The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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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Teaching, Learning, & Professional Development Center

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How Do I Create Meaningful and Effective Assignments?

Prepared by allison boye, ph.d. teaching, learning, and professional development center.

Assessment is a necessary part of the teaching and learning process, helping us measure whether our students have really learned what we want them to learn. While exams and quizzes are certainly favorite and useful methods of assessment, out of class assignments (written or otherwise) can offer similar insights into our students' learning.  And just as creating a reliable test takes thoughtfulness and skill, so does creating meaningful and effective assignments. Undoubtedly, many instructors have been on the receiving end of disappointing student work, left wondering what went wrong… and often, those problems can be remedied in the future by some simple fine-tuning of the original assignment.  This paper will take a look at some important elements to consider when developing assignments, and offer some easy approaches to creating a valuable assessment experience for all involved.

First Things First…

Before assigning any major tasks to students, it is imperative that you first define a few things for yourself as the instructor:

  • Your goals for the assignment . Why are you assigning this project, and what do you hope your students will gain from completing it? What knowledge, skills, and abilities do you aim to measure with this assignment?  Creating assignments is a major part of overall course design, and every project you assign should clearly align with your goals for the course in general.  For instance, if you want your students to demonstrate critical thinking, perhaps asking them to simply summarize an article is not the best match for that goal; a more appropriate option might be to ask for an analysis of a controversial issue in the discipline. Ultimately, the connection between the assignment and its purpose should be clear to both you and your students to ensure that it is fulfilling the desired goals and doesn't seem like “busy work.” For some ideas about what kinds of assignments match certain learning goals, take a look at this page from DePaul University's Teaching Commons.
  • Have they experienced “socialization” in the culture of your discipline (Flaxman, 2005)? Are they familiar with any conventions you might want them to know? In other words, do they know the “language” of your discipline, generally accepted style guidelines, or research protocols?
  • Do they know how to conduct research?  Do they know the proper style format, documentation style, acceptable resources, etc.? Do they know how to use the library (Fitzpatrick, 1989) or evaluate resources?
  • What kinds of writing or work have they previously engaged in?  For instance, have they completed long, formal writing assignments or research projects before? Have they ever engaged in analysis, reflection, or argumentation? Have they completed group assignments before?  Do they know how to write a literature review or scientific report?

In his book Engaging Ideas (1996), John Bean provides a great list of questions to help instructors focus on their main teaching goals when creating an assignment (p.78):

1. What are the main units/modules in my course?

2. What are my main learning objectives for each module and for the course?

3. What thinking skills am I trying to develop within each unit and throughout the course?

4. What are the most difficult aspects of my course for students?

5. If I could change my students' study habits, what would I most like to change?

6. What difference do I want my course to make in my students' lives?

What your students need to know

Once you have determined your own goals for the assignment and the levels of your students, you can begin creating your assignment.  However, when introducing your assignment to your students, there are several things you will need to clearly outline for them in order to ensure the most successful assignments possible.

  • First, you will need to articulate the purpose of the assignment . Even though you know why the assignment is important and what it is meant to accomplish, you cannot assume that your students will intuit that purpose. Your students will appreciate an understanding of how the assignment fits into the larger goals of the course and what they will learn from the process (Hass & Osborn, 2007). Being transparent with your students and explaining why you are asking them to complete a given assignment can ultimately help motivate them to complete the assignment more thoughtfully.
  • If you are asking your students to complete a writing assignment, you should define for them the “rhetorical or cognitive mode/s” you want them to employ in their writing (Flaxman, 2005). In other words, use precise verbs that communicate whether you are asking them to analyze, argue, describe, inform, etc.  (Verbs like “explore” or “comment on” can be too vague and cause confusion.) Provide them with a specific task to complete, such as a problem to solve, a question to answer, or an argument to support.  For those who want assignments to lead to top-down, thesis-driven writing, John Bean (1996) suggests presenting a proposition that students must defend or refute, or a problem that demands a thesis answer.
  • It is also a good idea to define the audience you want your students to address with their assignment, if possible – especially with writing assignments.  Otherwise, students will address only the instructor, often assuming little requires explanation or development (Hedengren, 2004; MIT, 1999). Further, asking students to address the instructor, who typically knows more about the topic than the student, places the student in an unnatural rhetorical position.  Instead, you might consider asking your students to prepare their assignments for alternative audiences such as other students who missed last week's classes, a group that opposes their position, or people reading a popular magazine or newspaper.  In fact, a study by Bean (1996) indicated the students often appreciate and enjoy assignments that vary elements such as audience or rhetorical context, so don't be afraid to get creative!
  • Obviously, you will also need to articulate clearly the logistics or “business aspects” of the assignment . In other words, be explicit with your students about required elements such as the format, length, documentation style, writing style (formal or informal?), and deadlines.  One caveat, however: do not allow the logistics of the paper take precedence over the content in your assignment description; if you spend all of your time describing these things, students might suspect that is all you care about in their execution of the assignment.
  • Finally, you should clarify your evaluation criteria for the assignment. What elements of content are most important? Will you grade holistically or weight features separately? How much weight will be given to individual elements, etc?  Another precaution to take when defining requirements for your students is to take care that your instructions and rubric also do not overshadow the content; prescribing too rigidly each element of an assignment can limit students' freedom to explore and discover. According to Beth Finch Hedengren, “A good assignment provides the purpose and guidelines… without dictating exactly what to say” (2004, p. 27).  If you decide to utilize a grading rubric, be sure to provide that to the students along with the assignment description, prior to their completion of the assignment.

A great way to get students engaged with an assignment and build buy-in is to encourage their collaboration on its design and/or on the grading criteria (Hudd, 2003). In his article “Conducting Writing Assignments,” Richard Leahy (2002) offers a few ideas for building in said collaboration:

• Ask the students to develop the grading scale themselves from scratch, starting with choosing the categories.

• Set the grading categories yourself, but ask the students to help write the descriptions.

• Draft the complete grading scale yourself, then give it to your students for review and suggestions.

A Few Do's and Don'ts…

Determining your goals for the assignment and its essential logistics is a good start to creating an effective assignment. However, there are a few more simple factors to consider in your final design. First, here are a few things you should do :

  • Do provide detail in your assignment description . Research has shown that students frequently prefer some guiding constraints when completing assignments (Bean, 1996), and that more detail (within reason) can lead to more successful student responses.  One idea is to provide students with physical assignment handouts , in addition to or instead of a simple description in a syllabus.  This can meet the needs of concrete learners and give them something tangible to refer to.  Likewise, it is often beneficial to make explicit for students the process or steps necessary to complete an assignment, given that students – especially younger ones – might need guidance in planning and time management (MIT, 1999).
  • Do use open-ended questions.  The most effective and challenging assignments focus on questions that lead students to thinking and explaining, rather than simple yes or no answers, whether explicitly part of the assignment description or in the  brainstorming heuristics (Gardner, 2005).
  • Do direct students to appropriate available resources . Giving students pointers about other venues for assistance can help them get started on the right track independently. These kinds of suggestions might include information about campus resources such as the University Writing Center or discipline-specific librarians, suggesting specific journals or books, or even sections of their textbook, or providing them with lists of research ideas or links to acceptable websites.
  • Do consider providing models – both successful and unsuccessful models (Miller, 2007). These models could be provided by past students, or models you have created yourself.  You could even ask students to evaluate the models themselves using the determined evaluation criteria, helping them to visualize the final product, think critically about how to complete the assignment, and ideally, recognize success in their own work.
  • Do consider including a way for students to make the assignment their own. In their study, Hass and Osborn (2007) confirmed the importance of personal engagement for students when completing an assignment.  Indeed, students will be more engaged in an assignment if it is personally meaningful, practical, or purposeful beyond the classroom.  You might think of ways to encourage students to tap into their own experiences or curiosities, to solve or explore a real problem, or connect to the larger community.  Offering variety in assignment selection can also help students feel more individualized, creative, and in control.
  • If your assignment is substantial or long, do consider sequencing it. Far too often, assignments are given as one-shot final products that receive grades at the end of the semester, eternally abandoned by the student.  By sequencing a large assignment, or essentially breaking it down into a systematic approach consisting of interconnected smaller elements (such as a project proposal, an annotated bibliography, or a rough draft, or a series of mini-assignments related to the longer assignment), you can encourage thoughtfulness, complexity, and thoroughness in your students, as well as emphasize process over final product.

Next are a few elements to avoid in your assignments:

  • Do not ask too many questions in your assignment.  In an effort to challenge students, instructors often err in the other direction, asking more questions than students can reasonably address in a single assignment without losing focus. Offering an overly specific “checklist” prompt often leads to externally organized papers, in which inexperienced students “slavishly follow the checklist instead of integrating their ideas into more organically-discovered structure” (Flaxman, 2005).
  • Do not expect or suggest that there is an “ideal” response to the assignment. A common error for instructors is to dictate content of an assignment too rigidly, or to imply that there is a single correct response or a specific conclusion to reach, either explicitly or implicitly (Flaxman, 2005). Undoubtedly, students do not appreciate feeling as if they must read an instructor's mind to complete an assignment successfully, or that their own ideas have nowhere to go, and can lose motivation as a result. Similarly, avoid assignments that simply ask for regurgitation (Miller, 2007). Again, the best assignments invite students to engage in critical thinking, not just reproduce lectures or readings.
  • Do not provide vague or confusing commands . Do students know what you mean when they are asked to “examine” or “discuss” a topic? Return to what you determined about your students' experiences and levels to help you decide what directions will make the most sense to them and what will require more explanation or guidance, and avoid verbiage that might confound them.
  • Do not impose impossible time restraints or require the use of insufficient resources for completion of the assignment.  For instance, if you are asking all of your students to use the same resource, ensure that there are enough copies available for all students to access – or at least put one copy on reserve in the library. Likewise, make sure that you are providing your students with ample time to locate resources and effectively complete the assignment (Fitzpatrick, 1989).

The assignments we give to students don't simply have to be research papers or reports. There are many options for effective yet creative ways to assess your students' learning! Here are just a few:

Journals, Posters, Portfolios, Letters, Brochures, Management plans, Editorials, Instruction Manuals, Imitations of a text, Case studies, Debates, News release, Dialogues, Videos, Collages, Plays, Power Point presentations

Ultimately, the success of student responses to an assignment often rests on the instructor's deliberate design of the assignment. By being purposeful and thoughtful from the beginning, you can ensure that your assignments will not only serve as effective assessment methods, but also engage and delight your students. If you would like further help in constructing or revising an assignment, the Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development Center is glad to offer individual consultations. In addition, look into some of the resources provided below.

