answer sufficiently to the case details
• Applying critical thinking
• Writing with clear structure
• Using appropriate or sufficient sources
• Using accurate referencing

When structuring your response to a case study, remember to refer to the case. Structure your paragraphs similarly to an essay paragraph structure but include examples and data from the case as additional evidence to support your points (see Figure 15.5). The colours in the sample paragraph below show the function of each component.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Code of Conduct and Nursing Standards (2018) play a crucial role in determining the scope of practice for nurses and midwives. A key component discussed in the code is the provision of person-centred care and the formation of therapeutic relationships between nurses and patients (NMBA, 2018). This ensures patient safety and promotes health and wellbeing (NMBA, 2018). The standards also discuss the importance of partnership and shared decision-making in the delivery of care (NMBA, 2018, 4). Boyd and Dare (2014) argue that good communication skills are vital for building therapeutic relationships and trust between patients and care givers. This will help ensure the patient is treated with dignity and respect and improve their overall hospital experience. In the case, the therapeutic relationship with the client has been compromised in several ways. Firstly, the nurse did not conform adequately to the guidelines for seeking informed consent before performing the examination as outlined in principle 2.3 (NMBA, 2018). Although she explained the procedure, she failed to give the patient appropriate choices regarding her health care. 

Topic sentence | Explanations using paraphrased evidence including in-text references | Critical thinking (asks the so what? question to demonstrate your student voice). | Relating the theory back to the specifics of the case. The case becomes a source of examples as extra evidence to support the points you are making.

Reports are a common form of assessment at university and are also used widely in many professions. It is a common form of writing in business, government, scientific, and technical occupations.

Reports can take many different structures. A report is normally written to present information in a structured manner, which may include explaining laboratory experiments, technical information, or a business case.  Reports may be written for different audiences including clients, your manager, technical staff, or senior leadership within an organisation. The structure of reports can vary, and it is important to consider what format is required. The choice of structure will depend upon professional requirements and the ultimate aims of the report. Consider some of the options in the table below (see Table 15.2).

Table 15.2 Explanations of different types of reports

[table “20” not found /]

Reflective writing

Reflective writing is a popular method of assessment at university. It is used to help you explore feelings, experiences, opinions, events or new information to gain a clearer and deeper understanding of your learning. A reflective writing task requires more than a description or summary.  It requires you to analyse a situation, problem or experience, consider what you may have learnt and evaluate how this may impact your thinking and actions in the future. This requires critical thinking, analysis, and usually the application of good quality research, to demonstrate your understanding or learning from a situation. Essentially, reflective practice is the process of looking back on past experiences and engaging with them in a thoughtful way and drawing conclusions to inform future experiences. The reflection skills you develop at university will be vital in the workplace to assist you to use feedback for growth and continuous improvement. There are numerous models of reflective writing and you should refer to your subject guidelines for your expected format. If there is no specific framework, a simple model to help frame your thinking is What? So what? Now what?   (Rolfe et al., 2001).

Table 15.3 What? So What? Now What? Explained.

[table “21” not found /]

The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

The Gibbs’ Cycle of reflection encourages you to consider your feelings as part of the reflective process. There are six specific steps to work through. Following this model carefully and being clear of the requirements of each stage, will help you focus your thinking and reflect more deeply. This model is popular in Health.

The 4 R’s of reflective thinking

This model (Ryan and Ryan, 2013) was designed specifically for university students engaged in experiential learning.  Experiential learning includes any ‘real-world’ activities including practice led activities, placements and internships.  Experiential learning, and the use of reflective practice to heighten this learning, is common in Creative Arts, Health and Education.

Annotated Bibliography

What is it.

An annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of appropriate sources (books, journals or websites) on a topic, accompanied by a brief summary, evaluation and sometimes an explanation or reflection on their usefulness or relevance to your topic. Its purpose is to teach you to research carefully, evaluate sources and systematically organise your notes. An annotated bibliography may be one part of a larger assessment item or a stand-alone assessment piece. Check your task guidelines for the number of sources you are required to annotate and the word limit for each entry.

How do I know what to include?

When choosing sources for your annotated bibliography it is important to determine:

• The topic you are investigating and if there is a specific question to answer
• The type of sources on which you need to focus
• Whether they are reputable and of high quality

What do I say?

Important considerations include:

• Is the work current?
• Is the work relevant to your topic?
• Is the author credible/reliable?
• Is there any author bias?
• The strength and limitations (this may include an evaluation of research methodology).

Literature Reviews

It is easy to get confused by the terminology used for literature reviews. Some tasks may be described as a systematic literature review when actually the requirement is simpler; to review the literature on the topic but do it in a systematic way. There is a distinct difference (see Table 15.4). As a commencing undergraduate student, it is unlikely you would be expected to complete a systematic literature review as this is a complex and more advanced research task. It is important to check with your lecturer or tutor if you are unsure of the requirements.

Table 15.4 Comparison of Literature Reviews

[table “22” not found /]

Generally, you are required to establish the main ideas that have been written on your chosen topic. You may also be expected to identify gaps in the research. A literature review does not summarise and evaluate each resource you find (this is what you would do in an annotated bibliography). You are expected to analyse and synthesise or organise common ideas from multiple texts into key themes which are relevant to your topic (see Figure 15.10). Use a table or a spreadsheet, if you know how, to organise the information you find. Record the full reference details of the sources as this will save you time later when compiling your reference list (see Table 15.5).

Overall, this chapter has provided an introduction to the types of assignments you can expect to complete at university, as well as outlined some tips and strategies with examples and templates for completing them. First, the chapter investigated essay assignments, including analytical and argumentative essays. It then examined case study assignments, followed by a discussion of the report format. Reflective writing , popular in nursing, education and human services, was also considered. Finally, the chapter briefly addressed annotated bibliographies and literature reviews. The chapter also has a selection of templates and examples throughout to enhance your understanding and improve the efficacy of your assignment writing skills.

• Not all assignments at university are the same. Understanding the requirements of different types of assignments will assist in meeting the criteria more effectively.
• There are many different types of assignments. Most will require an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.
• An essay should have a clear and logical structure and use formal but reader friendly language.
• Breaking your assignment into manageable chunks makes it easier to approach.
• Effective body paragraphs contain a topic sentence.
• A case study structure is similar to an essay, but you must remember to provide examples from the case or scenario to demonstrate your points.
• The type of report you may be required to write will depend on its purpose and audience. A report requires structured writing and uses headings.
• Reflective writing is popular in many disciplines and is used to explore feelings, experiences, opinions or events to discover what learning or understanding has occurred. Reflective writing requires more than description. You need to be analytical, consider what has been learnt and evaluate the impact of this on future actions.
• Annotated bibliographies teach you to research and evaluate sources and systematically organise your notes. They may be part of a larger assignment.
• Literature reviews require you to look across the literature and analyse and synthesise the information you find into themes.

Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford.

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001). Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide . Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ryan, M. & Ryan, M. (2013). Theorising a model for teaching and assessing reflective learning in higher education.  Higher Education Research & Development , 32(2), 244-257. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2012.661704

Academic Success Copyright © 2021 by Cristy Bartlett and Kate Derrington is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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5 tips on writing better university assignments

Lecturer in Student Learning and Communication Development, University of Sydney

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Alexandra Garcia does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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University life comes with its share of challenges. One of these is writing longer assignments that require higher information, communication and critical thinking skills than what you might have been used to in high school. Here are five tips to help you get ahead.

1. Use all available sources of information

Beyond instructions and deadlines, lecturers make available an increasing number of resources. But students often overlook these.

For example, to understand how your assignment will be graded, you can examine the rubric . This is a chart indicating what you need to do to obtain a high distinction, a credit or a pass, as well as the course objectives – also known as “learning outcomes”.

Other resources include lecture recordings, reading lists, sample assignments and discussion boards. All this information is usually put together in an online platform called a learning management system (LMS). Examples include Blackboard , Moodle , Canvas and iLearn . Research shows students who use their LMS more frequently tend to obtain higher final grades.

If after scrolling through your LMS you still have questions about your assignment, you can check your lecturer’s consultation hours.

2. Take referencing seriously

Plagiarism – using somebody else’s words or ideas without attribution – is a serious offence at university. It is a form of cheating.

In many cases, though, students are unaware they have cheated. They are simply not familiar with referencing styles – such as APA , Harvard , Vancouver , Chicago , etc – or lack the skills to put the information from their sources into their own words.

To avoid making this mistake, you may approach your university’s library, which is likely to offer face-to-face workshops or online resources on referencing. Academic support units may also help with paraphrasing.

You can also use referencing management software, such as EndNote or Mendeley . You can then store your sources, retrieve citations and create reference lists with only a few clicks. For undergraduate students, Zotero has been recommended as it seems to be more user-friendly.

Using this kind of software will certainly save you time searching for and formatting references. However, you still need to become familiar with the citation style in your discipline and revise the formatting accordingly.

3. Plan before you write

If you were to build a house, you wouldn’t start by laying bricks at random. You’d start with a blueprint. Likewise, writing an academic paper requires careful planning: you need to decide the number of sections, their organisation, and the information and sources you will include in each.

Research shows students who prepare detailed outlines produce higher-quality texts. Planning will not only help you get better grades, but will also reduce the time you spend staring blankly at the screen thinking about what to write next.

During the planning stage, using programs like OneNote from Microsoft Office or Outline for Mac can make the task easier as they allow you to organise information in tabs. These bits of information can be easily rearranged for later drafting. Navigating through the tabs is also easier than scrolling through a long Word file.

4. Choose the right words

Which of these sentences is more appropriate for an assignment?

a. “This paper talks about why the planet is getting hotter”, or b. “This paper examines the causes of climate change”.

The written language used at university is more formal and technical than the language you normally use in social media or while chatting with your friends. Academic words tend to be longer and their meaning is also more precise. “Climate change” implies more than just the planet “getting hotter”.

To find the right words, you can use SkELL , which shows you the words that appear more frequently, with your search entry categorised grammatically. For example, if you enter “paper”, it will tell you it is often the subject of verbs such as “present”, “describe”, “examine” and “discuss”.

Another option is the Writefull app, which does a similar job without having to use an online browser.

5. Edit and proofread

If you’re typing the last paragraph of the assignment ten minutes before the deadline, you will be missing a very important step in the writing process: editing and proofreading your text. A 2018 study found a group of university students did significantly better in a test after incorporating the process of planning, drafting and editing in their writing.

You probably already know to check the spelling of a word if it appears underlined in red. You may even use a grammar checker such as Grammarly . However, no software to date can detect every error and it is not uncommon to be given inaccurate suggestions.

So, in addition to your choice of proofreader, you need to improve and expand your grammar knowledge. Check with the academic support services at your university if they offer any relevant courses.

Written communication is a skill that requires effort and dedication. That’s why universities are investing in support services – face-to-face workshops, individual consultations, and online courses – to help students in this process. You can also take advantage of a wide range of web-based resources such as spell checkers, vocabulary tools and referencing software – many of them free.

Improving your written communication will help you succeed at university and beyond.

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How to Write An Assignment Introduction Like A Pro

Assignments become a crucial part of students’ academic lives as they have to encounter writing assignments daily. Writing an assignment in itself is a big and tough task, but most students face problems in writing an introduction for such assignments. 

An introduction has to be precise and complete to give a brief about your assignment, and there is a fixed word limit for writing an introduction of an assignment. That is why the most searched question about the assignment is 

How To Write An Assignment Introduction!

Table of Contents

If you want to make sure that your assignment’s introduction is eye-catching and précis, then follow the following guidelines on how to write an introduction for an assignment.

