SPRING 2023: Transparent Assignment Design
What is a workgroup?
A work group is a group of faculty members that come together to work on a shared goal for their teaching practice.
How does a workgroup work?
The focus of this workgroup is transparent assignment design. The group will meet three times throughout the semester. In the first meeting, the group will discuss transparent assignment design and evaluate assignments from their own classes to determine which assignments they would like to redesign. In subsequent meetings, the group will discuss how the redesigns are going, how they are using the redesigns in their classes, and problem solve any issues that arise throughout the process.
What is transparent assignment design?
The concept is straightforward. Assignments are designed to be easily understood and completed by students. The original research goal for transparent assignment design was to support the success of students who are typically underserved in higher education. The findings clearly indicate that this simple change can greatly impact learning and retention. The project, Transparency in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, is under the leadership of Mary-Ann Winkelmes and is currently housed at Brandeis University.
Transparent assignments include three sections: purpose, tasks, grading criteria. While the idea is simple, many assignments aren't intentionally designed to meet the standards of transparent assignment design. They may lack a clearly stated purpose for the skills and knowledge the students will use and develop through the assignment. Often the tasks or steps the students will take to complete the assignment aren't detailed and specific. Grading criteria may be vague despite the inclusion of a rubric. As a group , we'll work to figure out how to revise our respective assignments to meet the transparent assignment design criteria. (We may even join in the research that's currently being conducted by TILT.)
Here's a checklist that the group might use to evaluate the transparency of their assignments.
Meeting Information:
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/95848670467