Online Resources

“Creating Effective Assignments” http://www.unh.edu/teaching-excellence/resources/Assignments.htm This site, from the University of New Hampshire's Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning,  provides a brief overview of effective assignment design, with a focus on determining and communicating goals and expectations.

Gardner, T.  (2005, June 12). Ten Tips for Designing Writing Assignments. Traci's Lists of Ten. http://www.tengrrl.com/tens/034.shtml This is a brief yet useful list of tips for assignment design, prepared by a writing teacher and curriculum developer for the National Council of Teachers of English .  The website will also link you to several other lists of “ten tips” related to literacy pedagogy.

“How to Create Effective Assignments for College Students.”  http:// tilt.colostate.edu/retreat/2011/zimmerman.pdf     This PDF is a simplified bulleted list, prepared by Dr. Toni Zimmerman from Colorado State University, offering some helpful ideas for coming up with creative assignments.

“Learner-Centered Assessment” http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/learner_centered_assessment.html From the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo, this is a short list of suggestions for the process of designing an assessment with your students' interests in mind. “Matching Learning Goals to Assignment Types.” http://teachingcommons.depaul.edu/How_to/design_assignments/assignments_learning_goals.html This is a great page from DePaul University's Teaching Commons, providing a chart that helps instructors match assignments with learning goals.

Additional References Bean, J.C. (1996). Engaging ideas: The professor's guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Fitzpatrick, R. (1989). Research and writing assignments that reduce fear lead to better papers and more confident students. Writing Across the Curriculum , 3.2, pp. 15 – 24.

Flaxman, R. (2005). Creating meaningful writing assignments. The Teaching Exchange .  Retrieved Jan. 9, 2008 from http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Sheridan_Center/pubs/teachingExchange/jan2005/01_flaxman.pdf

Hass, M. & Osborn, J. (2007, August 13). An emic view of student writing and the writing process. Across the Disciplines, 4. 

Hedengren, B.F. (2004). A TA's guide to teaching writing in all disciplines . Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

Hudd, S. S. (2003, April). Syllabus under construction: Involving students in the creation of class assignments.  Teaching Sociology , 31, pp. 195 – 202.

Leahy, R. (2002). Conducting writing assignments. College Teaching , 50.2, pp. 50 – 54.

Miller, H. (2007). Designing effective writing assignments.  Teaching with writing .  University of Minnesota Center for Writing. Retrieved Jan. 9, 2008, from http://writing.umn.edu/tww/assignments/designing.html

MIT Online Writing and Communication Center (1999). Creating Writing Assignments. Retrieved January 9, 2008 from http://web.mit.edu/writing/Faculty/createeffective.html .

Contact TTU

Creative Ways to Design Assignments for Student Success

student assignment

There are many creative ways in which teachers can design assignments to support student success. We can do this while simultaneously not getting bogged down with the various obstructions that keep students from both completing and learning from the assignments. For me, assignments fall into two categories: those that are graded automatically, such as SmartBook® readings and quizzes in Connect®; and those that I need to grade by hand, such as writing assignments.  

For those of us teaching large, introductory classes, most of our assignments are graded automatically, which is great for our time management. But our students will ultimately deliver a plethora of colorful excuses as to why they were not completed and why extensions are warranted. How do we give them a little leeway to make the semester run more smoothly, so there are fewer worries about a reading that was missed or a quiz that went by too quickly? Here are a few tactics I use. 

Automatically graded assignments: 

Multiple assignment attempts  

  • This eases the mental pressure of a timed assignment and covers computer mishaps or human error on the first attempt. 
  • You can deduct points for every attempt taken if you are worried about students taking advantage. 

Automatically dropped assignments  

  • Within a subset or set of assignments, automatically drop a few from grading. This can take care of all excuses for missing an assignment. 
  • Additionally, you can give a little grade boost to those who complete all their assignments (over a certain grade). 

Due dates  

  • Consider staggering due dates during the week instead of making them all due on Sunday night.  
  • Set the due date for readings the night before you cover the material, so students are prepared.  

Requirements  

  • If we want our students to read, then make a reading assignment a requirement of a quiz. 

The tactics above might be applied to written assignments, too. An easy way to bolster a student’s interest and investment in these longer assignments is to give them a choice. This could be in the topic, location of study, or presentation style. For example, if you want them to analyze the susceptibility of a beach to hurricane threat, why not let them choose the location? In this way, you will also be gaining a lot of new information for your own use. 

With a small amount of effort, we can design our classes, so students concentrate on learning the subject matter rather than the logistics of completing the assignments. 

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Student Assignment

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Department Overview

Each student in the Cumberland County Schools System is assigned to the school of his/her grade level serving the attendance area in which the student’s parent or court-appointed custodian resides. The Student Assignment Office has the responsibility of ensuring all students are attending the appropriate schools. Our guidelines and procedures are developed based on the following:

  • Maintain efficient use of facilities
  • Provide options to parents to best meet the needs of their family
  • Provide choices to explore a variety of educational opportunities toward meeting the diverse needs of our students.

In addition to school assignments, the Student Assignment Office also helps parents, students, and schools with issues involving custody, residency, family hardships involving school assignments and Choice Program application procedures. All students residing in Cumberland County are eligible to apply to the Choice Program during the application period. For more information on the Choice Program, please visit the  Cumberland County Schools Choice Program Website .

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Student Assignment Department 2465 Gillespie Street Fayetteville, NC 28306 Phone: 910-678-2616

Dr. Melody Chalmers McClain, Associate Superintendent, Student Support Services Saundra McNeill, Student Assignment Manager

How do I find out what school my child is assigned to?

Every child in the Cumberland County School system is assigned to a school district by their address. Click on the following link, type in your street address, and the school that your child is assigned to will appear in the display box on the right-hand side of the screen: Find My School .

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Center for Teaching

Assessing student learning.

student assignment

Forms and Purposes of Student Assessment

Assessment is more than grading, assessment plans, methods of student assessment, generative and reflective assessment, teaching guides related to student assessment, references and additional resources.

Student assessment is, arguably, the centerpiece of the teaching and learning process and therefore the subject of much discussion in the scholarship of teaching and learning. Without some method of obtaining and analyzing evidence of student learning, we can never know whether our teaching is making a difference. That is, teaching requires some process through which we can come to know whether students are developing the desired knowledge and skills, and therefore whether our instruction is effective. Learning assessment is like a magnifying glass we hold up to students’ learning to discern whether the teaching and learning process is functioning well or is in need of change.

To provide an overview of learning assessment, this teaching guide has several goals, 1) to define student learning assessment and why it is important, 2) to discuss several approaches that may help to guide and refine student assessment, 3) to address various methods of student assessment, including the test and the essay, and 4) to offer several resources for further research. In addition, you may find helfpul this five-part video series on assessment that was part of the Center for Teaching’s Online Course Design Institute.

What is student assessment and why is it Important?

In their handbook for course-based review and assessment, Martha L. A. Stassen et al. define assessment as “the systematic collection and analysis of information to improve student learning” (2001, p. 5). An intentional and thorough assessment of student learning is vital because it provides useful feedback to both instructors and students about the extent to which students are successfully meeting learning objectives. In their book Understanding by Design , Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe offer a framework for classroom instruction — “Backward Design”— that emphasizes the critical role of assessment. For Wiggins and McTighe, assessment enables instructors to determine the metrics of measurement for student understanding of and proficiency in course goals. Assessment provides the evidence needed to document and validate that meaningful learning has occurred (2005, p. 18). Their approach “encourages teachers and curriculum planners to first ‘think like an assessor’ before designing specific units and lessons, and thus to consider up front how they will determine if students have attained the desired understandings” (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005, p. 18). [1]

Not only does effective assessment provide us with valuable information to support student growth, but it also enables critically reflective teaching. Stephen Brookfield, in Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher, argues that critical reflection on one’s teaching is an essential part of developing as an educator and enhancing the learning experience of students (1995). Critical reflection on one’s teaching has a multitude of benefits for instructors, including the intentional and meaningful development of one’s teaching philosophy and practices. According to Brookfield, referencing higher education faculty, “A critically reflective teacher is much better placed to communicate to colleagues and students (as well as to herself) the rationale behind her practice. She works from a position of informed commitment” (Brookfield, 1995, p. 17). One important lens through which we may reflect on our teaching is our student evaluations and student learning assessments. This reflection allows educators to determine where their teaching has been effective in meeting learning goals and where it has not, allowing for improvements. Student assessment, then, both develop the rationale for pedagogical choices, and enables teachers to measure the effectiveness of their teaching.

The scholarship of teaching and learning discusses two general forms of assessment. The first, summative assessment , is one that is implemented at the end of the course of study, for example via comprehensive final exams or papers. Its primary purpose is to produce an evaluation that “sums up” student learning. Summative assessment is comprehensive in nature and is fundamentally concerned with learning outcomes. While summative assessment is often useful for communicating final evaluations of student achievement, it does so without providing opportunities for students to reflect on their progress, alter their learning, and demonstrate growth or improvement; nor does it allow instructors to modify their teaching strategies before student learning in a course has concluded (Maki, 2002).

The second form, formative assessment , involves the evaluation of student learning at intermediate points before any summative form. Its fundamental purpose is to help students during the learning process by enabling them to reflect on their challenges and growth so they may improve. By analyzing students’ performance through formative assessment and sharing the results with them, instructors help students to “understand their strengths and weaknesses and to reflect on how they need to improve over the course of their remaining studies” (Maki, 2002, p. 11). Pat Hutchings refers to as “assessment behind outcomes”: “the promise of assessment—mandated or otherwise—is improved student learning, and improvement requires attention not only to final results but also to how results occur. Assessment behind outcomes means looking more carefully at the process and conditions that lead to the learning we care about…” (Hutchings, 1992, p. 6, original emphasis). Formative assessment includes all manner of coursework with feedback, discussions between instructors and students, and end-of-unit examinations that provide an opportunity for students to identify important areas for necessary growth and development for themselves (Brown and Knight, 1994).

It is important to recognize that both summative and formative assessment indicate the purpose of assessment, not the method . Different methods of assessment (discussed below) can either be summative or formative depending on when and how the instructor implements them. Sally Brown and Peter Knight in Assessing Learners in Higher Education caution against a conflation of the method (e.g., an essay) with the goal (formative or summative): “Often the mistake is made of assuming that it is the method which is summative or formative, and not the purpose. This, we suggest, is a serious mistake because it turns the assessor’s attention away from the crucial issue of feedback” (1994, p. 17). If an instructor believes that a particular method is formative, but he or she does not take the requisite time or effort to provide extensive feedback to students, the assessment effectively functions as a summative assessment despite the instructor’s intentions (Brown and Knight, 1994). Indeed, feedback and discussion are critical factors that distinguish between formative and summative assessment; formative assessment is only as good as the feedback that accompanies it.