What is the Assignment Introduction?

The introduction gives an outline of the whole paper. It is the presentation of key ideas and also the purpose of your work. The introduction tells the readers about what you are going to tell in the assignment. An introduction has its own grading rules as it is counted distinctly from the body.

Significance of Writing Assignment Introduction

First, we need to understand the significance of writing a good introduction to an assignment. So you must have heard that the first impression is the last impression, and an introduction of your assignment works as a first impression for your assignment. 

Thus, if you wish to attract your examiner’s attention or your readers, you should write a good introduction for your assignment. Moreover, the important role of the introduction is to give an overview of the assignment, which helps the reader determine whether they want to read it.

Hence, before writing an assignment, it is very important to understand how to write an introduction of an assignment .

Strategies: How to write an assignment introduction

• A good introduction to the assignment manifests the following strategies –
• It must show the main objective and purpose of the assignment.
• The importance of assignment.
• The purview of the assignment’s study that is what it includes.
• A brief description of the assignment’s content and its organization.

Characteristics of Good Introduction

Before knowing how to write an assignment introduction, the most crucial thing is to know the characteristics of a good introduction. Because then only you can write a good introduction. So following are the essential characteristics of a good introduction-

• A good introduction is written precisely and clearly so that everyone can understand it. In short, there must not be any language errors.
• It must be written while remembering that it should be attention-grabbing so that it can grab the attention of its readers.
• A good introduction always shows the purpose of the study and what the study is about.
• A Good Assignment should be grammatical error free and plagiarism free. It will be a wise decision to take help from AI Content Detector tool like Content at Scale’s AI detector.
• Best Guide on How to Write a Case Study Assignment?
• Useful Guide on How to Submit Assignment on Google Classroom
• Handy Tips on How to Write an Assignment From Scratch

Elements: How to Write Introduction For Assignment

1.   background.

The first thing you have to write in an introduction is a brief background of the study. You have to give an overview of your assignment, what your assignment is about, its impact, and its area of study.

2.   Context in brief

You have to include a gist of the context of your assignment. It helps the readers to get information about the scope of the study in the assignment. But, including a summarizer tool can automate this process for your convenience.

3.   Your Contention

You have to write your stance on the question involved in the statement. It should be limited to one statement. It will help the readers understand your stance on such points and that the assignment is based on such points.

4.   Main points of study

You will write one line on the main points of your study as it will help the readers circumscribe the assignment’s limits.

5.   Definition of the Topic

The most important step in how to write an introduction for an assignment is to write a definition of the topic of the assignment very briefly. So that readers can understand the title of the study at once.

6.   Why are you writing on this topic only

It is always suggested that you write in the introduction of an assignment why you are writing on this topic only.

7.   Outline

Write briefly about the outline or structure of the assignment so that readers can read accordingly, and also it will help you to define the scope of the assignment in short.

However, students often look for how to write assignment pdf. So, below we provide the assignment introduction pdf.

How To Write An Introduction Of An Assignment Pdf

Download this PDF of how to write an introduction on an assignment:

How Long Should An Assignment Introduction Be?

It is true that students find this question while looking for an answer on the assignment’s introduction page. Let’s state that while writing an assignment, the introduction section should not be too long. Furthermore, the context should not be more than a few pages long.

Keep your assignment’s introduction simple and readable. Replace difficult words with simpler ones to fix readability issues (if any). To save time and effort, online paraphrasing tools such as Editpad or Paraphraser can be used to paraphrase text in a simple way.

If you are writing a 2000-word assignment, the introduction should be 200-250 words long.

But if you are writing a 3000-word assignment, the introduction should be 350-400 words long.

Guidelines/Tips On How To Write An Assignment Introduction

• Always start your assignment’s introduction with a broad idea about the topic of the assignment. After giving a broader picture of the study, you have to narrow down the discussion and write the main object of the study.
• Don’t forget to state the significance of your assignment in brief. It is the prominent part of the introduction.
• You have to smartly write about the tasks you are dealing with in the assignment in brief.
• Make sure you use easy and understandable language so that readers don’t find it difficult to understand the introduction; otherwise, they will not read the other parts of the assignment as well.
• Double-check and proofread your assignment introduction to ensure it is free from spelling mistakes and grammar mistakes.

These guidelines are very important in writing a good introduction to your assignment. If you want to be well-versed in writing an assignment introduction, it is mandatory first to be acquainted with these tips and guidelines.

Assignment Introduction Example

For more clarity, you can see the following assignment example;

Is There Any Other Way To Write Or Get An Effective Assignment Introduction?

Yes, there is! 

It has been seen that there are several writers who are confused when it comes to the assignment’s introduction writing. And it is true that they struggle to summarise the broad issue and write an introduction without conducting sufficient research. However, because the subject experts or online assignments help provide experts who are well-versed in the field, they easily write the introduction in minutes.

• The majority of students do not properly understand the English language. The experts who work in the writing industry have years of experience in writing assignments. That is why they always make sure to write an engaging introduction that also seems professional.
• Furthermore, the requirements of the writer are always given priority by the professionals. After that, they write a professional article that will, without a doubt, engage the reader.
• The expert not only helps the student in preparing the assignment’s introduction. They offer their support in completing the entire home task and guarantee that they will get an A+ grade.
• Besides that, the professionals’ support is available 24/7/365/366 days. So you won’t have to worry about coming up with a solution for your writing task.

What Makes A Good Introduction?

As you already know that, the rules are always subject to change, and our perspectives may be different. However, the academic standards for writing an introduction are quite clear. When creating a great introduction for an assignment, you have to make sure some of the points that are given below:

• Motivates the audience.
• Introduces your thesis statement.
• Defines the topic you’re talking about.
• Emphasizes the significance of your topic.
• Highlights the main points you want to discuss.
• Provides your reasoning for approaching your topic.
• Gives a high-level overview of your methodology.
• Provides statistical information and the purpose of your methodology.

Note: Remember that even creative writing tasks require an inspiring introduction that discusses your purpose for writing.

On the other hand, writing an introduction is relatively easy. Some important things must be clear, including:

• Your topic’s importance.
• The goal of your paper.
• An element of explanation.
• A powerful opening hook sentence.
• Include a link to your thesis statement.

Quick recap

To write an engaging assignment introduction, remember to:

• Make their introduction interesting, 
• outline the reasons, 
• make the audience curious about your assignment, 
• and keep the audience guessing.

Experts warn that rephrasing the assignment question or telling everything in the opening like a story synopsis is not a good idea. You must stick to your tutor’s specified word limit for the assignment introduction and write it with a clear, focused approach.

Since the time assignments have become a crucial part of our studies and grades, and the need to learn the concept and structure of assignments has arisen. 

An introduction is the important part of the assignment to grab readers’ attention and tell in brief about the background and information of the assignment. Thus it is very important to learn how to write assignment introductions. The introduction of an assignment should be eye-catching and alluring to capture the audience and make them read the whole assignment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. what are the 3 parts of an introduction paragraph.

Following are the three parts of an introduction:  1. Parts of an introduction 2. The opening statement 3. The supporting sentences 4. The introductory topic sentence.

Q2. What are the key elements of an introduction?

The introduction must have the following responsibilities: 1. Get the audience’s attention 2. Introduce the topic 3. Explain its relevance to the audience 4. State a thesis or purpose 5. Outline the main points.

Q3. How to write introduction for assignment?

A good introduction shows the reader that the essay will provide a relevant answer to the assignment question. As a result, the introduction should link back to the question. That is done by writing a paragraph that deals with all the key content mentioned in the assignment question.

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How to Write a Research Paper- A guide From Professionals

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• Online Guide to Writing

The Research Assignment Introduction

When tasked with writing a research paper, you are able to “dig in” to a topic, idea, theme, or question in greater detail.  In your academic career, you will be assigned several assignments that require you to “research” something and then write about it. Sometimes you can choose a topic and sometimes a topic is assigned to you.  

Either way, look at this assignment as an opportunity to learn more about something and to add your voice to the discourse community about said topic. Your professor is assigning you the task to give you a chance to learn more about something and then share that newfound knowledge with the professor and your academic peers.  In this way, you contribute meaningfully to the existing scholarship in that subject area. You are then creating a research space for yourself and for other researchers who may follow you.  

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Table of Contents: Online Guide to Writing

Chapter 1: College Writing

How Does College Writing Differ from Workplace Writing?

What Is College Writing?

Why So Much Emphasis on Writing?

Chapter 2: The Writing Process

Doing Exploratory Research

Getting from Notes to Your Draft

Introduction

Prewriting - Techniques to Get Started - Mining Your Intuition

Prewriting: Targeting Your Audience

Prewriting: Techniques to Get Started

Prewriting: Understanding Your Assignment

Rewriting: Being Your Own Critic

Rewriting: Creating a Revision Strategy

Rewriting: Getting Feedback

Rewriting: The Final Draft

Techniques to Get Started - Outlining

Techniques to Get Started - Using Systematic Techniques

Thesis Statement and Controlling Idea

Writing: Getting from Notes to Your Draft - Freewriting

Writing: Getting from Notes to Your Draft - Summarizing Your Ideas

Writing: Outlining What You Will Write

Chapter 3: Thinking Strategies

A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone

A Word About Style, Voice, and Tone: Style Through Vocabulary and Diction

Critical Strategies and Writing

Critical Strategies and Writing: Analysis

Critical Strategies and Writing: Evaluation

Critical Strategies and Writing: Persuasion

Critical Strategies and Writing: Synthesis

Developing a Paper Using Strategies

Kinds of Assignments You Will Write

Patterns for Presenting Information

Patterns for Presenting Information: Critiques

Patterns for Presenting Information: Discussing Raw Data

Patterns for Presenting Information: General-to-Specific Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Problem-Cause-Solution Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Specific-to-General Pattern

Patterns for Presenting Information: Summaries and Abstracts

Supporting with Research and Examples

Writing Essay Examinations

Writing Essay Examinations: Make Your Answer Relevant and Complete

Writing Essay Examinations: Organize Thinking Before Writing

Writing Essay Examinations: Read and Understand the Question

Chapter 4: The Research Process

Planning and Writing a Research Paper

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Ask a Research Question

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Cite Sources

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Collect Evidence

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Decide Your Point of View, or Role, for Your Research

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Draw Conclusions

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Find a Topic and Get an Overview

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Manage Your Resources

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Outline

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Survey the Literature

Planning and Writing a Research Paper: Work Your Sources into Your Research Writing

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Human Resources

Research Resources: What Are Research Resources?

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found?

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Electronic Resources

Research Resources: Where Are Research Resources Found? - Print Resources

Structuring the Research Paper: Formal Research Structure

Structuring the Research Paper: Informal Research Structure

The Nature of Research

The Research Assignment: How Should Research Sources Be Evaluated?

The Research Assignment: When Is Research Needed?

The Research Assignment: Why Perform Research?

Chapter 5: Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity

Giving Credit to Sources

Giving Credit to Sources: Copyright Laws

Giving Credit to Sources: Documentation

Giving Credit to Sources: Style Guides

Integrating Sources

Practicing Academic Integrity

Practicing Academic Integrity: Keeping Accurate Records

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Paraphrasing Your Source

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Quoting Your Source

Practicing Academic Integrity: Managing Source Material - Summarizing Your Sources

Types of Documentation

Types of Documentation: Bibliographies and Source Lists

Types of Documentation: Citing World Wide Web Sources

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - APA Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - CSE/CBE Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - Chicago Style

Types of Documentation: In-Text or Parenthetical Citations - MLA Style

Types of Documentation: Note Citations

Chapter 6: Using Library Resources

Finding Library Resources

Chapter 7: Assessing Your Writing

How Is Writing Graded?