It is not uncommon to conflate assessment with grading, but this would be a mistake. Student assessment is more than just grading. Assessment links student performance to specific learning objectives in order to provide useful information to students and instructors about learning and teaching, respectively. Grading, on the other hand, according to Stassen et al. (2001) merely involves affixing a number or letter to an assignment, giving students only the most minimal indication of their performance relative to a set of criteria or to their peers: “Because grades don’t tell you about student performance on individual (or specific) learning goals or outcomes, they provide little information on the overall success of your course in helping students to attain the specific and distinct learning objectives of interest” (Stassen et al., 2001, p. 6). Grades are only the broadest of indicators of achievement or status, and as such do not provide very meaningful information about students’ learning of knowledge or skills, how they have developed, and what may yet improve. Unfortunately, despite the limited information grades provide students about their learning, grades do provide students with significant indicators of their status – their academic rank, their credits towards graduation, their post-graduation opportunities, their eligibility for grants and aid, etc. – which can distract students from the primary goal of assessment: learning. Indeed, shifting the focus of assessment away from grades and towards more meaningful understandings of intellectual growth can encourage students (as well as instructors and institutions) to attend to the primary goal of education.

Barbara Walvoord (2010) argues that assessment is more likely to be successful if there is a clear plan, whether one is assessing learning in a course or in an entire curriculum (see also Gelmon, Holland, and Spring, 2018). Without some intentional and careful plan, assessment can fall prey to unclear goals, vague criteria, limited communication of criteria or feedback, invalid or unreliable assessments, unfairness in student evaluations, or insufficient or even unmeasured learning. There are several steps in this planning process.

  • Defining learning goals. An assessment plan usually begins with a clearly articulated set of learning goals.
  • Defining assessment methods. Once goals are clear, an instructor must decide on what evidence – assignment(s) – will best reveal whether students are meeting the goals. We discuss several common methods below, but these need not be limited by anything but the learning goals and the teaching context.
  • Developing the assessment. The next step would be to formulate clear formats, prompts, and performance criteria that ensure students can prepare effectively and provide valid, reliable evidence of their learning.
  • Integrating assessment with other course elements. Then the remainder of the course design process can be completed. In both integrated (Fink 2013) and backward course design models (Wiggins & McTighe 2005), the primary assessment methods, once chosen, become the basis for other smaller reading and skill-building assignments as well as daily learning experiences such as lectures, discussions, and other activities that will prepare students for their best effort in the assessments.
  • Communicate about the assessment. Once the course has begun, it is possible and necessary to communicate the assignment and its performance criteria to students. This communication may take many and preferably multiple forms to ensure student clarity and preparation, including assignment overviews in the syllabus, handouts with prompts and assessment criteria, rubrics with learning goals, model assignments (e.g., papers), in-class discussions, and collaborative decision-making about prompts or criteria, among others.
  • Administer the assessment. Instructors then can implement the assessment at the appropriate time, collecting evidence of student learning – e.g., receiving papers or administering tests.
  • Analyze the results. Analysis of the results can take various forms – from reading essays to computer-assisted test scoring – but always involves comparing student work to the performance criteria and the relevant scholarly research from the field(s).
  • Communicate the results. Instructors then compose an assessment complete with areas of strength and improvement, and communicate it to students along with grades (if the assignment is graded), hopefully within a reasonable time frame. This also is the time to determine whether the assessment was valid and reliable, and if not, how to communicate this to students and adjust feedback and grades fairly. For instance, were the test or essay questions confusing, yielding invalid and unreliable assessments of student knowledge.
  • Reflect and revise. Once the assessment is complete, instructors and students can develop learning plans for the remainder of the course so as to ensure improvements, and the assignment may be changed for future courses, as necessary.

Let’s see how this might work in practice through an example. An instructor in a Political Science course on American Environmental Policy may have a learning goal (among others) of students understanding the historical precursors of various environmental policies and how these both enabled and constrained the resulting legislation and its impacts on environmental conservation and health. The instructor therefore decides that the course will be organized around a series of short papers that will combine to make a thorough policy report, one that will also be the subject of student presentations and discussions in the last third of the course. Each student will write about an American environmental policy of their choice, with a first paper addressing its historical precursors, a second focused on the process of policy formation, and a third analyzing the extent of its impacts on environmental conservation or health. This will help students to meet the content knowledge goals of the course, in addition to its goals of improving students’ research, writing, and oral presentation skills. The instructor then develops the prompts, guidelines, and performance criteria that will be used to assess student skills, in addition to other course elements to best prepare them for this work – e.g., scaffolded units with quizzes, readings, lectures, debates, and other activities. Once the course has begun, the instructor communicates with the students about the learning goals, the assignments, and the criteria used to assess them, giving them the necessary context (goals, assessment plan) in the syllabus, handouts on the policy papers, rubrics with assessment criteria, model papers (if possible), and discussions with them as they need to prepare. The instructor then collects the papers at the appropriate due dates, assesses their conceptual and writing quality against the criteria and field’s scholarship, and then provides written feedback and grades in a manner that is reasonably prompt and sufficiently thorough for students to make improvements. Then the instructor can make determinations about whether the assessment method was effective and what changes might be necessary.

Assessment can vary widely from informal checks on understanding, to quizzes, to blogs, to essays, and to elaborate performance tasks such as written or audiovisual projects (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). Below are a few common methods of assessment identified by Brown and Knight (1994) that are important to consider.

According to Euan S. Henderson, essays make two important contributions to learning and assessment: the development of skills and the cultivation of a learning style (1980). The American Association of Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) also has found that intensive writing is a “high impact” teaching practice likely to help students in their engagement, learning, and academic attainment (Kuh 2008).

Things to Keep in Mind about Essays

  • Essays are a common form of writing assignment in courses and can be either a summative or formative form of assessment depending on how the instructor utilizes them.
  • Essays encompass a wide array of narrative forms and lengths, from short descriptive essays to long analytical or creative ones. Shorter essays are often best suited to assess student’s understanding of threshold concepts and discrete analytical or writing skills, while longer essays afford assessments of higher order concepts and more complex learning goals, such as rigorous analysis, synthetic writing, problem solving, or creative tasks.
  • A common challenge of the essay is that students can use them simply to regurgitate rather than analyze and synthesize information to make arguments. Students need performance criteria and prompts that urge them to go beyond mere memorization and comprehension, but encourage the highest levels of learning on Bloom’s Taxonomy . This may open the possibility for essay assignments that go beyond the common summary or descriptive essay on a given topic, but demand, for example, narrative or persuasive essays or more creative projects.
  • Instructors commonly assume that students know how to write essays and can encounter disappointment or frustration when they discover that this is sometimes not the case. For this reason, it is important for instructors to make their expectations clear and be prepared to assist, or provide students to resources that will enhance their writing skills. Faculty may also encourage students to attend writing workshops at university writing centers, such as Vanderbilt University’s Writing Studio .

Exams and time-constrained, individual assessment

Examinations have traditionally been a gold standard of assessment, particularly in post-secondary education. Many educators prefer them because they can be highly effective, they can be standardized, they are easily integrated into disciplines with certification standards, and they are efficient to implement since they can allow for less labor-intensive feedback and grading. They can involve multiple forms of questions, be of varying lengths, and can be used to assess multiple levels of student learning. Like essays they can be summative or formative forms of assessment.

Things to Keep in Mind about Exams

  • Exams typically focus on the assessment of students’ knowledge of facts, figures, and other discrete information crucial to a course. While they can involve questioning that demands students to engage in higher order demonstrations of comprehension, problem solving, analysis, synthesis, critique, and even creativity, such exams often require more time to prepare and validate.
  • Exam questions can be multiple choice, true/false, or other discrete answer formats, or they can be essay or problem-solving. For more on how to write good multiple choice questions, see this guide .
  • Exams can make significant demands on students’ factual knowledge and therefore can have the side-effect of encouraging cramming and surface learning. Further, when exams are offered infrequently, or when they have high stakes by virtue of their heavy weighting in course grade schemes or in student goals, they may accompany violations of academic integrity.
  • In the process of designing an exam, instructors should consider the following questions. What are the learning objectives that the exam seeks to evaluate? Have students been adequately prepared to meet exam expectations? What are the skills and abilities that students need to do well on the exam? How will this exam be utilized to enhance the student learning process?

Self-Assessment

The goal of implementing self-assessment in a course is to enable students to develop their own judgment and the capacities for critical meta-cognition – to learn how to learn. In self-assessment students are expected to assess both the processes and products of their learning. While the assessment of the product is often the task of the instructor, implementing student self-assessment in the classroom ensures students evaluate their performance and the process of learning that led to it. Self-assessment thus provides a sense of student ownership of their learning and can lead to greater investment and engagement. It also enables students to develop transferable skills in other areas of learning that involve group projects and teamwork, critical thinking and problem-solving, as well as leadership roles in the teaching and learning process with their peers.

Things to Keep in Mind about Self-Assessment

  • Self-assessment is not self-grading. According to Brown and Knight, “Self-assessment involves the use of evaluative processes in which judgement is involved, where self-grading is the marking of one’s own work against a set of criteria and potential outcomes provided by a third person, usually the [instructor]” (1994, p. 52). Self-assessment can involve self-grading, but instructors of record retain the final authority to determine and assign grades.
  • To accurately and thoroughly self-assess, students require clear learning goals for the assignment in question, as well as rubrics that clarify different performance criteria and levels of achievement for each. These rubrics may be instructor-designed, or they may be fashioned through a collaborative dialogue with students. Rubrics need not include any grade assignation, but merely descriptive academic standards for different criteria.
  • Students may not have the expertise to assess themselves thoroughly, so it is helpful to build students’ capacities for self-evaluation, and it is important that they always be supplemented with faculty assessments.
  • Students may initially resist instructor attempts to involve themselves in the assessment process. This is usually due to insecurities or lack of confidence in their ability to objectively evaluate their own work, or possibly because of habituation to more passive roles in the learning process. Brown and Knight note, however, that when students are asked to evaluate their work, frequently student-determined outcomes are very similar to those of instructors, particularly when the criteria and expectations have been made explicit in advance (1994).
  • Methods of self-assessment vary widely and can be as unique as the instructor or the course. Common forms of self-assessment involve written or oral reflection on a student’s own work, including portfolio, logs, instructor-student interviews, learner diaries and dialog journals, post-test reflections, and the like.

Peer Assessment

Peer assessment is a type of collaborative learning technique where students evaluate the work of their peers and, in return, have their own work evaluated as well. This dimension of assessment is significantly grounded in theoretical approaches to active learning and adult learning . Like self-assessment, peer assessment gives learners ownership of learning and focuses on the process of learning as students are able to “share with one another the experiences that they have undertaken” (Brown and Knight, 1994, p. 52).  However, it also provides students with other models of performance (e.g., different styles or narrative forms of writing), as well as the opportunity to teach, which can enable greater preparation, reflection, and meta-cognitive organization.

Things to Keep in Mind about Peer Assessment

  • Similar to self-assessment, students benefit from clear and specific learning goals and rubrics. Again, these may be instructor-defined or determined through collaborative dialogue.
  • Also similar to self-assessment, it is important to not conflate peer assessment and peer grading, since grading authority is retained by the instructor of record.
  • While student peer assessments are most often fair and accurate, they sometimes can be subject to bias. In competitive educational contexts, for example when students are graded normatively (“on a curve”), students can be biased or potentially game their peer assessments, giving their fellow students unmerited low evaluations. Conversely, in more cooperative teaching environments or in cases when they are friends with their peers, students may provide overly favorable evaluations. Also, other biases associated with identity (e.g., race, gender, or class) and personality differences can shape student assessments in unfair ways. Therefore, it is important for instructors to encourage fairness, to establish processes based on clear evidence and identifiable criteria, and to provide instructor assessments as accompaniments or correctives to peer evaluations.
  • Students may not have the disciplinary expertise or assessment experience of the instructor, and therefore can issue unsophisticated judgments of their peers. Therefore, to avoid unfairness, inaccuracy, and limited comments, formative peer assessments may need to be supplemented with instructor feedback.

As Brown and Knight assert, utilizing multiple methods of assessment, including more than one assessor when possible, improves the reliability of the assessment data. It also ensures that students with diverse aptitudes and abilities can be assessed accurately and have equal opportunities to excel. However, a primary challenge to the multiple methods approach is how to weigh the scores produced by multiple methods of assessment. When particular methods produce higher range of marks than others, instructors can potentially misinterpret and mis-evaluate student learning. Ultimately, they caution that, when multiple methods produce different messages about the same student, instructors should be mindful that the methods are likely assessing different forms of achievement (Brown and Knight, 1994).

These are only a few of the many forms of assessment that one might use to evaluate and enhance student learning (see also ideas present in Brown and Knight, 1994). To this list of assessment forms and methods we may add many more that encourage students to produce anything from research papers to films, theatrical productions to travel logs, op-eds to photo essays, manifestos to short stories. The limits of what may be assigned as a form of assessment is as varied as the subjects and skills we seek to empower in our students. Vanderbilt’s Center for Teaching has an ever-expanding array of guides on creative models of assessment that are present below, so please visit them to learn more about other assessment innovations and subjects.

Whatever plan and method you use, assessment often begins with an intentional clarification of the values that drive it. While many in higher education may argue that values do not have a role in assessment, we contend that values (for example, rigor) always motivate and shape even the most objective of learning assessments. Therefore, as in other aspects of assessment planning, it is helpful to be intentional and critically reflective about what values animate your teaching and the learning assessments it requires. There are many values that may direct learning assessment, but common ones include rigor, generativity, practicability, co-creativity, and full participation (Bandy et al., 2018). What do these characteristics mean in practice?

Rigor. In the context of learning assessment, rigor means aligning our methods with the goals we have for students, principles of validity and reliability, ethics of fairness and doing no harm, critical examinations of the meaning we make from the results, and good faith efforts to improve teaching and learning. In short, rigor suggests understanding learning assessment as we would any other form of intentional, thoroughgoing, critical, and ethical inquiry.

Generativity. Learning assessments may be most effective when they create conditions for the emergence of new knowledge and practice, including student learning and skill development, as well as instructor pedagogy and teaching methods. Generativity opens up rather than closes down possibilities for discovery, reflection, growth, and transformation.

Practicability. Practicability recommends that learning assessment be grounded in the realities of the world as it is, fitting within the boundaries of both instructor’s and students’ time and labor. While this may, at times, advise a method of learning assessment that seems to conflict with the other values, we believe that assessment fails to be rigorous, generative, participatory, or co-creative if it is not feasible and manageable for instructors and students.

Full Participation. Assessments should be equally accessible to, and encouraging of, learning for all students, empowering all to thrive regardless of identity or background. This requires multiple and varied methods of assessment that are inclusive of diverse identities – racial, ethnic, national, linguistic, gendered, sexual, class, etcetera – and their varied perspectives, skills, and cultures of learning.

Co-creation. As alluded to above regarding self- and peer-assessment, co-creative approaches empower students to become subjects of, not just objects of, learning assessment. That is, learning assessments may be more effective and generative when assessment is done with, not just for or to, students. This is consistent with feminist, social, and community engagement pedagogies, in which values of co-creation encourage us to critically interrogate and break down hierarchies between knowledge producers (traditionally, instructors) and consumers (traditionally, students) (e.g., Saltmarsh, Hartley, & Clayton, 2009, p. 10; Weimer, 2013). In co-creative approaches, students’ involvement enhances the meaningfulness, engagement, motivation, and meta-cognitive reflection of assessments, yielding greater learning (Bass & Elmendorf, 2019). The principle of students being co-creators of their own education is what motivates the course design and professional development work Vanderbilt University’s Center for Teaching has organized around the Students as Producers theme.

Below is a list of other CFT teaching guides that supplement this one and may be of assistance as you consider all of the factors that shape your assessment plan.

  • Active Learning
  • An Introduction to Lecturing
  • Beyond the Essay: Making Student Thinking Visible in the Humanities
  • Bloom’s Taxonomy
  • Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)
  • Classroom Response Systems
  • How People Learn
  • Service-Learning and Community Engagement
  • Syllabus Construction
  • Teaching with Blogs
  • Test-Enhanced Learning
  • Assessing Student Learning (a five-part video series for the CFT’s Online Course Design Institute)

Angelo, Thomas A., and K. Patricia Cross. Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers . 2 nd edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1993. Print.

Bandy, Joe, Mary Price, Patti Clayton, Julia Metzker, Georgia Nigro, Sarah Stanlick, Stephani Etheridge Woodson, Anna Bartel, & Sylvia Gale. Democratically engaged assessment: Reimagining the purposes and practices of assessment in community engagement . Davis, CA: Imagining America, 2018. Web.

Bass, Randy and Heidi Elmendorf. 2019. “ Designing for Difficulty: Social Pedagogies as a Framework for Course Design .” Social Pedagogies: Teagle Foundation White Paper. Georgetown University, 2019. Web.

Brookfield, Stephen D. Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1995. Print

Brown, Sally, and Peter Knight. Assessing Learners in Higher Education . 1 edition. London ;Philadelphia: Routledge, 1998. Print.

Cameron, Jeanne et al. “Assessment as Critical Praxis: A Community College Experience.” Teaching Sociology 30.4 (2002): 414–429. JSTOR . Web.

Fink, L. Dee. Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses. Second Edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2013. Print.

Gibbs, Graham and Claire Simpson. “Conditions under which Assessment Supports Student Learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education 1 (2004): 3-31. Print.

Henderson, Euan S. “The Essay in Continuous Assessment.” Studies in Higher Education 5.2 (1980): 197–203. Taylor and Francis+NEJM . Web.

Gelmon, Sherril B., Barbara Holland, and Amy Spring. Assessing Service-Learning and Civic Engagement: Principles and Techniques. Second Edition . Stylus, 2018. Print.

Kuh, George. High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter , American Association of Colleges & Universities, 2008. Web.

Maki, Peggy L. “Developing an Assessment Plan to Learn about Student Learning.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 28.1 (2002): 8–13. ScienceDirect . Web. The Journal of Academic Librarianship. Print.

Sharkey, Stephen, and William S. Johnson. Assessing Undergraduate Learning in Sociology . ASA Teaching Resource Center, 1992. Print.

Walvoord, Barbara. Assessment Clear and Simple: A Practical Guide for Institutions, Departments, and General Education. Second Edition . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2010. Print.

Weimer, Maryellen. Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice. Second Edition . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2013. Print.

Wiggins, Grant, and Jay McTighe. Understanding By Design . 2nd Expanded edition. Alexandria,

VA: Assn. for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 2005. Print.

[1] For more on Wiggins and McTighe’s “Backward Design” model, see our teaching guide here .

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The MyStudyLife planner app supports rotation schedules, as well as traditional weekly schedules. MSL allows you to enter your school subjects, organize your workload, and enter information about your classes – all so you can effortlessly keep on track of your school calendar.

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” My Study Life is a calendar app designed specifically for students. As well as showing you your weekly timetable– with support for rotations – you can add exams, essay deadlines and reminders, and keep a list of all the tasks you need to complete. It also works on the web, so you can log in and check your schedule from any device.”

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16 Best Academic Planners for Students in 2023 (Paper and Online Options!)

Help them plan for success all year long.

College of academic planners for students, including Five Star Planner + Study App and MyStudyLife

One of the most important life skills we can teach kids is how to plan ahead and manage time well. Introducing them to academic planners at an early age can help them stay focused throughout their school years. This mix of paper planners and online apps offers lots of great options for kids, teens, and even college students.

(Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)

Paper Academic Planners for Students

Online planners for students.

Paper student planners are easy to use and offer kids a chance to add stickers, doodle, and otherwise personalize this important tool. Try these picks for elementary school through high school.

Global Datebooks Elementary Student Planner

Elementary student planner with room for daily subject planning and an accompanying ruler bookmark

This is the perfect pick for elementary kids, with space for planning each day subject-by-subject. The big perk is the section on how to use a planner effectively, which teaches kids to set goals and manage their time. They’ll also appreciate the helpful resource pages at the end.

Buy it: Global Datebooks Elementary Student Planner at Amazon

Bright Day Dino Train Daily To-Dos Planner

Daily planner for kids with a dinosaur theme, and pre-printed daily goals on each page

Student planners can help kids stay on track in all parts of their lives, including chores and daily tasks. This cute design includes some standard daily to-dos on every page, like brushing your teeth and making your bed. There’s also room for kids to add their own to-do items, plus make notes about what they’re grateful for and what they achieved that day. We love this one for encouraging a growth mindset in little ones.