How Is Writing Graded?: A General Assessment Tool

The Draft Stage

The Draft Stage: The First Draft

The Draft Stage: The Revision Process and the Final Draft

The Draft Stage: Using Feedback

The Research Stage

Using Assessment to Improve Your Writing

Chapter 8: Other Frequently Assigned Papers

Reviews and Reaction Papers: Article and Book Reviews

Reviews and Reaction Papers: Reaction Papers

Writing Arguments

Writing Arguments: Adapting the Argument Structure

Writing Arguments: Purposes of Argument

Writing Arguments: References to Consult for Writing Arguments

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Anticipate Active Opposition

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Determine Your Organization

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Develop Your Argument

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Introduce Your Argument

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - State Your Thesis or Proposition

Writing Arguments: Steps to Writing an Argument - Write Your Conclusion

Writing Arguments: Types of Argument

Appendix A: Books to Help Improve Your Writing

Dictionaries

General Style Manuals

Researching on the Internet

Special Style Manuals

Writing Handbooks

Appendix B: Collaborative Writing and Peer Reviewing

Collaborative Writing: Assignments to Accompany the Group Project

Collaborative Writing: Informal Progress Report

Collaborative Writing: Issues to Resolve

Collaborative Writing: Methodology

Collaborative Writing: Peer Evaluation

Collaborative Writing: Tasks of Collaborative Writing Group Members

Collaborative Writing: Writing Plan

General Introduction

Peer Reviewing

Appendix C: Developing an Improvement Plan

Working with Your Instructor’s Comments and Grades

Appendix D: Writing Plan and Project Schedule

Devising a Writing Project Plan and Schedule

Reviewing Your Plan with Others

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While there are different types of written assignments , most academic writing has a similar structure comprising of:

• Introduction—acts as a roadmap for the reader.
• Body—presents points to support your argument.
• Conclusion—summarises main points discussed.

Writing assignments

The library offers Writing assignments workshops. If you have missed one or unable to attend you can watch our video.

There is a range of workshops offered throughout the year, register now to improve your skills.

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The introduction helps your reader understand where you’re going in your assignment, how you will get there and what they will see along the way.

An introduction should include:

• topic sentence—outline the most important concepts relevant to answering the question
• aim—indicate the focus or purpose of the assignment
• scope—mention any limits of your assignment. What will you emphasise? Will you intentionally leave anything out?
• structure—signal how you will present information in the assignment, and the order the key points will appear
• thesis statement—clearly identify your argument.

The body consists of paragraphs structured to reflect your critical thinking about the question and the chosen order for presenting your argument.

Each paragraph should include:

• topic sentence—starts each paragraph and expresses the main idea of the paragraph
• evidence and examples—contains explanations to support the key point of the paragraph. Supporting evidence is used to justify, explain or develop your argument.
• concluding sentence—links the main idea of the paragraph back to your argument and to the assignment topic.

The number of paragraphs in your essay will depend upon the length of your essay, and the number of points you wish to argue.

The conclusion comes at the end of your assignment, summarising the main points discussed.

Importantly, your conclusion should:

• contain no new ideas or information
• briefly list your key points
• relate main points directly back to the question or argument.

You might also make future recommendations, evaluate your argument or forecast patterns of change.

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8 Understanding the assignment brief

When faced with an assignment, ask yourself the following: Do you know what the assignment is asking you to do? Are you certain that you know how to interpret the question that has been set (i.e. what approach you are expected to take)? Understanding the assignment brief and interpreting the question correctly are essential requirements.

Assignment keywords can inform you about topics, resources or a particular area that you should focus on. These ‘content’ words tend to be nouns. Other keywords and phrases instruct you on the approach that you should take in answering the assignment, often expressed as imperatives such as ‘Assess the impact of…’ or ‘Explain the importance of …’. These are ‘process words’ or ‘command verbs’.

Table 1 Keywords (‘process words’) and phrases frequently used in assignment questions [ Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. ( Hide tip ) ]   highlights some important process words and phrases that are frequently used in assignment questions. The table also indicates the style or approach expected for the piece of writing. While the explanations provided here are generally accepted, you should consider process words in the context of the question as a whole. If you are in doubt about the wording of a question, you should consult your tutor. Box 2 in the previous section has further useful tips on writing assignments.

Activity 3 An effective assignment

In your view, and based on what has been discussed so far in this session, what do you think an effective assignment (piece of academic writing such as an essay or dissertation) should demonstrate at postgraduate level?

Write down your thoughts. You may wish to use a mind map for this activity.

We don’t expect you to have noted everything down! You may have picked up on a few of these points however, and we will be exploring these further a little later on, but do take the time to reflect on the following at this point.

An effective assignment (piece of academic writing at postgraduate level) would:

• show that you understand the subject and have addressed the learning outcomes
• show you have answered the question being asked and interpreted this correctly
• meet the requirements of the assignment (the assignment brief) fully
• be focused and well-structured and written in a coherent manner, with sentences and paragraphs that link logically
• use different theories, examples, arguments and perspectives to create a discussion of the topic
• show that you have read more widely and engaged with the subject at a deeper level
• be referenced correctly in the style of your discipline
• use formal language with correct use of grammar, punctuation and spelling
• express your arguments clearly and concisely
• adopt a style and ‘academic voice’ (tone) that is suited to the task and target audience.

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AU Studypedia

Assignment structure

The structure of academic assignments often follows a standard outline.

However, depending on the topic of the assignment and the field of study, there may be some variation in the assignment structure. This page provides information about the typical parts of an academic assignment. The page may serve as inspiration on how to put your assignment together, but keep in mind that the structure should be adapted to fit your project, and not the other way around. 

Typical content elements 

The structure of your assignment depends, among other things, on whether it is a theoretical, empirical or product-oriented assignment. Read more on the page Types of assignments. Moreover, the structure should reflect that your assignment presents one overall argument supported by academic evidence. Read more about assignments as a single argument on the page Argumentation.  

Check your academic regulations

The content elements described below are typical parts of an academic assignment, but note that special requirements or recommendations may apply for the structure and content of the assignment you are writing. Therefore, you should always check your academic regulations, and possibly contact your supervisor or teacher at an early stage of the assignment process, so you can incorporate any specific requirements from the start. Be aware that the content elements described below may be called something else in your field of study. Use the terminology traditionally used on your degree programme. 

There is often a requirement for major university assignments to include an abstract or a brief summary, either at the beginning or at the end of the assignment. An abstract summarises the assignment’s: 

problem and objective 

methods 

analysis results 

conclusion 

perspectives 

An abstract gives the reader a quick insight into the assignment, so that they can assess whether it is relevant to read. 

Note : Not all assignments have to include an abstract. Check your academic regulations or ask your supervisor if you are in doubt. Be aware that the abstract may have to be written in another language than the rest of the assignment. 

Introduction

The introduction is where you present the framework of your assignment to your reader and provide an overview of what you want to achieve, and why. This includes a presentation of your topic and the problem you will be looking into, including the relevance of investigating it and how you will go about it.  

Edit the introduction continuously in the writing process and write it until the end to make sure that you do not promise more than the assignment provides. Ask yourself whether the conclusion responds to your problem statement, and whether the assignment contains all the aspects you promise in the introduction.

Problem statement/hypothesis

Regardless of whether you formulate it as a problem statement or a hypothesis, the problem addressed in your assignment should stand out clearly. For example, you can write it in italics, highlight it in bold or place it in a separate section with a heading. Read more about how to develop and work with a problem statement on the page Problem statement and hypothesis.  

The purpose of the assignment

The overall purpose of the assignment must be stated clearly in the introduction. Stating the purpose means explaining why your assignment is interesting to others and how it contributes to addressing the problem you are investigating. For example, your purpose could be: 

Research Overview/Literature Review

At university, you are expected to actively consider pre-existing knowledge about your topic and how it has previously been approached within your field of study. There are several ways to do this depending on the type of assignment and the subject you are studying.  

Sometimes you have to present existing research in a separate chapter or section where you discuss the latest research within the field and provide relevant literature reviews. And sometimes, a brief presentation of the most important research will be enough in either the introduction, theory section or elsewhere in the assignment.  

Check the academic regulations 

Check your academic regulations, or ask your supervisor or teacher about the requirements for including a research overview and pre-existing knowledge in your assignment. 

Click here to read more about the conventions for academic work  

Note : Not all written assignments have to include an actual research overview. Check your academic regulations or ask your supervisor if you are in doubt.  

Philosophy of science

Philosophy of science is a presentation of your approach to what knowledge is and how knowledge is produced. There are different scientific-theoretical schools of thought, with different views on what science is and ought to be. 

The schools of thought draw on different ontological understandings (i.e. understandings of how something exists) and different epistemological foundations (i.e. theories of knowledge and assumptions about the world). Examples of scientific-theoretical schools of thought are social constructivism, positivism, phenomenology and hermeneutics.  

Explain your scientific-theoretical approach 

Your scientific-theoretical approach must be based on philosophy of science literature and must be closely linked to your choices of methods and theories, which you may also elaborate on in this section. 

Read more about the use of pre-existing knowledge and independent conclusions on the page Academic standards.  

Methods and study design

The chapter on methodology and study design is a prerequisite for the validity of your investigation and analysis. Read more about this on the page about argumentation.  

Describe your study design 

The methodology section can vary depending on whether your assignment is theoretical, empirical or product-oriented. However, no matter what, it must include a description of how you conduct your study. This is also known as the study design. 

The study design refers to the overall framework for data collection and analysis. It should be based on the academic methods you have learned during class, and must be backed by theory of methods. 

Explain your choices and trade-offs 

Reflecting on and being conscious of the choices that you make is an important part of working academically. Therefore, in the methodology section, you should reflect on your conscious choices and the trade-offs you have had to make (for example due to external circumstances) and how this has affected your study design or your analysis. You can also explain why you have chosen a particular method if there were other obvious alternatives. 

The theory section is where you present and account for the theory used in the assignment. Make sure you take an application-oriented approach, i.e. account only for the theory that you actually use to answer your research questions further down in the analysis. Note that the purpose of the theory section is not to report everything you know about a particular field, but to support your study and your analysis as part of your argumentation . 

Different ways to integrate theory 

You can integrate the theory section in different ways. In some assignments, it makes most sense to have one separate theoretical chapter in which you explain all the theoretical concepts used in your assignment. In other assignments, it may make more sense to briefly present the theory in a separate section and then explain relevant theoretical concepts as they are applied in your analysis. Talk with your supervisor or your teacher about what would be most appropriate in your assignment. 

The analysis section of your assignment can take many different forms depending on whether your assignment is theoretical, empirical or product-oriented. The analysis is usually the most comprehensive part of the assignment because this is where you answer your research questions by presenting all your evidence for the overall claim of the assignment. 

Read more about argumentation.  

Guide your reader through the analysis 

Because the analysis is so comprehensive, it is a good idea to use meta-communication to guide the reader through the logic and progress of your assignment. For example, write sub-conclusions to sum up along the way. 

Read more about guiding your reader under Academic standards.  

Structure of the analysis 

In the analysis, the first thing you need to do is present the object, e.g. empirical data or artefacts, that you want to analyse and the tools you want to use for the analysis, e.g. your method, theory or concepts. Then you move on to the actual analysis, where you use the tools to examine the selected object of analysis. 

Note that it is difficult to write your analysis section before you have actually performed your analysis because you cannot see patterns, categories, etc. until you have the analysis material in front of you. 

Read more about the writing process  

In the video below, Master of Arts Rikke Gottfredsen explains what an analysis is (in Danish).

You can structure the analysis using the DAA structure: 

Description : Describe the sub-object you are about to analyse (e.g. a quotation or a table). 

Analysis : Analyse the sub-object using theories and concepts. 

Assessment : Assess what the analysis of the sub-object says about the overall object of analysis. 

The DAA structure can be repeated over and over again until all your sub-objects have been analysed. 

The discussion part of your assignment is where you criticise and defend your own study, both academically and methodologically. In other words, you have to consider the weaknesses of the assignment while demonstrating that, in spite of these, the assignment is still reliable. This will strengthen the overall argumentation of your assignment. 

Discuss your challenges

Encountering challenges during the writing process is quite common, and in some cases, they may serve as input for your discussion section. Note down challenges as they occur, including an explanation of why they occurred. In this way, you will have material for the discussion you are going to write later on. 

The conclusion summarises the results of your analysis and reiterates why the assignment is important. It must include clear and well-written answers to the research questions posed in your problem statement, or a confirmation or rejection of the hypothesis tested in your assignment. 

Depending on the purpose of your study, which was presented in the introduction, the conclusions may take different forms: 

Click here to read more about the characteristics of different purposes of investigation  

In addition to answering your research questions, or confirming or rejecting your hypothesis, the conclusion should also summarise the main points and results of the assignment. Moreover, it should include an assessment of your methodology and approach. 

The conclusion should never include new material, but should briefly summarise the main points of your study. It can be a good idea to write notes during your writing process that you can use for the conclusion. 

Is there a clear link between the introduction and the conclusion? 

Once you have finished writing your assignment, try to read the introduction and the conclusion in one go. Then assess whether the promises made in the introduction are being fulfilled in the conclusion, and whether the conclusion answers your research questions/hypothesis. 

Perspectives

In some university assignments, you are expected to end the assignment by discussing additional perspectives. The perspectives can be a separate section after the conclusion, they can form part of the conclusion, or they can be integrated into your discussion. Any perspectives should be based on what you have already written in the assignment. In other words, you should not integrate new theory or claims that require new evidence in your perspectives section. 

Click here to read about argumentation  

Check your academic regulations or talk to your supervisor or teacher if you are uncertain about whether your assignment should contain a perspectives section, and how it should be integrated into the assignment. 

Inspiration from assignments by other students

Get a list of thesis titles from your field of study, and draw inspiration from other students’ assignments. 

Avoid cheating in your assignment

It is important to follow the  rules and guidelines on exam cheating and plagiarism . AU Library guides you on how, so you can easily avoid it.

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

Types of Assignments

Cristy Bartlett and Kate Derrington

Introduction

As discussed in the previous chapter, assignments are a common method of assessment at university. You may encounter many assignments over your years of study, yet some will look quite different from others. By recognising different types of assignments and understanding the purpose of the task, you can direct your writing skills effectively to meet task requirements. This chapter draws on the skills from the previous chapter, and extends the discussion, showing you where to aim with different types of assignments.

The chapter begins by exploring the popular essay assignment, with its two common categories, analytical and argumentative essays. It then examines assignments requiring case study responses , as often encountered in fields such as health or business. This is followed by a discussion of assignments seeking a report (such as a scientific report) and reflective writing assignments, common in nursing, education and human services. The chapter concludes with an examination of annotated bibliographies and literature reviews. The chapter also has a selection of templates and examples throughout to enhance your understanding and improve the efficacy of  your assignment writing skills.

Different Types of Written Assignments

At university, an essay is a common form of assessment. In the previous chapter Writing Assignments we discussed what was meant by showing academic writing in your assignments. It is important that you consider these aspects of structure, tone and language when writing an essay.

Components of an essay

Essays should use formal but reader friendly language and have a clear and logical structure. They must include research from credible academic sources such as peer reviewed journal articles and textbooks. This research should be referenced throughout your essay to support your ideas (See the chapter Working with Information ).

If you have never written an essay before, you may feel unsure about how to start.  Breaking your essay into sections and allocating words accordingly will make this process more manageable and will make planning the overall essay structure much easier.

• An essay requires an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.
• Generally, an introduction and conclusion are approximately 10% each of the total word count.
• The remaining words can then be divided into sections and a paragraph allowed for each area of content you need to cover.
• Use your task and criteria sheet to decide what content needs to be in your plan

An effective essay introduction needs to inform your reader by doing four basic things:

Table 20.1 An effective essay

An effective essay body paragraph needs to:

An effective essay conclusion needs to:

Common types of essays

You may be required to write different types of essays, depending on your study area and topic. Two of the most commonly used essays are analytical and argumentative .  The task analysis process discussed in the previous chapter Writing Assignments will help you determine the type of essay required. For example, if your assignment question uses task words such as analyse, examine, discuss, determine or explore, you would be writing an analytical essay . If your assignment question has task words such as argue, evaluate, justify or assess, you would be writing an argumentative essay . Despite the type of essay, your ability to analyse and think critically is important and common across genres.  

Analytical essays

These essays usually provide some background description of the relevant theory, situation, problem, case, image, etcetera that is your topic. Being analytical requires you to look carefully at various components or sections of your topic in a methodical and logical way to create understanding.

The purpose of the analytical essay is to demonstrate your ability to examine the topic thoroughly. This requires you to go deeper than description by considering different sides of the situation, comparing and contrasting a variety of theories and the positives and negatives of the topic. Although in an analytical essay your position on the topic may be clear, it is not necessarily a requirement that you explicitly identify this with a thesis statement, as is the case with an argumentative essay. If you are unsure whether you are required to take a position, and provide a thesis statement, it is best to check with your tutor.

Argumentative essays

These essays require you to take a position on the assignment topic. This is expressed through your thesis statement in your introduction. You must then present and develop your arguments throughout the body of your assignment using logically structured paragraphs. Each of these paragraphs needs a topic sentence that relates to the thesis statement. In an argumentative essay, you must reach a conclusion based on the evidence you have presented.

Case Study Responses

Case studies are a common form of assignment in many study areas and students can underperform in this genre for a number of key reasons.

Students typically lose marks for not:

• Relating their answer sufficiently to the case details
• Applying critical thinking
• Writing with clear structure
• Using appropriate or sufficient sources
• Using accurate referencing

When structuring your response to a case study, remember to refer to the case. Structure your paragraphs similarly to an essay paragraph structure but include examples and data from the case as additional evidence to support your points (see Figure 20.5 ). The colours in the sample paragraph below show the function of each component.

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) Code of Conduct and Nursing Standards (2018) play a crucial role in determining the scope of practice for nurses and midwives. A key component discussed in the code is the provision of person-centred care and the formation of therapeutic relationships between nurses and patients (NMBA, 2018). This ensures patient safety and promotes health and wellbeing (NMBA, 2018). The standards also discuss the importance of partnership and shared decision-making in the delivery of care (NMBA, 2018, 4). Boyd and Dare (2014) argue that good communication skills are vital for building therapeutic relationships and trust between patients and care givers. This will help ensure the patient is treated with dignity and respect and improve their overall hospital experience. In the case, the therapeutic relationship with the client has been compromised in several ways. Firstly, the nurse did not conform adequately to the guidelines for seeking informed consent before performing the examination as outlined in principle 2.3 (NMBA, 2018). Although she explained the procedure, she failed to give the patient appropriate choices regarding her health care. 

Topic sentence | Explanations using paraphrased evidence including in-text references | Critical thinking (asks the so what? question to demonstrate your student voice). | Relating the theory back to the specifics of the case. The case becomes a source of examples as extra evidence to support the points you are making.

Reports are a common form of assessment at university and are also used widely in many professions. It is a common form of writing in business, government, scientific, and technical occupations.

Reports can take many different structures. A report is normally written to present information in a structured manner, which may include explaining laboratory experiments, technical information, or a business case.  Reports may be written for different audiences including clients, your manager, technical staff, or senior leadership within an organisation. The structure of reports can vary, and it is important to consider what format is required. The choice of structure will depend upon professional requirements and the ultimate aims of the report. Consider some of the options in the table below (see Table 20.2 ).

Table 20.2 Explanations of different types of reports

Reflective writing

Reflective writing is a popular method of assessment at university. It is used to help you explore feelings, experiences, opinions, events or new information to gain a clearer and deeper understanding of your learning. A reflective writing task requires more than a description or summary.  It requires you to analyse a situation, problem or experience, consider what you may have learnt and evaluate how this may impact your thinking and actions in the future. This requires critical thinking, analysis, and usually the application of good quality research, to demonstrate your understanding or learning from a situation. Essentially, reflective practice is the process of looking back on past experiences and engaging with them in a thoughtful way and drawing conclusions to inform future experiences. The reflection skills you develop at university will be vital in the workplace to assist you to use feedback for growth and continuous improvement. There are numerous models of reflective writing and you should refer to your subject guidelines for your expected format. If there is no specific framework, a simple model to help frame your thinking is What? So what? Now what?   (Rolfe et al., 2001).

Table 20.3 What? So What? Now What? Explained.

The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

The Gibbs’ Cycle of reflection encourages you to consider your feelings as part of the reflective process. There are six specific steps to work through. Following this model carefully and being clear of the requirements of each stage, will help you focus your thinking and reflect more deeply. This model is popular in Health.

The 4 R’s of reflective thinking

This model (Ryan and Ryan, 2013) was designed specifically for university students engaged in experiential learning.  Experiential learning includes any ‘real-world’ activities including practice led activities, placements and internships.  Experiential learning, and the use of reflective practice to heighten this learning, is common in Creative Arts, Health and Education.

Annotated Bibliography

What is it.

An annotated bibliography is an alphabetical list of appropriate sources (books, journals or websites) on a topic, accompanied by a brief summary, evaluation and sometimes an explanation or reflection on their usefulness or relevance to your topic. Its purpose is to teach you to research carefully, evaluate sources and systematically organise your notes. An annotated bibliography may be one part of a larger assessment item or a stand-alone assessment piece. Check your task guidelines for the number of sources you are required to annotate and the word limit for each entry.

How do I know what to include?

When choosing sources for your annotated bibliography it is important to determine:

• The topic you are investigating and if there is a specific question to answer
• The type of sources on which you need to focus
• Whether they are reputable and of high quality

What do I say?

Important considerations include:

• Is the work current?
• Is the work relevant to your topic?
• Is the author credible/reliable?
• Is there any author bias?
• The strength and limitations (this may include an evaluation of research methodology).

Literature Reviews

It is easy to get confused by the terminology used for literature reviews. Some tasks may be described as a systematic literature review when actually the requirement is simpler; to review the literature on the topic but do it in a systematic way. There is a distinct difference (see Table 20.4 ). As a commencing undergraduate student, it is unlikely you would be expected to complete a systematic literature review as this is a complex and more advanced research task. It is important to check with your lecturer or tutor if you are unsure of the requirements.

Table 20.4 Comparison of Literature Reviews

Generally, you are required to establish the main ideas that have been written on your chosen topic. You may also be expected to identify gaps in the research. A literature review does not summarise and evaluate each resource you find (this is what you would do in an annotated bibliography). You are expected to analyse and synthesise or organise common ideas from multiple texts into key themes which are relevant to your topic (see Figure 20.10 ). Use a table or a spreadsheet, if you know how, to organise the information you find. Record the full reference details of the sources as this will save you time later when compiling your reference list (see Table 20.5 ).