Buy it: Bright Day Dino Train Daily To-Dos Planner at Amazon

National Geographic Weird-But-True Daily Planner

National Geographic Weird-But-True Daily Planner for kids

Academic planners only work if kids use them. The cool thing about this one is the chance to learn new and unique facts every single day. This will keep students coming back so they don’t miss the important reminders and other notes. One caveat: This planner has months and days, but not specific yearly dates. That means you can use it for any year but will need to make sure kids are marking the correct days of the week as they go.

Buy it: National Geographic Weird-But-True Daily Planner at Amazon

School Mate Middle School Planner

Spiral-bound academic planner reading Let Today Be the Start of Something Great

Middle school is a unique time, and this planner is a nice fit for this interesting age. It helps kids plan for each subject on a daily basis, along with monthly calendar pages in bright, engaging colors. There’s a nice selection of reference pages at the end, with fascinating STEAM-related facts scattered throughout the whole thing.

Buy it: School Mate Middle School Planner at Amazon

Five Star Student Planner + Study App

Page layout from Five Star academic planner, with a smartphone displaying the Five Star Study App

If you want the best of both worlds, check out this planner/app combo. The paper planner is perfect for middle or high school students, with room to plan out each day by class period. Then, students scan items into the Study App using the handwriting recognition feature, so they’ll have reminders on-the-go even if they leave their paper planner at home.

Buy it: Five Star Student Planner + Study App at Amazon

8-Period Student Planner

Pages from an 8-period academic planner for students

Cute and colorful academic student planners are a lot of fun, but sometimes it’s better to minimize distractions. This simple setup includes useful features like an assignment tracker, long-term study planner, at-a-glance pages, and more.

Buy it: 8-Period Student Planner at Amazon

Day Designer

Two-page spread from the Blue Sky Day Designer Academic Year Planner

Super-busy students will appreciate the ability to plan out each day down to the hour, so they’ll never miss a practice, club meeting, or family game night. Day Designer offers a huge array of cover designs, including the ability to customize your own. This would make a great personalized back-to-school gift for a high schooler or college freshman.

Buy it: Day Designer at Amazon

Youthamazing Student Planner

Marble print academic planner with sticker page

This well-designed planner includes weekly and monthly layouts, space for goal-setting, and even room for parents and teachers to add notes. Reference pages include the periodic table, parts of speech, measurement tables, and more. Plus, kids will love the stickers they can add throughout the year to mark special achievements.

Buy it: Youthamazing Student Planner at Amazon

Living My Best Life Academic Planner

2023-24 Academic Planner with a sports theme and text that reads Living My Best Life

Sports-loving kids will like this planner, which includes all the standard calendar and organizer pages inside. It’s got room for goals, projects, activities, important dates, and even grade records.

Buy it: Living My Best Life Academic Planner at Amazon

Academic Weekly & Monthly Planner

Basic black covered spiral-bound academic planner for 2023-24

When you just need something basic to keep students organized, this bargain choice fits the bill. It’s got pages for just about everything, with nothing extra to distract or waste space in an already-full backpack.

Buy it: Academic Weekly & Monthly Planner at Amazon

Middle and high schoolers do just about everything online today, so using a digital planner tool just makes sense. Here are some of the best free and paid online planners for students to try.

MyStudyLife

Laptop and smartphone screen displaying screenshots from MyStudyLife planner app

This popular online planner is available on any device, via apps or a website. Customize your calendar to match your own schedule, add items to a to-do list, and get reminders when you need them. This free planner has a lot to offer students, without distracting bells and whistles they don’t really need. (iOS, Android, web; free)

Learn more: MyStudyLife

Screenshot from myHomework online planner for students

This app’s free (ad-supported) version is pretty robust, with all the basic planning tools most students need. For a very minimal yearly fee, you can remove ads and receive access to premium features like the ability to share your schedule with others. (iOS, Android, Kindle, web; free, premium $4.99/year)

Learn more: myHomework

Today/Studyo

Screen shot of Studyo online academic planner app for students

Parents and kids looking for a free online planner will find the Today app very useful. It interfaces with Google Classroom and Google Calendar to automatically add assignments and activities. Parents and teachers can also access the planner to help kids stay on track. Schools who want to offer these benefits to all of their students, along with tools like analytics and insights, should explore Studyo, which works with all major LMS programs. (Web, iOS, or Android; Today app is free, Studyo is priced per student)

Learn more: Today/Studyo

Screen shot from ClickUp student planner app

ClickUp makes planning tools for a variety of audiences, and the free version of their app is ideal for students. The robust suite of features includes collaboration options so kids can coordinate group projects and other joint activities. You can upgrade to paid options (education discounts are available), but most students will find everything they need in the free version. (iOS, Android, web; free, with paid options available)

Learn more: ClickUp

Screen shot from Todoist planning app

This is the kind of planning app that works as well for adults as it does for teens. That makes it a nice fit for high school and college students, who can keep using it as they transition to adult working life. The free version will suit most students just fine, but if you need to upgrade, you can do it for a small monthly fee. (iOS, Android, web; free, with paid upgrades)

Learn more: Todoist

Screenshots of Calendly scheduling app on a laptop

While it’s not a full-fledged planner, Calendly is a good solution for situations where students and teachers need to schedule meeting times on a regular basis. It’s great for college students, or high schoolers working on group projects or coordinating clubs and activities. Try the free Basic version to see what you think, and consider upgrading if it works well for you. (iOS, Android, web; free, with paid options)

Learn more: Calendly for Education

Now that you’ve got your students squared away, check out the Best Teacher Planners, as Recommended by Educators .

Plus, get all the latest teaching and learning ideas, straight to your inbox, when you sign up for our free newsletters .

Help kids of any age stay organized with these smart paper academic planners and online planners for students, approved by teachers.

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Boundary and School Assignment Updates for the 2024-2025 School Year

Legacy Students: All 4th and 5th Graders

Over the past two years, Durham Public Schools has worked collaboratively with district leaders, community partners, DPS staff and our families to improve equity and access to schools and programs while managing growth within our community. As a result, our Board of Education adopted a revised school assignment policy to allow for regions of access and new elementary school boundaries.

All students will be reassigned to their new base school for the 2024-2025 school year.

We recognize that change can be challenging for families. However, we want to ensure that we are honoring our current students while preparing for growth. 

Please know that the 2023-2024 school year is a transition year. Elementary school assignments for the 2023-2024 school year are only for one year . Elementary school families who apply for application (magnet) schools for this application period and accept a lottery seat may have to reapply for the 2024-2025 school year and will receive priority for a comparable program in their region.

Following is updated boundary access information:

Legacy Students: All 4 th and 5 th Graders ​

Fourth (4 th ) and Fifth (5 th ) grade students will remain at their current school. Any siblings of 4 th and 5 th graders may request to stay at the current school until the legacy student’s promotion to 6 th grade.​ Transportation for 4 th and 5 th grade students (and siblings) will be provided.​

Legacy Application (Magnet) Students: Rising 1 st – 3 rd Grade

Students attending an application (magnet) school who do not reside in their current school’s updated boundary must reapply in the lottery to the comparable program for their region.  Students will be provided priority in the lottery.​ The lottery will be held in January 2024.

Legacy DLI Students: Rising 1 st –5 th Grade

Rising 1st-5th grade Dual Language Immersion (DLI) students at Bethesda, Lakewood, and Southwest who are no longer in the school boundary may request to stay in the DLI program at their current school through the School Transfer Process.​

Regional Opt-Out Options

Students whose base school is an International Baccalaureate, Montessori, or Year-Round will have an opt-out option to attend a traditional school in their region.

Montessori PreK Enrollment

All seats at Montessori PreK will be allotted through the lottery with priority for students who reside within the boundary.​

​In the 2024-2025 school year, all rising Kindergarten students who do not reside in the Montessori school boundary who wish to continue in the program must reapply through the lottery for Kindergarten with priority seating for those students who attended Montessori PreK.

Year-Round Options

All families are eligible for two Year-Round schools and may rank their choice in the lottery. Families may apply for the Year-Round option in their region and for WG Pearson Elementary.

Little River Middle School Students

The middle school program at Little River will be discontinued for the 2024-2025 school year. All middle school students at Little River will transition to their boundary school or enter the lottery for an application program for which they are eligible. The Office of Student Assignment will support parents through this transition and ensure parents are presented with all possible options.

Holt Elementary Calendar

Holt Elementary will transition to a Dual Language Immersion application school.  Holt will continue to follow the Year-Round calendar.  Students may apply to the DLI program at Holt through the lottery. Students who reside outside of the Holt boundary and who wish to attend Year-Round may apply to the Year-Round school within their region.

School Boundary Map : Click here to access the interactive map to view the new school boundaries. Enter your address and see your child’s base school and application program options. 

Enrollment Information : Click here to enroll your child in Durham Public Schools.

Additional information : For full background information on Growing Together, please visit ENGAGE.dpsnc.net.

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New Student Enrollment

Student Assignment Department 2465 Gillespie Street Fayetteville, NC 28306 Phone: 910-678-2616 Dr. Melody Chalmers McClain Associate Superintendent, Student Support Services Saundra McNeill Student Assignment Manager

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Cumberland County School Enrollment Procedures

All students who have passed the fifth anniversary of their birth on or before August 31 of the year in which they are presented for enrollment are entitled to attend school in the attendance area in which they are domiciled. All students under the age of 21 years who are domiciled in a school administrative unit who have not been removed from school for cause, or have not obtained a high school diploma are entitled to attend school in the attendance area in which they are domiciled.

New Enrollment Steps:

Step 1: Find your base school using the  "Find My School" tool on the Cumberland County Schools website: www.ccs.k12.nc.us .

Step 2: Enroll online ( Families who are unable to complete the online process should contact their base school’s data manager. A school representative will contact you by telephone to assist with completing the enrollment process). 

  1. Kindergarten Enrollment

2. 1st - 12th grade Enrollment

*Links to online enrollment can be found on the CCS webpage: www.ccs.k12.nc.us

Step 3: Finalize enrollment with attendance district school.

Once you’ve completed the form online, please wait for information from your child's district attendance school regarding the completion of the enrollment process. It may take 24-72 business hours to finalize this process.  To expedite your student’s enrollment, upload the documents listed below.  These documents are REQUIRED in order for your child to be enrolled in school.

Kindergarten :

*Current proof of residency in the attendance area of enrolling s chool

    -Current Utility Bill (electric/gas/water) – no more than 30 days old

    -Mortgage/Lease Agreement – no more than 60 days old

       If renting from a Rental Agent, the lease must be on letterhead

       If renting from an individual, the lease must be notarized with contact information of person renting property

       If living with an individual, the individual with whom you are residing must provide the proof of residency listed above and complete the CCS Residency Affidavit .