Overall, this chapter has provided an introduction to the types of assignments you can expect to complete at university, as well as outlined some tips and strategies with examples and templates for completing them. First, the chapter investigated essay assignments, including analytical and argumentative essays. It then examined case study assignments, followed by a discussion of the report format. Reflective writing , popular in nursing, education and human services, was also considered. Finally, the chapter briefly addressed annotated bibliographies and literature reviews. The chapter also has a selection of templates and examples throughout to enhance your understanding and improve the efficacy of your assignment writing skills.

• Not all assignments at university are the same. Understanding the requirements of different types of assignments will assist in meeting the criteria more effectively.
• There are many different types of assignments. Most will require an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion.
• An essay should have a clear and logical structure and use formal but reader friendly language.
• Breaking your assignment into manageable chunks makes it easier to approach.
• Effective body paragraphs contain a topic sentence.
• A case study structure is similar to an essay, but you must remember to provide examples from the case or scenario to demonstrate your points.
• The type of report you may be required to write will depend on its purpose and audience. A report requires structured writing and uses headings.
• Reflective writing is popular in many disciplines and is used to explore feelings, experiences, opinions or events to discover what learning or understanding has occurred. Reflective writing requires more than description. You need to be analytical, consider what has been learnt and evaluate the impact of this on future actions.
• Annotated bibliographies teach you to research and evaluate sources and systematically organise your notes. They may be part of a larger assignment.
• Literature reviews require you to look across the literature and analyse and synthesise the information you find into themes.

Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Further Education Unit, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford.

Rolfe, G., Freshwater, D., Jasper, M. (2001). Critical reflection in nursing and the helping professions: a user’s guide . Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ryan, M. & Ryan, M. (2013). Theorising a model for teaching and assessing reflective learning in higher education.  Higher Education Research & Development , 32(2), 244-257. doi: 10.1080/07294360.2012.661704

Academic Success Copyright © 2021 by Cristy Bartlett and Kate Derrington is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Basics of Assignment Structure and Format

Some students, particularly those in their freshman years, tend to overthink things and try to go for assignment structures that are unnecessarily complicated, thinking this will help them stand out from their peers and get better grades. It doesn’t have to be that hard.

This guide will give you an overview of basic assignment structure which you can use as a checklist for your assignments. This will help make sure that you haven’t missed any critical sections which are typically expected in assignment papers.

You will have to trust us when we say that your teachers will be really grateful that you’ve stuck to the standard format as it will make their grading process easier.

If you’re pressed for time, you can also head on over to our resources page to download some free assignment paper templates with generic outlines which you can tweak further to suit your needs. However, if you do happen to use any of these, then please ensure to follow our guide on checking document metadata details to avoid being flagged incorrectly for plagiarism.

• Table of Contents

Overview of basic assignment structure

A very common advice is that any written work, which includes assignments, should have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion . This is a form of oversimplification but should you give you general idea of what is expected. In reality, academic writing requires additional subheadings under in the body or main part of your text to convey your ideas in a structured way.

So, here’s a more specific overview of the main structural parts of an assignment.

• Introduction
• Literature Review
• Methodology
• Conclusions

We explain each of these in more details in the next sections

What are the essential parts in assignment structure?

The 4 parts of an academic writing work which should be considered essential are Introduction, Body, Conclusion and References . The last one should be obvious to any of our readers, but it’s surprising to see many students overlook the introduction and conclusion sections. Teachers often expect to see a short summary that sets the background and tone for the assignment, and they most definitely want to see what conclusions the student has reached by the end of their paper based on their study and research.

To make it simple, all you need do in the introduction is to give a brief overview of the topic which your paper is about, why this topic is relevant and important. In the conclusions section, you just need to summarize your research process, what you’ve learnt about the topic along the way and any final inferences.

These aren’t sections that you would have to do separate research for – if you’ve done your paper by yourself, you should be able to easily write a conclusion for it in no less than an hour (and we’re being very liberal with that estimation).

This is an easy to way to add in some additional words, which brings you closer to the required word count and reducing the words that you need to write for the other sections too, so why wouldn’t you want to do this, right?

As we have covered in our separate guide on how to manage word count of assignments , the introduction and conclusion sections are almost always included in the word count unless explicitly mentioned otherwise. You should be able to allocate about 200 to 300 words of the word count allowance to each of sections. This would cut down the amount of fresh content you need by about 400 to 600 words right off the bat!

Another critical section to be included in nearly all assignments would be a Table of Contents section. We have a full guide on how to easily make a good table of contents section which your teachers will be grateful to have when they are checking your work!

What are the circumstantial parts in assignment structure?

Moving on to the main part of your assignment, you could have a whole variety of headings and subheadings based on the type of paper that you are writing. Typically,

For thesis and dissertations, an Abstract section is almost always expected. Even if it hasn’t been specifically requested, we would highly recommend including this section for such long format papers because its purpose is to guide the readers with a ‘hook’ and make them more interested in reading your paper.

You can think of this section as a short summary of the main points from each of the broader headings in your paper. You don’t need to have more than 200 words for this section, and it shouldn’t be that hard to write as soon as you are done with your paper since the content that you’ve written should still be fresh in your mind.

The Rationale section is also expected in papers with longer word counts, especially those which are research oriented. In this section, you just need to explain the background of your chosen topic or research problem and why it is relevant and significant. You are expected to justify the need for your research on this topic. Some other research-oriented subsections include Research Aim & Objectives and Research Question , which you may potentially need, especially for long-form writing such as theses and dissertations.

Literature Review is a heading which can be considered as almost essential for most assignments since teachers want to see what external reading you have done on existing academic theory. The reason we have included this in the circumstantial section rather than the essential section above is because there are occasionally some assignments for which teachers explicitly mention not to define or explain academic theory and instead, they expect to see your understanding through direct application to the case.

This type of scenario typically arises when the word count for the assignment is not that high, so a full-blown literature review could be seen as ‘word-padding’ and have a negative impact on your overall grade for that assignment. We go over this issue of word-padding and how you can avoid it in a separate guide on managing word count as mentioned earlier.

A couple of sections that you can include in assignments where you are focusing on a particular industry or company are External Analysis and Internal Analysis respectively. As we cover in our guide on common academic words and what they mean, these are also known as Situational Analysis and Company Analysis , or Macro-analysis and Micro-analysis respectively. For company analysis, SWOT analysis one of the most common tools that are used, while another tool called TOWS is also occasionally used to combine internal and external analysis. Here’s a guide explaining the difference between SWOT and TOWS analysis .

Conceptual Framework is another circumstantial subsection which you may want to add if your research revolves around identifying independent and dependent variables.

For papers which require some research to be done as part of the assignment, you are going to need some sections like Methodology , Findings, Discussion and Analysis .

Within Methodology, you might have other subsections like Data Collection , Sampling Method etc.

What are some additional parts in assignment structure?

A section on Ethical Consent is often expected within the Research Methodology heading if your paper involves primary research gathered from respondents. We have a guide on ethical consent here and you can also check out our resources page to get a free sample ethical consent form which you could use in your papers (but be sure to also check out our guide on how to avoid getting flagged incorrectly for plagiarism so that you do not get wrongly flagged for plagiarism by using this sample form).

For research-oriented assignments, another typical expectation (although it isn’t always the case) is for a Research Timeline which illustrates the research process. This is often presented visually, and we have a separate guide on how to make good Gantt Charts easily using some of our free templates which you can find in our resources section.

Recommendations , and Limitations are also sometimes expected in some assignments, especially those that are long form, such as detailed research work.

If you have a lot of tables and figures in your work, which is usually the case for thesis and dissertations, you should also try to add a list of tables and figures (separate list for each).

Another section that you may wish to include in your assignments, especially if you have too many images or tables within your work, or if these are not to be included in the word count or in the body of the assignment, is the Appendix section. This is just a list of the additional content that is of direct relevance to your research adds to the quality and depth of your assignment. This section is typically not included in the word count allowance. Hence, it is often used to show that you have covered more ground in your research, but could not include it in main body due to word count limitation.

How to plan structure for essay assignments

Unlike standard academic reports, essays typically do not have subheadings but are instead expected to be structured in a logical way such that you transition from one idea to another by interlinking them.

However, we have come across some essay requirements in which the teachers have specifically asked for subheadings that indicate the central theme or idea which is being discussed in each section. If you are going to have subheadings in an essay though, then you should avoid numbering them as you would in other academic papers.

Taking assignment structures from the requirements files

Most teachers expect to see a standard structure in their assignments which helps them identify and assess the key learning outcomes of the module or the assignment. It is often the case that they will leave you some breadcrumbs by spelling out an assignment outline clearly within the requirements file, or in the presentations linked to the coursework, or perhaps during their lectures.

Sometimes, a structure would not have been defined clearly in the assignment requirements file, but there are ways to still get an almost explicit list of necessary headings such as by dissecting the marking guidelines which your tutors typically provide. We cover this in our guide on how to get better grades using a surefire method of drafting an outline which matches what the teachers are expecting.

Other teachers like to spice things up and give you free rein to structure your paper anyway you see it, but with this freedom of choice, you may find yourselves lost if you’re quite new to academic writing. In any of these cases, you can go over the upcoming list of standard sections and subsections that are present in academic papers to cross-check whether you have covered the relevant parts in your papers.

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Mms documentation.

• MMS Activities
• Coursework Tool
• Online Exam tool
• Group Attendance
• Online Class Test tool
• CLA Material
• MMS Student Guides

6. Assignment Overview

Introduction.

This chapter covers the Assignment Overview page which can be used to view submitted coursework, upload student assignments, and view marks and feedback. Each assignment in a coursework tool has its own 'Assignment Overview' page. To access the assignment overview for an assignment, click the assignment title on the Coursework Overview page.

In this chapter we will cover

• The Assignment tab : which displays all file submissions, marks, feedback and lateness
• Vew Options: For adjusting the display of the page

Uploading on behalf of a student (advanced)

• Settings tab (advanced) : extra configuration options just for this assignment

As with other chapters of this guide, those sections labelled as 'advanced' will extend your knowledge of the system but are not essential

The Assignment Tab

The Assignment tab displays most of the information you will require about an assignment. As a member of staff you can download and student submissions, view lateness, and view feedback & grades (an example is given in Figure 6.1 ).

Figure 6.1: An example of the assignment overview, the assignments table contains details about student submissions. The Upload Coursework section allows staff to upload coursework on behalf of a student. The Upload Grades section allows the upload of student grades via CSV files

Each student is represented by a row in the table which contains the following columns: 

• User Name - Student user name and also a link to the student view of that student (only available if de-anonymised )
• Matric Number — The student’s matriculation number and also a link to the student record card in Data Warehouse (not all users will have access)
• Due Date — The date the assignment is due. This may not be the same for every student.
• Feedback — This is the date that feedback is due, again this may not be the same for every student
• File — For 'electronic submission' a students submission will be represented by a file icon which you can click on to download the file. For paper submission the file column will simply state Paper hand-in. Turnitin Note:  if the assignment is a Turnitin assignment, the file may take a few hours to be visible in MMS after the student submits.
• Submitted — The date that the file was submitted. Turnitin Note: if the assignment is a Turnitin assignment, the submission time displayed will be the time submitted to Turnitin, not the time the file appears in MMS.
• Lateness — will display how late a student submission was. These columns will be blank if the student submitted on time.
• Grade — The current mark the student has for the assignment. Grades contained within square brackets e.g [15.0] are hidden from students (see Assignment settings on how to make marks visible), and where there are two sets of grades the grade in round brackets is the original grade with the other grade having a lateness penalty applied. For more information on the new lateness policies see: Policy on Lateness Penalties.pdf
• Feedback — Contains a link the Feedback page for the submission. Useful for adding feedback, deleting feedback and for viewing deleted submissions
• If the assignment has been set to be a Turnitin Assignment , a link through to the Turnitin scores will be displayed on the Assignment overview, just below the 'View Options' section, as shown below.