Additionally, parent/court-appointed custodian must provide proof of residency in their name at the address provided.

CCS school staff have the right to ask for a second form of “proof of residency”

*Proof of Vacating Previous Address (If moving within Cumberland County or a bordering NC county)

*Proof of sale OR utility disconnect OR written verification from property manager 

*Certified birth certificate

*Parent/guardian photo identification

* Record of Immunizations   This documentation must be submitted no later than 30 days after the first day of attendance.

* NC Health Assessment A health assessment is required for students who have never attended a North Carolina public school. This document must be submitted no later that 30 days after the first day of attendance.

*Custody paperwork (if applicable)

1st – 12th grades:

*Current proof of residency in attendance area of enrolling school 

*Mortgage/Lease Agreement – no more than 60 days old

      If renting from a Rental Agent, the lease must be on letterhead

      If renting from an individual, the lease must be notarized with contact information of person renting property

      If living with an individual, the individual with whom you are residing must provide the proof of residency listed above and complete the CCS Residency Affidavit .

1st - 5th grade - CCS school staff have the right to ask for a second form of “proof of residency”

        -Proof of sale OR utility disconnect OR written verification from property manager

* NC Health Assessment  A health assessment is required for students who have never attended a North Carolina public school. This document must be submitted no later than 30 days after the first day of attendance.

* Record of Immunizations   This documentation must be submitted no later than 30 days after the first day of attendance

*Last report card, withdrawal documentation (1st - 8th grade) OR Official Transcripts (9th - 12th)

*Any custody documents

**Parents/Guardians enrolling 6th - 12th-grade students MUST PROVIDE TWO proofs of residency

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AI tutors are quietly changing how kids in the US study, and the leading apps are from China

student assignment

Evan, a high school sophomore from Houston, was stuck on a calculus problem. He pulled up Answer AI on his iPhone, snapped a photo of the problem from his Advanced Placement math textbook, and ran it through the homework app. Within a few seconds, Answer AI had generated an answer alongside a step-by-step process of solving the problem.

A year ago, Evan would be scouring long YouTube videos in hopes of tackling his homework challenges. He also had a private tutor, who cost $60 per hour. Now the arrival of AI bots is posing a threat to long-established tutoring franchises such as Kumon, the 66-year-old Japanese giant that has 1,500 locations and nearly 290,000 students across the U.S .

“The tutor’s hourly cost is about the same as Answer AI’s whole year of subscription,” Evan told me. “So I stopped doing a lot of [in-person] tutoring.”

Answer AI is among a handful of popular apps that are leveraging the advent of ChatGPT and other large language models to help students with everything from writing history papers to solving physics problems. Of the top 20 education apps in the U.S. App Store, five are AI agents that help students with their school assignments, including Answer AI, according to data from Data.ai on May 21.

There is a perennial debate on the role AI should play in education. The advantages of AI tutors are obvious: They make access to after-school tutoring much more equitable. The $60-per-hour tutoring in Houston is already much more affordable than services in more affluent and academically cutthroat regions, like the Bay Area, which can be three times as expensive, Answer AI’s founder Ric Zhou told me.

Zhou, a serial entrepreneur, also suggested that AI enables more personalized teaching, which is hard to come by in a classroom of 20 students. Chatbot teachers, which can remember a student’s learning habits and never get grumpy about answering questions, can replace the private coaches that rich families hire. Myhanh, a high school junior based in Houston, said her math grades have improved from 85 to 95 within six months since using generative AI to study.

For now, AI tutors are mostly constrained to text-based interactions, but very soon, they will literally be able to speak to students in ways that optimize for each student’s learning style, whether that means a more empathetic, humorous, or creative style. OpenAI’s GPT-4o already demonstrated that an AI assistant that can generate voice responses in a range of emotive styles is within reach.

When AI doesn’t help you learn

The vision of equitable, AI-powered learning isn’t fully realized yet. Like other apps that forward API calls to LLMs, AI tutors suffer from hallucinations and can spit out wrong answers. Answer AI tries to improve its accuracy through retrieval augmented generation (RAG), a method that fine-tunes an LLM with certain domain knowledge — in this case, a sea of problem sets. But it’s still making more mistakes than the last-generation homework apps that match user queries with an existing library of practice problems, as these apps don’t try to answer questions they don’t already know.

Some students are aware of AI’s limitations. Evan often cross-checks results from Answer AI with ChatGPT, while Myhanh uses Answer AI in an after-school study group to bounce ideas off her peers. But Evan and Myhanh are the types of self-driven students who are more likely to use AI as a learning aid, while some of their peers may handily delegate AI to do their homework without learning anything.

Answer AI

For now, educators aren’t sure what to do with AI. Several public school districts in the U.S. have banned access to ChatGPT on school devices, but enforcing a ban on generative AI outright becomes challenging as soon as students leave school premises.

The reality is, it’s impossible for teachers and parents to prevent kids from using AI to study. It’s hard to discern whether a student has learned to solve a math problem by heart based on the answer they write, and detecting when essays have been written with AI is (so far) heavily flawed , too. So it may be more effective to educate kids on the role of AI as an imperfect assistant that sometimes makes mistakes rather than prohibit it completely.

Chinese dominance

As of May, the two most popular AI helpers in the U.S. are both Chinese owned. One-year-old Question AI is the brainchild of the founders of Zuoyebang, a popular Chinese homework app that has raised around $3 billion in equity over the past decade. Gauth, on the other hand, was launched by TikTok parent ByteDance in 2019 . Since its inception, Question AI has been downloaded 6 million times across Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store in the U.S., whereas its rival Gauth has amassed twice as many installs since its launch, according to data provided by market research firm Sensor Tower. (Both are published in the U.S. by Singaporean entities, a common tactic as Chinese tech receives growing scrutiny from the West .)

student assignment

The success of Chinese homework apps is a result of their concerted effort to target the American market in recent years. In 2021, China imposed rules to clamp down on its burgeoning private tutoring sector focused on the country’s public school curriculum. Many service providers, including brick-and-mortar tutoring centers and online study apps, have since pivoted to overseas users. The U.S. is unsurprisingly their most coveted international market due to its sheer size.

The fact that tutoring apps are likely to be using similar foundational AI technologies has leveled the playing field for foreign players, which can overcome language and cultural barriers by summoning AI to study user behavior. As Eugene Wei wrote in his canonical analysis of TikTok’s global success,”[A] machine learning algorithm significantly responsive and accurate can pierce the veil of cultural ignorance.”

The reliance on the same group of LLMs also makes it hard for these study apps to differentiate solely on the quality of their answers. Some of the legacy players, like Zuoyebang and Photomath, can use a combination of generative AI and search in their extensive libraries of problem sets to improve accuracy. Newcomers will need to find alternative ways to set themselves apart, like enhancing user personalization features.

“An AI agent needs to proactively engage with students and tailor its answers to individual learning needs,” said Zhou. “A raw language model isn’t a ready-to-use AI agent, so we try to differentiate by fine-tuning our AI to teach more effectively. For example, our AI bot would invite students to ask follow-up questions after presenting an answer, encouraging deeper learning rather than just letting them copy the result.”

Updated to correct text that stated AI can be used to detect essays written using AI: It cannot.

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Free All-in-One Office Suite with PDF Editor

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How to Combine PDF Files for Students

As a student, managing PDF files is integral to academic life. From compiling research materials to submitting assignments, the need to merge multiple PDFs into a single document is frequent. This article delves into the process of combining PDF files effortlessly, empowering students with the tools and knowledge needed for efficient document management.

When Do We Combine PDF files? 

Students often merge PDF files when submitting application materials. Here are some common scenarios:

Combining application materials: Students need to combine several PDFs into one to submit application materials for a bachelor’s/master’s/doctoral degree program. This could include transcripts, recommendation letters, essays, and other supporting documents.

Creating a portfolio: Students may need to merge different types of files, such as research papers, presentations, and certificates, into a single PDF portfolio to showcase their skills and experience to potential employers or graduate schools.

Submitting assignments: In some cases, professors may require students to submit multiple files, such as essays, worksheets, and data analysis results, as a single PDF document. This can make it easier for the instructor to review and grade the assignment.

How to Combine PDF Files Using WPS PDF Tools?

When it comes to merging PDF files efficiently, WPS PDF Tools offers a user-friendly solution tailored to students' needs. With its intuitive interface and seamless functionality, combining multiple PDFs into a single document has never been easier. Follow this step-by-step guide to harness the power of WPS PDF Tools and streamline your document management process effortlessly.

Online Method:

Step 1: Open the WPS PDF website: https://pdf.wps.com/

Step 2: Click on the "Merge PDF" tool.

Step 3: Click on the "Select PDF File" button and select the PDF files you want to merge.

Step 4: Click on the "Merge" button.

Step 5: Download the merged PDF file.

Offline Method:

Step 1: Download and install the WPS Office Suite on your computer.

Step 2: Open the WPS Office and click on the "PDF" tab.

Step 3 : Click on the "Combine PDF" option.

Step 4: Select the PDF files you want to merge.

Step 5: Click on the "Merge" button.

Step 6: Save the merged PDF file.

Additional Tips:

You can also use WPS PDF Tools to extract pages from a PDF file, rotate pages, and add or remove watermarks.

WPS PDF Tools is a free online tool that does not require registration.

WPS PDF Tools is compatible with all major web browsers.

Bonus Tips: Use AI PDF Tools to Improve Learning Efficiency

Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI), WPS PDF Tools offers advanced features to enhance learning efficiency. By utilizing AI technology, students can analyze PDF documents and extract key information effortlessly. Here's how to leverage WPS AI to analyze PDF files:

Access WPS AI PDF Tools: Visit the designated section on the WPS website or within the WPS Office application to access the AI PDF Tools feature.

Upload PDF File: Select the PDF document you want to analyze by clicking on the "Upload" button. You can either drag and drop the file or browse your computer to locate it.

Initiate Analysis: Once the file is uploaded, click on the "Analyze" or "Extract" button to initiate the AI-powered analysis process. WPS AI will scan the document and identify key keywords and content.

Review Results: After the analysis is complete, review the generated report to access the extracted keywords and content. WPS AI provides a comprehensive overview of the document's key points, facilitating efficient learning and research.

Download Report: If desired, download the generated report for future reference or further analysis. The report can be saved in various formats for easy access and sharing.