• If Urkund has been enabled (to enable Urkund click the Enable Urkund button on the module overview) then this column will display the coursework submissions Urkund score with is a link to the Urkund report. For more information on using Urkund with MMS see the Urkund section of this guide. NOTE: Urkund is no longer used by default on modules for S2 2017/8 and staff should configure 'Turnitin assignments' instead
• Module Notes — The Module Notes column contains information associated with the student. These notes will appear throughout the module. To Add a notes click the [Add] link.
• Select — Used to select files in which to delete. Just select the files by ticking the boxes in the select column and then click the 'Delete Selected Files' button. Usually only used if a student needs to upload a new file after the due date

View options

The upper section of the Coursework Overview contains a range of view options. By default MMS will display all the students that you are responsible for. Tutors will, be default, see only those students in their groups. Students can be view by group  by selecting the desired group from the 'Show students' drop down list and then clicking on the 'Change View' button.

The default student identification method is set on the configuration Settings tab of the configuration page however if the default option is set to show just student ID then an options to de-anonymise the page will appear in the View Options section. Tick the 'De-anonymise' checkbox and click the 'Change View' button.

Until the due date, students can upload and delete files as often as they want, however after the due date students cannot delete a submission and can only upload a file if the slot is empty. Occasionally you may have to upload a submission on behalf of a student, for example, if it is after the due date and they have submitted the wrong file.

Standard MMS Assignments

In order to upload a file, the slot needs to be empty so if the student has already uploaded a file you will need to delete it. Locate the student in the assignment overview table and tick the checkbox in the 'select' column, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the 'Delete selected Files' button (see the View Feedback section if you accidentally delete a submission).

Once you have cleared the slot scroll down to the Upload Coursework section just beneath the assignment table. You will see a drop-down list of all the students in the module. Select the student from the list and then click the 'Browse...' button to select the file. Once the file has been selected click the 'Upload' button.

Turnitin Assignments

To upload on behalf of a student when the assignment style has been set to Turnitin, see section 9 - Uploading on behalf of a student .

Assignment Settings Tab

The second tab on the Assignment Overview is the settings tab. Most of the settings for an assignment have previously been set when the assignment was created on the configuration pages however, there are a few assignment specific settings that can be altered on the settings tab as well.

On the Settings Tab you can change the assignment name (both long and short), the key dates, the submission type and the grade and feedback visibility.

Special note should be taken with the 'Key Dates' as this allows you set a date from which the assignment is available to students. The assignment will not appear to students until after the 'students can submit from date.

If you have changed anything within the assignment settings tab you must click the Update Assignment Settings button, there are two: one at the top of the page and one at the bottom, it does not matter which you use.

Previous: 5. Coursework Overview or Next: 7. Student Submissions

Ask a Librarian

• Keeping Current
• Staying Organized
• Multicultural Teaching
• Open Educational Resources
• Language for Required Resources
• Supporting Retention & Student Success
• University of Washington Libraries
• Library Guides
• Faculty Toolkit
• Designing Research Assignments

Faculty Toolkit: Designing Research Assignments

It's Complicated: What Students Say About Research and Writing Assignments from Project Information Literacy

How Librarians Can Help

Librarians are available to consult with faculty and instructors to create or revise effective research assignments and classroom activities that foster critical thinking, evaluation skills, and promote lifelong learning.

Librarians can help you:

• Understand students' research capabilities.
• Create, revise, or offer suggestions on your research-based assignments.
• Talk about alternatives to traditional research papers or presentations.
• Identify and discuss library resources suitable for an online class research guide
• Provide individualized training on library resources.

Provide Tools & Support

• Provide copies of research assignments to your librarian so we are better prepared to assist your students when they need help.
• Consider putting materials on reserve that will be needed by large numbers of students to ensure all students will have access to them.

Consider Alternatives to the Research Paper

• Explore the library as an "Ethnographer" (Library Discovery Tour not to be confused with a scavenger hunt)
• Generate a shared bibliography of readings (see " How to get students to find and read 94 articles before the next class ")
• Compare disciplinary perspectives on the same topic
• Find and compare articles on oil spills in the news and the scientific literature
• Read a short article from the popular press (provided by professor) dealing with results of original research. Locate the original research findings on which the article was based, discuss the relationship between the popular article and the original research, and critique the accuracy of the popular article
• Find facts to support or contradict an editorial
• Research the publications and career of a prominent scholar
• Compile an annotated bibliography
• Prepare a literature review
• Find book reviews on a text used in class
• Evaluate a web site
• Find and summarize recent news related to a class topic, discuss in class (one-time or recurring).
• Research a topic and present findings as a poster session for classmates or larger group.
• Research a topic or event using information published in different decades. Compare and discuss what changes occurred in the literature and why.

Tips for Designing Library Research Assignments

• Address Learning Goals Related to the Research Process . Consider what research skills you would like students to develop in completing the assignment and discuss with your students the importance of developing those skills.
• Be Clear about Your Expectations . Remember that your students may not have prior experience with scholarly journals, monographs, or academic libraries. Spend time in class discussing how research is produced and disseminated in your discipline and how you expect your students to participate in academic discourse in the context of your class.
• Scaffolding your Assignment Brings Focus to the Research Process . Breaking a complex research assignment down into a sequence of smaller, more manageable parts has a number of benefits: it models how to approach a research question and effective time management, it gives students the opportunity to focus on and master key research skills, it provides opportunities for feedback, and it can be an effective deterrent to plagiarism.
• Devote Class Time to Discussion of the Assignment in Progress . Periodic discussions in class can help students reflect on the research process and its importance, encourage questions, and help students develop a sense that what they are doing is a transferable process that they can use for other assignments.
• Criteria for Assessment . In your criteria for assessment (i.e. written instructions, rubrics), make expectations related to the research process explicit. For example, are there specific expectations for the types of resources students should use and how they should be cited? Research shows that students tend to use more scholarly sources when faculty provide them with clear guidelines regarding the types of sources that should be used.
• Test Your Assignment . In testing an assignment yourself, you may uncover practical roadblocks (e.g., too few copies of a book for too many students, a source is no longer available online). Librarians can help with testing your assignment, suggest strategies for mitigating roadblocks (i.e. place books on reserve for your students, suggest other resources), or design customized supporting materials (i.e. handouts or web pages).
• Collaborate with Librarians . Librarians can help you design an effective research assignment that helps students develop the research skills you value and introduces your students to the most useful resources. We also can work with you to develop and teach a library instruction session for your students that will help them learn the strategies they will need in order to complete your assignment.
• Make sure they know how and where to get help from librarians.
• Librarians will meet with students to help them develop their topics and teach them how to find and evaluate sources.

Some content is adapted from University of Wisconsin - Madison Libraries

Common Problems to Avoid

• Waiting until a couple days before the class to ask for an instruction session doesn't allow librarians adequate time to prepare and reserve a classroom.
• Sending (or bringing) an entire class to the Library for research time without notice. The Tioga Library Building is for Quiet Study.  In the Snoqualmie Building, there is a limited number of computer workstations and small group study spaces. The staffing at the Reference desk cannot adequately accommodate working with classes.
• Assigning Scavenger hunts - Roaming around the library looking for trivia is not research and is often seen as busy work by students that is disconnected from their research assignments.
• Be sure the library has the resources your students need!  Avoid requiring students to use resources the library does not own or have in your preferred format (e.g. print journal articles) and cannot obtain within a reasonable timeframe.
• Avoid having each student research the same topic.  This tends to stretch library resources too thin, especially when printed materials or limited connections to a key database are involved.
• << Previous: Open Educational Resources
• Next: Language for Required Resources >>
• Last Updated: Apr 9, 2024 3:51 PM
• URL: https://guides.lib.uw.edu/uwtfac

The Institute for Learning and Teaching

College of business, academic honesty and integrity, how do i ai proof my assignments.

I get a lot of questions about how to make assignments resistant to AI cheating. I understand where this question comes from. Our faculty are creative, hard-working, intelligent professionals and they believe that challenges can be worked through. I believe that too, but I’m also worried that we keep thinking that successfully managing AI is a short term challenge as we wait for a technical solution or a practice that will eliminate the possibility of cheating. The AI thing is the definition of a moving target. Approaches from a year ago aren’t as relevant now. Instead, we are in the so-called “messy middle” of a profound shift in how people access, use, and produce information. 

First, there are no “AI-proof” assignments. There are assignment/ assessment design approaches that, seemingly, make AI use seem irrelevant and/or silly. They aren’t perfect. And they are continually evolving. For example, it might seem odd to us that a student would go to AI to produce a response to a reflective question like “What discussion board post or in-class comment by a peer did you find most thought-provoking this week?” Then again, the psychology of students in this moment probably eludes most of us. I don’t think we should be that surprised if they do ask AI for such a response.   

However, I do want to share what I’m learning in the various AI and Academic Integrity/ Teaching & Learning workshops I’ve attended. I share these not because I think “best practices” are a magic wand that we can wave and resolve these challenges, but because I think sharing the ideas generates creativity and innovation. Here are some examples from notes I took while attending a workshop led by Notre Dame’s James Lang last semester: 

Reflective Assignments

Self-Assessments:

• Assignment wrappers- Write an analysis of your performance on the last exam/ assignment. What did you do well? What didn’t you do well? How will you improve?
• Learning Journeys (longer assessment): Use five of your low-stakes assessments this semester (quizzes, discussion board posts, chat comments, group work assignments, etc) to describe your learning journey this semester. 
• Which discussion board post or in-class comment by a peer did you find most thought-provoking? What did you learn from it?
• Review the syllabus and your course notes. Which discussion or class period was most helpful to you this semester? How did it change your thinking? 
• Review the course lectures or readings. Which one changed your understanding of the course material the most?

Alternative Exam Questions (according to mathematician Franci Su):

• What mathematical ideas are you curious to know more about as a result of taking this class?
• Take one homework problem you have worked on this semester that you struggled to understand and solve, and explain how the struggle itself was valuable. 
• How has your mathematical imagination been enhanced as a result of taking this class? Give at least three examples. 

Enhanced Assignments

Next Generation Genres: What are the next generation assignment genres that will inspire student learning and help maintain academic integrity in student learning?  (credit: Jessica Singer Early). 

• Creative work and an Analytical Statement
• Traditional Essay and a Writer’s Statement
• Presentations and a Speaker’s Statement
• “What did you find energizing in creating this work?”; “Where did you struggle? How did you respond to the challenge?”; “How well did you achieve your vision?”
• How did you use AI in the completion of this assignment?
• Present and explain the initial prompts you used, with an explanation of your reasoning behind any further prompts.
• What did you learn from your experience working with AI?

Again, these examples come from my notes on that workshop and, as you can see, they represent an attempt to reformulate traditional assignments so that the focus is on learning, not necessarily preventing cheating. Lang especially emphasized this last point and I think it’s worth keeping in mind as we all approach our courses this term.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, and it may be irrelevant in a short time. However, I hope these examples give you some insight on how professionals in higher ed are responding to a generational challenge and consistently moving target.

• Post Date: August 5, 2024
• Categories: Academic Integrity
• Tags: artificial intelligence , ChatGPT , learning
• Joseph Brown

Three Things Faculty Can Do for a More Successful Fall Semester with Generative AI

Fall 2024 is nearly here (or may be here by the time you read this post) and everyone wants to know what they can do

Where Things Stand with AI and Higher Education in Spring 2024

Earlier this term, I attended a webinar featuring Notre Dame’s James Lang (James Lang’s Profile Page). The title of the presentation was, “Academic Integrity in

Reasonable Doubt: Surprisingly Simple Ways to Encourage Disillusionment with Generative AI

When I was in high school, one of my favorite activities was participating in our school’s Mock Trial team. If you’re unfamiliar with it, students

Your Fall Semester AI Survival Toolkit

Fall semester is here. Tilt is providing a collection of guides, tips, articles, and resources to help you navigate the challenge that generative AI poses

Machine Translation for assignments

Use of machine translation, using machine translation in your assignment, risks with using machine translation, citing machine translation.

Machine Translation is an automated process in which a computer program converts text in one language into another.

You are:

• using Machine Translation if you write your assessment in one language and automatically convert it to English through a computer program or internet application.
• not using Machine Translation if you write your assessment in English and use a writing tool (e.g. Microsoft Editor or Grammarly) to check your grammar and offer suggestions for better phrasing.

Some Machine Translation tools utilise generative artificial intelligence. Visit using AI tools in your studies  to find out what you need to consider before using these tools. Our Generative AI tools for assignments  referencing guide has tips on how to cite or acknowledge your use of these tools.

UQ graduates should be able to independently demonstrate a high standard of written and verbal communication skills. Using language fluently and without assistance is crucial in the workplace.

Some assessments do not permit the use of Machine Translation, while others may allow it with some limitations.

• confirm with your course coordinator , or
• check your course profile .

Once you submit an assessment item, you are responsible for all work produced by Machine Translation, including errors that arise.

Any permitted use of Machine Translation for assessment must be acknowledged appropriately .

Your course coordinator will provide guidance on how to reference the use of AI tools .

Examples of how to reference your use of Machine Translation include:

• citing or referencing in the text or list of references
• inclusion in your methodology.
• Verify the accuracy of the product you use. Machine Translation does not always produce an exact or accurate translation.
• Do not supply sensitive information , including personal, confidential or proprietary information or data to Machine Translation tools.

You must acknowledge that you have used Machine Translation in your assessment. Failure to acknowledge the use of Machine Translation can result in Academic Misconduct .

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement should include the extent to which you used Machine Translation. For example, you might acknowledge:

• specific sections of work submitted
• a specific action in a document such as editing, correcting or translating
• ‘post-editing’ which means that the entire document has been translated by Machine Translation and then corrected and adjusted by you.

Examples of how you might acknowledge use

For a specific section : Chapter 5 was produced with the assistance of <insert tool name> (eg. Google Translate, BabelFish, Grammarly, ChatGPT etc). The text was originally written in its entirety in English.

For a specific action for the whole document: The work was edited/corrected/translated using <insert tool>.

For your input after Machine Translation: This article was translated into English from [LANGUAGE] using <insert tool>. The author is unable to verify accuracy/the author used <insert tool> to verify the translation provided.

For your input after Machine Translation: This work was post-edited by the author, after being translated from <insert language> to English using <insert tool>.

For your input after Machine Translation: Interview transcripts in Indonesian were translated into English using <insert tool>. The author then checked the results for accuracy.

Referencing

Not all referencing styles provide guidance on how to reference machine translation. Many Machine Translation tools use AI. Visit generative AI tools for assignments for tips on how to cite or acknowledge your use of these tools.

References should:

• provide clear and accurate information for the tool
• identify where Machine Translation has been used in your work.

You can acknowledge your use of Machine Translation by:

• including a page at the front of your assessment to give these details
• putting a note in the reference list
• using a footnote or end note.

If in doubt, check with your course coordinator or ask the Library.

• Last Updated: Aug 6, 2024 8:26 AM
• URL: https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/machine-translation

• Gradescope Guides
• Instructors
• Managing Assignments
• Assignment Types

Gradescope allows you to grade paper-based exams, quizzes, bubble sheets, programming assignments  (graded automatically or manually) and lets you create online assignments that students can answer right on Gradescope.

In this guide:

Assignment Types and Features

Using gradescope for paper-based assignments, exams & quizzes, homework & problem sets, multi-versioned assignments.

• Bubble Sheet Assignments

Programming Assignments

• Online Assignments

The following table details Gradescope assignment types and features .

*The file-upload question type can be used for students to upload images of their handwritten work.

**Certain question types can be auto-graded: Multiple choice, select all, and fill in the blank.

For paper-based assignments, Gradescope works well for many types of questions: paragraphs, proofs, diagrams, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, and more. Our biggest users so far have been high school and higher-ed courses in Math, Chemistry, Computer Science, Physics, Economics, and Business — but we’re confident that our tool is useful to most subject areas and grade levels. Please reach out to us and we can help you figure out if Gradescope will be helpful in your course.

To grade exams or quizzes you will start by creating a new assignment on Gradescope. 

Once the assignment is created, you’ll:

• Mark the question regions on a template PDF ( Creating an outline )

See our tips for formatting the assignment template PDF and outline for automated roster matching of submissions.

• Create rubrics for your questions if applicable (See Creating Rubrics in Grading Submissions )
• Upload and process scans*  ( Managing scans )
• Match student names to submissions*  ( Managing submissions )
• Students can use the Gradescope Mobile App to scan and upload their handwritten assignments.
• Grade student work with flexible, dynamic rubrics ( Grading )

When grading is finished you can:

• Publish grades and email students ( Reviewing grades )
• Export grades ( Exporting Grades )
• Manage regrade requests ( Managing regrade requests )
• See question and rubric-level statistics to better understand what your students have learned ( Assignment Statistics )

*Not applicable if students are uploading their own work.

You will need to give the assignment a title and upload a blank copy of the homework to create the assignment outline you’ll use for grading. By default, the Homework / Problem Set assignment type is set up for students to submit work. In a typical homework assignment, students will upload their work and be directed to mark where their answers are on their submissions ( Submitting an assignment ), making them even easier for you to grade. 

If you want to scan and submit work for your students, you can change the Who will upload submissions? setting to Instructors and follow the steps above in the “Exam and Quizzes” section. If needed, you can also submit on behalf of your students, even if you’ve originally set the assignment to be student-uploaded. See more on that on our Managing Submissions help page.

Next, Gradescope will prompt you to set the assignment release date and due date, choose your submission type and set your group submission policy ( Submission Type ). Next, you can select Enforce time limit and use the Maximum Time Permitted feature to give students a set number of minutes to complete the assignment from the moment they confirm that they’re ready to begin. Under Template Visibility , you can select Allow students to view and download the template to let students view and download a blank copy of the homework after the assignment release date.

Assignments with a set time limit are not compatible for student upload on the Gradescope Mobile App.

Then, you will create the assignment outline ( Creating an outline ) and either create a rubric now or wait for students to submit their work. You can begin grading as soon as a single submission is uploaded (although we recommend waiting until the due date passes, since students can resubmit), and you can view all student-uploaded submissions from the Manage Submissions tab. The rest of the workflow is the same as exams and quizzes: you can publish grades, email students ( Reviewing grades ), export grades ( Exporting Grades ), and manage regrade requests ( Managing regrade requests ).

The Organize Exam Versions feature lets you group together multiple instructor-uploaded Exam or Homework assignments into an Exam Version Set. Please note that assignment versioning is style="color: #d33115;"not available on Online Assignments, Programming Assignments, or any other type of student-uploaded assignment . To see how to use this feature on your instructor-uploaded Exam or Homework assignments, check out the article on Creating and Grading Multi-Version Assignments .

Bubble Sheets

Bubble Sheet Assignments are available with an Institutional license .

If your assignment is completely multiple choice, you should consider using the Bubble Sheet assignment type . With this type of assignment, you need to electronically or manually distribute and have students fill out the Gradescope Bubble Sheet Template . You can then mark the correct answers for each question ahead of time, and all student submissions will be automatically graded.

Bubble Sheet assignments allow up to five versions of the assignment during the creation of instructor-uploaded assignments. To learn how to add more than one version, check out our guide on Creating multiple versions .

By default, the Bubble Sheet assignment type is set up for instructors to scan and upload. However, you can change this by choosing Students under Who will upload submissions? in your assignment settings and following the steps in the Homework and Problem Sets section of this guide. If submissions will be student-uploaded, you can also enable Template Visibility in your assignment settings to let students download a blank, 200-question bubble sheet template from Gradescope when they open the assignment. If you enable template visibility on a Bubble Sheet assignment, please note that you will not need to upload a blank bubble sheet for students to be able to download it, and the template students can download will contain five answer bubbles per question, but no question content.

Once the assignment is created you’ll:

• Create an answer key and set grading defaults ( Bubble Sheet specific features )
• Upload and process scans * ( Managing scans )
• Match student names to submissions * ( Managing submissions )
• Review uncertain marks and optionally add more descriptive rubric items ( Reviewing Uncertain Marks )
• Grade the bubble sheet assignment ( Grading a Bubble Sheet assignment )

And when grading is completed you can:

However, there is also an additional analysis page for Bubble Sheet Assignments - Item Analysis. We calculate a discriminatory score, or the correlation between getting the question right and the overall assignment score.

Programming assignments are available with an Institutional license . 

With Programming Assignments, students submit code projects and instructors can automatically grade student code with a custom written autograder and/or manually grade using the traditional Gradescope interface.

When setting up a Programming Assignment, you’ll have a few unique options to choose from for this specific assignment type which you can learn over in the programming assignment documentation .

After the assignment is created , the workflow is similar to other student submitted assignments:

• If you wish to manually grade questions, you’ll add them to the outline
• If you wish to use an autograder, you’ll set it up next ( Autograder Specifications )
• Wait for submissions from students

Programming Assignments are not compatible for student upload on the Gradescope Mobile App.

• Grading a programming assignment
• Optionally, manually grade student work ( Manual Grading )

And when grading is completed you have access to the usual steps:

For more information about programming assignments and autograders, check out the Programming Assignment documentation .

Online Assignments (Beta)

Online assignments are available with an Institutional license .

Currently in beta, an Online Assignment offers the following features:

• Allows you to create questions directly on Gradescope.
• Students will be able to log in and submit responses within the Gradescope interface.
• If you’d like, you can also give students a set number of minutes to submit their work from the moment they open the assignment.
• Additionally, you can choose to hide questions and responses once the due date passes or the time limit runs out to help prevent students who have completed the assignment from sharing questions and answers with students who have not finished working.
• For multiple choice, select all, and short answer questions, you can indicate the correct answer ahead of time, and student submissions will be automatically graded. You can also add a File Upload field to a question that will allow students to complete their work on that question outside of Gradescope and then the upload files. For example, a photo or PDF of handwritten work can be uploaded that contains their answer.

After creating the assignment:

• Enter your questions using the Assignment Editor ( Online Assignment specific features )
• Create rubrics for your questions if applicable ( See Creating rubrics in Grading Submissions )
• Optionally, manually grade student answers

Online Assignments are not compatible for student upload on the Gradescope Mobile App.

And when grading is completed, you have access to the usual steps:

• Manage regrade requests ( Managing regrade requests ).

Articles in this section

• Assignment Settings Overview
• Creating Multi-version Assignments
• Creating and Editing Sections for Assignments
• Linking an assignment or gradebook column from an LMS to Gradescope
• Extending assignment release dates, due dates, and time limits
• Managing Submissions
• Writing Formulas and Equations (LaTeX) for Assignments
• Using Markdown for Assignments
• Duplicating an Assignment

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Common Assignments: Summary

For each source listed, you will begin with a summary of the information you found in that specific source. The summary section gives your reader an overview of the important information from that source. Remember that you are focusing on a source's method and results, not paraphrasing the article's argument or evidence.