With WPS AI PDF Tools, students can elevate their study routine by quickly extracting key insights, ultimately enhancing their overall learning efficiency and comprehension.

Why Is WPS Office the Best PDF Combiner?

WPS Office is a versatile and user-friendly office suite that includes a powerful PDF toolkit. This toolkit offers a range of features, including the ability to merge multiple PDF files into one.

Here's why WPS Office stands out as a top choice for PDF merging:

Batch Merging: Unlike many other tools, WPS PDF Merger allows you to combine numerous PDFs simultaneously, saving you valuable time and effort.

No Payment or Installation Required: You can access and use the WPS PDF Merger online without any charges or downloads, making it convenient and accessible.

Merge PDF Files Anytime, Anywhere: As long as you have an internet connection, you can merge PDFs from any device, whether it's a computer, tablet, or smartphone.

User-friendly Interface: The WPS PDF Merger features a simple and intuitive interface, making it easy for users of all skill levels to navigate and utilize its functions.

Highlight Function: WPS PDF Tools also offers a highlight function, allowing you to mark important sections within your merged document, making it easier to review and reference later.

Whether you're a student compiling assignments, a professional preparing reports, or anyone needing to consolidate multiple PDFs, WPS Office provides a seamless and efficient solution.

Use Word, Excel, and PPT for FREE, No Ads.

Edit PDF files with the powerful PDF toolkit.

Microsoft-like interface. Easy to learn. 100% Compatibility.

Boost your productivity with WPS's abundant free Word, Excel, PPT, and CV templates.

FAQs about Combining PDF   

Q1. will the quality of my pdfs be compromised when i merge them .

No, the quality of your PDFs will not be compromised when merging them using WPS PDF Tools. The merging process simply combines the content of multiple PDF files into a single document without altering the original quality of the individual files.

Q2. What are the benefits of combining PDF files? 

Combining PDF files offers several benefits:

Organization:  Merging related files into one document makes it easier to manage and share information.

Convenience:  A single PDF file is more convenient to send and receive than multiple files.

Professionalism:  Presenting information in a single, consolidated document appears more polished and professional.

Efficiency:  Combining files can save time and streamline workflows, especially when dealing with large volumes of documents.

Q3. How long does it take to merge PDF files?

The time it takes to merge PDF files depends on several factors, including the number of files being merged, their size, and the speed of your internet connection. However, with WPS PDF Tools, the merging process is generally very fast, often taking only a few seconds for smaller files and a few minutes for larger ones.

Q4. Is it possible to merge password-protected PDF files using WPS PDF Tools?

Yes, WPS PDF Tools can merge password-protected PDF files. However, you will need to enter the password for each protected file before it can be merged. This ensures the security of your confidential documents while still allowing you to combine them into a single, easily manageable file.

In this comprehensive guide, students learn the intricacies of merging PDF files efficiently, with a notable emphasis on leveraging WPS Office's powerful PDF Tools. From understanding when to merge PDFs to utilizing AI technology for enhanced learning, the article provides invaluable insights tailored to students' needs. WPS Office emerges as the ultimate solution, offering batch merging capabilities, hassle-free usage without installation, and seamless accessibility across multiple platforms. By choosing WPS Office, students can streamline their document management processes and elevate their study experience to new heights.

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Writing and Speaking Initiative (WSI) Fellows

The Writing and Speaking Fellows Program pairs experienced fellows — undergraduates trained to consult on specific disciplinary writing and speaking assignments — with courses across the disciplines. Fellows provide individual (and sometimes small-group) consultations to support writing or presentation assignments.

Duties and responsibilities

As a Writing and Speaking Fellow, you will be responsible for the following:

  • Training: Completing a six-week training sequence at the beginning of the semester that will prepare you to confidently and comfortably conduct consultations and provide multiple forms of feedback (~six hours per week).
  • Writing and speaking support: Meet with students in the selected course for two rounds of 45-minute consultations (~five to seven hours per week).
  • This role qualifies as an honors co-curricular experience and you’ll receive two co-curricular credits through the Honors College for your service!
  • You will build vital interpersonal and leadership skills by engaging in professional contexts.
  • You will gain excellent experience with networking and professionalizing by working directly with faculty in your discipline.
  • You will gain practical and hands-on experience working in educational and academic support contexts.

We’re looking for a student who:

  • Is currently enrolled as a student at the University of Nevada, Reno and has been a student in the Honors College for at least one semester
  • Has an interest in working with peers in educational support contexts
  • Has strong interpersonal skills
  • Wants to hone their writing and speaking skills in their discipline

How to apply

  • Click the application button below.
  • You will be asked to log in with your NetID and password.
  • Provide information for one academic reference (name, email, job title).
  • Talk about a time you worked with someone with different values than you and the difference that created. How did you work across that difference?
  • How would being a WSI fellow benefit your academic and professional goals?
  • Talk about a time when you received effective feedback on an academic assignment. What did that feedback look like? What was the focus of the feedback?
  • Finally, in one Word document, provide one academic writing sample (max 5 pages) and a one-page reflection on why you selected that piece of writing.

WSI Fellows online application form

Additional information:

  • This is a non-paid position with an expected commitment of one semester. University of Nevada, Reno Honors College students will be eligible for two co-curricular credits upon successful completion and verification of the required number of hours for a co-curricular experience.
  • Students who participate in the Writing and Speaking Fellows co-curricular experience will be eligible to work as paid Writing and Speaking Center consultants following the completion of the co-curricular experience.

'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?

ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing.

When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.

ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form .

The best tablets for students: Expert tested

allison-murray

These days, students need more than notebooks, folders, and binders for school. Tablets are becoming increasingly common in the classroom, giving students a portable way to access the internet, store textbooks and documents, take notes during class, and more. They are also significantly cheaper than laptops, and some allow you to attach keyboards or use stylus pens  for more precise typing and handwriting.

No matter what you're studying, we rounded up the best tablets for students based on our own hands-on testing. 

Also: The best iPads for college students

What is the best tablet for students right now?

Our pick for the best tablet for students overall is the 10th-generation iPad thanks to its affordable price and versatility of use. We also included other tablets from Samsung, Microsoft, and more for all your school needs. 

The best tablets for students in 2024

Apple ipad (10th generation), best tablet for students overall.

  • Modernized design with a USB-C port
  • Similar design to iPad Air and iPad Pro
  • Doesn't support 2nd-gen Apple Pencil

This base-model iPad is the best option for most students, and Apple recently reduced the price to a more affordable $349. It offers almost the same high-end features as the more expensive iPad Pro and iPad Air models, but with a lighter form factor and a crisp 10.9-inch Liquid Retina, True Tone display.

Review:  iPad 2022 (10th Gen)

In his hands-on testing, ZDNET editor June Wan determined that if you're shopping on a budget (as most students are), this iPad should "make the most sense," especially given the A14 Bionic processor, USB-C support, 5G support for on-the-go tasks, and a new 12MP ultra-wide camera.

There's also a  Magic Keyboard Folio  made specifically for this iPad. It's perfect for turning your tablet into a laptop for studying or essay writing. It includes an adjustable kickstand with a 14-key function row for shortcuts. 

However, one callout to note that some verified customers make is that this iPad doesn't support the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil, which means you'll have to use a dongle to use it. However, students can still use the 1st-gen Apple Pencil or any other compatible iPad stylus.

Apple iPad specs: Display : 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone |  Processor : A14 Bionic chip with 16-core Neural Engine |  Storage : 64GB or 256GB |  Memory: Colors : Silver, Pink, Blue, Yellow  |  Cameras : 12MP f/1.8 wide, 12MP Landscape f/2.4 front |  Weight : 1.05 pounds |  Dimensions : 9.79 x 7.07 x .28 inches |  Connections : USB-C, Smart Connector | 

Wacom One 13 Touch

Best tablet for art students.

  • Multi-touch gestures make it intuitive to use
  • Smooth paper-like screen
  • Pen never runs out of battery
  • Still need to use an external device

The Wacom One 13 Touch is one of the best drawing tablets for digital art or graphic design students. What stands out in this drawing tablet is its touchscreen: the 920 x 1080 Full HD resolution display allows for 10-finger multi-touch gestures, giving art students a new dimension of intuitive use and interaction. You can use several gestures like scrolling, panning, and zooming during the creative process while you're drawing in a program, or you can turn it off altogether if you'd prefer. 

I went hands-on with this drawing tablet and was impressed by the pen-to-paper feel, like the Wacom Intuos Pro. The pen is also impressive and has excellent palm rejection technology. Plus, Wacom says you never have to charge it.

Review:  Wacom One 13 Touch

I could see students who prefer a screen display but still want to use programs like Adobe or Corel Painter finding the Wacom One 13 Touch more valuable than a regular tablet like the iPad. 

One verified customer called it a "great tool to learn digital art" and "upgrade the illustration game to digital."

Wacom One 13 Touch specs: Dimensions (L x W x H):  ‎13.2 x 8.7 x 0.1 inches |  Active area:  ‎11.6 x 6.5 inches |  Compatibility:  Windows 10 and over, Mac OS 11 and over, Chrome OS, Android 8 and over |  Pressure levels:  4,096

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+

Best android tablet for students.

  • Large screen
  • Samsung DeX compatibility for multi-tasking
  • Comes with S Pen
  • May experience outstretched apps and the occasional slow-down

Samsung's lineup of FE tablets is lower priced than the premium tablets but still impressive options. The larger Tab S9 FE+ is available for $600 and offers a lot in a sleek package, including Android 13 right out of the box. This high-powered tablet comes with an S Pen and even an IP68 dust/water resistant rating to make it a durable choice for students.

It has an 8,000mAh battery, 6 or 8 GB of RAM, 128 or 256 GB of included storage, and support for a microSD card up to 1TB, so no matter how many documents you save for your classes, you'll never run out of space. In addition, video calling for virtual classes is well supported by a front 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a rear 8MP camera is well supported by a front 12MP ultra-wide camera and a rear 8MP camera to help you capture documents. 

Review:   Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+

ZDNET contributing writer Max Buondonno tested the Tab S9 FE+ and was impressed with its large screen, battery life, and "an array of multitasking features like split-screen, multi-window, and even DeX, which gives you a desktop-like interface for getting work done."

Overall, 98% of Best Buy customers would recommend this tablet, giving it an average rating of 4.8 out of 5.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ tech specs: Display:  12.4-inch |  Processor: Exynos 1380 (S5E8835) |  Storage: 128GB or 256GB  | Memory: 6GB, 8GB, or 12GB | Colors: Gray, lavender, mint | Cameras: 12MP ultra-wide camera, rear 8MP camera | Weight: 1.38lb | Dimensions:  11.24 x 7.30 x 0.26 inches | Connections: USB-C 2.0 | Battery life:  10,090 mAh

Apple iPad Mini (6th generation)

Best portable tablet for students.