The questions below can help you produce an appropriate, scholarly summary:

• What is the topic of the source?
• What actions did the author perform within the study and why?
• What were the methods of the author?
• What was the theoretical basis for the study?
• What were the conclusions of the study?

Remember, a summary should be similar to an abstract of a source and written in past tense (e.g. "The authors found that…" or "The studies showed…"), but it should not be the source's abstract. Each summary should be written in your own words.

Summarizing Video Playlist

Note that these videos were created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

Related Resources

Didn't find what you need? Email us at [email protected] .

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Brightspace Support

August 2024 Brightspace Update Preview

Posted by Michael Coley on Monday, August 5, 2024 in Releases .

This August D2L is bringing several important updates to Brightspace. Below are a selection of the updates that should be most impactful to Vanderbilt faculty and students. 

Assignments – Assessment workflows enhanced

Advanced Assessments help instructors and administrators to better manage courses with large class sizes and multiple evaluators, delegate and manage evaluator workflows, and reduce bias in marking.

Advanced Assessments allows instructors to:

• Assign multiple evaluators to evaluate a single assignment submission when creating or editing assignments.
• Choose which evaluators can publish grades for the assignment from the Assignment tool by setting them as publishers.
• Match evaluators to students.
• Choose from two multi-evaluator workflows: One Shared Evaluation (Co-Marking) or Multiple Individual Evaluations .

For more information, refer to the  Assign Evaluators and Publishers in Assignments | Instructor video below.

Prior to the release of Advanced Assessments, there was no ability to create and evaluate delegated co-mark or multi-evaluate assignments.

With this release, Advanced Assessment workflows for Assignments are available in all programs and courses in Brightspace. New features that are added to Advanced Assessments with the August release include:

• Turnitin integrations
• Accessibility improvements, including assistive technologies for keyboard-only users

Refer to D2L’s Advanced Assessment for Assignments in Brightspace blog post for details on how these updates can work for you in your courses. 

Assignments – Email status message no longer displayed after an assignment submission

With this release, the Confirmation Email Sent Successfully message is no longer displayed for students in the Email Status field after they submit an assignment. However, when a student submits an assignment, an email as a receipt of the submission is still sent to them.

Figure: The Review Assignment Submission page with the Email Status field.

Figure: The Review Assignment Submission page without the Email Status field.

Previously, even if a confirmation email was not sent to a student, they also received the Confirmation Email Sent Successfully message in the Email Status field on their Submission History page.

Discussions – Consistent deletion and restoration workflows for group-restricted discussions

This release updates the deletion and restoration workflow for discussions associated with a group. When a user deletes a group, the associated activities, including discussions, are also deleted. These discussions cannot be restored unless their associated group is restored first.

Once the group has been restored, associated discussions can be restored using the Discussions restore workflow. This updated workflow is consistent with other group-associated activities such as assignments and lockers.

Previously, discussions that were deleted when their associate group was deleted could nominally be restored independently using the Discussions restore workflow. In practice, restoring these discussions resulted in errors and other issues.

Discussions – Reading View improvements 

To improve the user experience for students, this release introduces several updates to the student Reading View in Discussions. These improvements include the following:

• The Start New Thread button is duplicated at the bottom of the page when viewing a topic, eliminating the need to scroll back to the top of the page.
• The Add Attachments section is opened by default when creating a new post or new topic. Previously students had to open the section manually to add attachments.
• The Add Attachments section is wider on screen when students create a new thread.

Mastery View – Student sorting improvements

The sort component for student names in Grade book Mastery View is updated to improve consistency with other areas of Brightspace and to resolve minor visual issues with the previous sort functionality. Instructors can now sort student names in any of the following orders:

• Last name alphabetically
• Last name reverse-alphabetically
• First name alphabetically
• First name reverse-alphabetically

Figure: Click Learner to view the sorting options in Mastery View .

References :

August Release Notes

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What’s Hot in Music August: New Albums, Local Concerts

Much anticipated release from “pop princess” sabrina carpenter, post malone’s country debut, the marías play mgm musical hall.

Sabrina Carpenter, Andy Kropa/AP (left); Tinashe, Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP (center bottom); Post Malone, Sipa USA/AP Photos (right).

What’s Hot in Music This Month: New Albums, Local Concerts

Eden mor (com’25).

Welcome back, Terriers, to our monthly column , What’s Hot in Music This Month.

Although it may already feel like summer is drawing to a close, August is an exciting month for Boston music junkies. To start, legendary Allston rock club Great Scott , shuttered in 2020, is returning to a new venue in 2026. (The original club helped establish Allston as “rock city.”) In other news, Post Malone is putting it all on the line with his country debut, and MGM Music Hall is hosting an amazing group of headliners, including the Marías.

New releases

Aghori Mhori Mei, The Smashing Pumpkins

With only one original band member remaining among the ranks of legendary ’90s rock band Smashing Pumpkins, the group continues to reinvent itself, refusing to become a throwback. But even the most devoted of fans admit the musicians never managed to recreate the magic of their most successful albums: Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness . But with their 13th album, Aghori Mhori Mei , the two-time Grammy-winning band is giving it another try. Keeping fans on their toes, the band has said they won’t release any singles off the album before it drops August 2.

This Is How Tomorrow Moves, Beabadoobee

“I want it to be that album you dance to in your bedroom late at night,” singer-songwriter Beabadoobee says of her upcoming studio album This Is How Tomorrow Moves . Known for her soft, lullaby-like vocals and “bedroom pop” feel, this Filipino English artist has seen massive success in the alternative music space since the release of her debut track, “Coffee,” in 2017. At just 24, Beabadoobee has opened for Clairo, the 1975, and Taylor Swift. For her third studio album, the London-based artist continues to explore the influences of jazz and R&B on her sound, as well as incorporating unique electronic flare. If This Is How Tomorrow Moves is anything like the album’s first track, “Take A Bite,” expect to see this accomplished artist take a major step into the world of alt-rock. This Is How Tomorrow Moves is out August 9.

F-1 Trillion, Post Malone

Post Malone first made a name for himself as a hip-hop artist with his star-stacked 2017 debut album Stoney , featuring the likes of Justin Bieber, Kehlani, and Quavo. But in 2023, after half a decade of rap success and A-list collaborations, Malone spiced things up with the release of “Pickup Man,” a take on Joe Diffie’s country song of the same name. With that, Malone entered a whole new world, performing at the Country Music Association Awards, decked out in cowboy boots and a matching hat, alongside country star Morgan Wallen. He isn’t the only artist to make a surprising transition into country of late (see Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter and Lana Del Rey’s upcoming album Lasso ). But with collaborations with Luke Combs and Blake Shelton—as well as a duet with country icon Dolly Parton—Malone may just be leading the pack. The album drops August 16.

Quantum Baby, Tinashe

It’s safe to say Tinashe has been on a high since the success of her hit single “Nasty,” released in April. Not only has it spurred TikTok trend after TikTok trend, but the song—whose lyrics leave little to the imagination—also soared to No. 1 on Spotify’s Viral 50 global and US charts and the Apple iTunes top R&B/soul songs chart. But the 21-year-old sensation didn’t stop there: she released a follow-up single, “Getting No Sleep,” in June, along with an erotic, Mad Max–themed music video. Then the former child actor announced the release of her seventh album, Quantum Baby —her second project under Ricky Reed’s indie label, Nice Life Recording Company. What can we expect from the new record? “ Quantum Baby is about getting to know me on a deeper level. It’s about exploring who I am as a person and who I am as an artist,” Tinashe says. Find out for yourself when Quantum Baby comes out on August 16.

Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter

With three seasons of Disney’s Girl Meets World and five studio albums under her belt, Sabrina Carpenter is no stranger to stardom. But it wasn’t until she opened for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour this past year and released two hit summer singles, “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” that the 25-year-old singer solidified her place in the pop world, aided by a high-profile romance with Irish actor Barry Keoghan. Now, with the help of Bleachers frontman and Taylor Swift–favored producer Jack Antonoff, Carpenter’s sixth album sees her home in on a “pop princess” persona, teeming with confidence and energy. The 4’11’’ singer’s new album, fittingly titled Short n’ Sweet , is this summer’s most anticipated album. It’s being branded as hyperfeminine, retro, and “for the girls.” It drops on August 23.

Upcoming concerts

Still woozy, loveseat tour.

After four years as a part of the alt-rock band Feed Me Jack, Sven Eric Gamsky said goodbye to his bandmates, whom he met at University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2016. He then embarked on a solo career that would prove far more successful. He catapulted to indie fame with the song “Cooks,” a track instantly recognizable by its first couple of lines: “Oh, my lovely/Baby, you’re all I see.” Gamsky followed his breakout hit with more successful singles, and an album in 2021: If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is . Late in June, he dropped Loveseat , his sophomore album, and began a summer tour supported by Gus Dapperton, Michelle, and PawPaw Rod. In his limited press appearances since the album’s debut, he’s made one thing clear: he doesn’t settle for more of the same. Loveseat takes the groovy, psychedelic beats of his previous works and cranks up the heat, exemplifying the artist’s growth not only as a singer, but also as a producer who treats mixing and mastering like a science. Still Woozy is stopping at Roadrunner in Boston on August 5 for a one-night performance that’s sure to be unforgettable.

The Marías, The Submarine Tour

When Puerto Rican singer María Zardoya booked a gig at the Kibitz Room, an underground music venue in Los Angeles’ Canter’s Deli, a fateful meeting with then-sound guy, now drummer Josh Conway changed her life: she fell in love with Conway and became the lead singer of the indie pop band she and Conway founded, the Marías. With the help of Edward James on keyboard and guitarist Jesse Perlman, the L.A.-based quartet released their first EP, Superclean Vol. I , in 2017. Since then, Zardoya, who takes inspiration from female icons like Sade and Selena, has chiseled out a place for herself in the alternative scene with her incomparable vocals. Often singing in Spanish, Zardoya is relaxing, sensual, and atmospheric. The band’s second studio album, Submarine , is jazzy and psychedelic and stays true to what Zardoya vowed her music would always be during a 2019 Vogue interview: “Our music is emotional, but also dreamy and relaxing. We just want to transport people.”

Passenger, All the Little Lights Anniversary Tour

In 2023, English singer-songwriter Passenger (aka Michael David Rosenberg) released an anniversary edition of their 2012 hit record All the Little Lights , which solidified the musician’s career. One song in particular makes this folk-pop album stand out: “Let Her Go.” Its first chords have become iconic, along with the chorus: “ Well, you only need the light when it’s burning low/Only miss the sun when it starts to snow/Only know you love her when you let her go .” The rerecorded version of the song features Ed Sheeran on vocals, breathing new life into the track. When announcing the album, Rosenberg wrote, “Over the years when I would hear a song or two from the album, I would find myself wishing we’d done a number of things a bit differently… well… Now we have.” Don’t miss Passenger’s Boston tour stop, when he hits House of Blues Boston August 25.

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There is 1 comment on What’s Hot in Music August: New Albums, Local Concerts

Although Billy Corgan was for many years the only original member of Smashing Pumpkins to remain in the band, founding members James Iha (guitars, bass) and Jimmy Chamberlin (drums) rejoined the group in 2018–so the band now comprises three-quarters of the original lineup. I saw them at Mohegan Sun in 2022, and they were fantastic. As a GenXer who’s lived through all their incarnations, I had to set the record straight!

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