  • Battery life is impressive
  • Sleek design
  • Small size makes it east to fit in a backpack
  • Not compatible with Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard Folio
  • No UltraWide camera

Apple's iPad Mini is a powerful tablet packed in a small package. The iPad Mini was last updated in the fall of 2021 with new features like support for the 2nd gen Apple Pencil, a slightly bigger screen size, and a USB-C port for charging and data transfer.

Review:  Apple iPad Mini (6th Gen)

The right side of the tablet has a spot to charge the Apple Pencil, making it a great tablet for drawing or writing class notes. Plus, its size and weight (a little over half a pound) make it portable, so you can bring it wherever you need it around a school campus.

ZDNET editor-in-chief Jason Hiner went hands-on with this iPad and lauded its portability. "The portability of the iPad Mini and its support for the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil make note-taking a popular use case," Hiner wrote, adding, "It's better for reading ebooks, PDFs, documents, news apps, and other digital content."

One Reddit user noted that the iPad Mini is an excellent addition to your laptop for better multi-tasking flow.

iPad Mini tech specs: Display : 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display |  Processor : A15 Bionic |  Storage : 64GB or 256GB |  Colors : Space gray, pink, purple, starlight |  Cameras : 8MP rear, 1080p video. 12MP FaceTime camera with Center Stage |  Weight : 0.65 pounds |  Dimensions : 7.69 x 5.3 x 0.25 inches |  Connections : USB-C |  Battery life:  10 hours

Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Best 2-in-1 tablet for students.

  • 12th Gen Intel processors speed through daily tasks
  • Runs on Windows 11
  • Accessories sold separately
  • Limited Ports

Microsoft's lineup of Surface Pro devices are some of the best 2-in-1 tablets on the market today, and the Surface Pro 9 is one such example of a powerful tablet that can quickly become a laptop replacement.

With the Surface Pro 9, you're getting a tablet that runs Windows 11 out of the box instead of a mobile operating system like Android or iPadOS. That means you don't have to worry about finding apps or workarounds for your workflows and can access programs like Word and Outlook with ease.

Review:  Microsoft Surface Pro 9

Wan also went hands-on with the Surface Pro 9 and praised the Signature Keyboard and Slim Pen 2, calling them "some of the best OEM accessories that I've tested." "I love how responsive and tactile the low-travel keys are, how the keypad -- while not as large as competing ultraportables—is just as clicky on the bottom left corner as it is on the upper right, and how everything just snaps into place without needing to jump through further connectivity hoops."

However, you'll need to buy a Surface Pro Signature Keyboard and Slim Pen 2 separately, which will cost an additional $280. Even so, verified customers love this keyboard combo, especially the ergonomic design and responsiveness.

Microsoft Surface Pro 9 tech specs: Display : 13-inch PixelSense Flow Display |  Processor : 12th Gen Intel Core i5/i7 or Microsoft SQ3 |  Storage : 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |  Memory:  8GB, 16GB, 32GB |  Colors : Sapphire, platinum, forest, graphite |  Cameras : Rear: 10MP autofocus camera with up to 4K video Front: 1080p full HD video |  Weight : 1.95 pounds |  Dimensions : 11.3 x 8.2 x 0.37 inches |  Connections : 2x USB-C (4.0 on Intel model, 3.2 on 5G), Surface Connect and Keyboard ports, nano SIM on 5G model |  Battery life:  Up to 15.5 hours of typical usage

What is the best tablet for students?

The best tablet for most students Is the 10th-generation iPad, thanks to its versatility and compatibility. Plus, it's affordable for an Apple tablet at just $349. 

Which tablet for students is right for you?

The right tablet for you will depend on your characteristics as a student. Consider how you study and take notes, whether you need something for typing or drawing, and whether you're looking for a laptop replacement. 

Factors to consider when choosing a tablet for students

Before investing in a tablet for a student, here's what to consider: 

  • Storage: Be sure to consider the amount of storage that comes with your chosen tablets. Students generally deal with a lot of files, but storage is not typically such a concern if this is a device supplementary to your computer or laptop. 
  • Compatibility: Consider a tablet's compatibility with programs and software you use the most, as well as if you can utilize accessories like keyboards or stylus pens.
  • Size: Your preferred tablet size may vary depending on what you're using your tablet for. Smaller tablets are great for reading and are portable enough to take in your backpack, while larger tablets are easier to sketch and draw on and have a more extensive workspace area for multitasking.
  • Cost: Like most tech, tablets can be expensive. However, look for brands or retailers that offer student discounts so you can save on your device. 

How we test tablets

When choosing the best tablets for students, ZDNET editors considered our own experiences testing and using these tablets. We do extensive hands-on testing of tablets, including their ease of use for work and entertainment, and pay attention to specs like display, battery life, and overall experience while using a tablet.

For products we recommend, we write a product spotlight review that we update periodically with new features and pricing information.

Should I get a tablet or a laptop for school?

It really depends on what kind of student you are and how you study and work. For example, if you are the type of student who needs a tablet to store your textbooks, browse the web, or take notes, a tablet is a great option. However, if you need to access different programs at once for multitasking, a laptop may suit your needs better. 

Can I get a student discount on a tablet?

Many brands offer student discounts. Here are some notable ones:

  • Apple offers several  student discount options  when you purchase an iPad with a verified college email address. Students can get anywhere from $50 to $100 off popular iPad models. 
  • Students can save up to 30% on eligible devices by registering and verifying their student status.
  • At Lenovo, college students get an extra 5% off, and parents and students in grades K-12 can also receive money off devices and accessories.
  • Students can score a 10% discount on select tech from Microsoft . 

Other tablets for students we've tested:

ZDNET has tested plenty of other worthy tablets that would be a great learning tool for students. Here are some of our other favorites. 

ZDNET Recommends

The best cheap tablets for under $400: expert tested, the best tablets you can buy: expert tested, the best kids' tablets, according to parents.

student assignment

8 Ways to Create AI-Proof Writing Prompts

C reating 100 percent AI-proof writing prompts can often be impossible but that doesn’t mean there aren’t strategies that can limit the efficacy of AI work. These techniques can also help ensure more of the writing submitted in your classroom is human-generated. 

I started seeing a big uptick in AI-generated work submitted in my classes over the last year and that has continued. As a result, I’ve gotten much better at recognizing AI work , but I’ve also gotten better at creating writing prompts that are less AI-friendly. 

Essentially, I like to use the public health Swiss cheese analogy when thinking about AI prevention: All these strategies on their own have holes but when you layer the cheese together, you create a barrier that’s hard to get through. 

The eight strategies here may not prevent students from submitting AI work, but I find these can incentivize human writing and make sure that any work submitted via AI will not really meet the requirements of the assignment. 

1. Writing AI-Proof Prompts: Put Your Prompt Into Popular AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and Bard 

Putting your writing prompt into an AI tools will give you an immediate idea of how most AI tools will handle your prompt. If the various AI chatbots do a good, or at least adequate, job immediately, it might be wise to tweak the prompt. 

One of my classes asks students to write about a prized possession. When you put this prompt into an AI chatbot, it frequently returns an essay about a family member's finely crafted watch. Obviously, I now watch out for any essays about watches. 

2. Forbid Cliché Use

Probably the quickest and easiest way to cut back on some AI use is to come down hard on cliché use in writing assignments. AI tools are essentially cliché machines, so banning these can prevent a lot of AI use. 

Equally as important, this practice will help your students become better writers. As any good writer knows, clichés should be avoided like the plague. 

3. Incorporate Recent Events

The free version of ChatGPT only has access to events up to 2022. While there are plugins to allow it to search the internet and other internet-capable AI tools, some students won’t get further than ChatGPT. 

More importantly, in my experience, all AI tools struggle to incorporate recent events as effectively as historic ones. So connecting class material and assignments to events such as a recent State of Union speech or the Academy Awards will make any AI writing use less effective. 

4. Require Quotes

AI tools can incorporate direct quotations but most are not very good at doing so. The quotes used tend to be very short and not as well-placed within essays. 

Asking an AI tool for recent quotes also can be particularly problematic for today’s robot writers. For instance, I asked Microsoft's Copilot to summarize the recent Academy Awards using quotes, and specifically asked it to quote from Oppenheimer's director Christopher Nolan’s acceptance speech. It quoted something Nolan had previously said instead. Copilot also quoted from Wes Anderson’s acceptance speech, an obvious error since Anderson wasn’t at the awards .  

5. Make Assignments Personal

Having students reflect on material in their own lives can be a good way to prevent AI writing. In-person teachers can get to know their students well enough to know when these types of personal details are fabricated. 

I teach online but still find it easier to tell when a more personalized prompt was written by AI. For example, one student submitted a paper about how much she loved skateboarding that was so non-specific it screamed AI written. Another submitted a post about a pair of sneakers that was also clearly written by a "sole-less" AI (I could tell because of the clichés and other reasons). 

6. Make Primary or Scholarly Sources Mandatory

Requiring sources that are not easily accessible on the internet can stop AI writing in its tracks. I like to have students find historic newspapers for certain assignments. The AI tools I am familiar with can’t incorporate these. 

For instance, I asked Copilot to compare coverage of the first Academy Awards in the media to the most recent awards show and to include quotes from historic newspaper coverage. The comparison was not well done and there were no quotes from historical newspaper coverage. 

AI tools also struggle to incorporate journal articles. Encouraging your students to include these types of sources ensures the work they produce is deeper than something that can be revealed by a quick Google search, which not only makes it harder for AI to write but also can raise the overall quality.  

7. Require Interviews, Field Trips, Etc. 

Building on primary and scholarly sources, you can have your students conduct interviews or go on field trips to historic sites, museums, etc. 

AI is still, thankfully, incapable of engaging in these types of behavior. This requires too much work for every assignment but it is the most effective way to truly ensure your work is human- not computer-written. 

If you’re still worried about AI use, you can even go a step further by asking your students to include photos of them with their interview subjects or from the field trips. Yes, AI art generators are getting better as well, but remember the Swiss cheese analogy? Every layer of prevention can help. 

8. Have Students Write During Class

As I said to start, none of the methods discussed are foolproof. Many ways around these safeguards already exist and there will be more ways to bypass these in the future. So if you’re really, really worried about AI use you may want to choose what I call the “nuclear option.” If you teach in person you can require students to write essays in person. 

This approach definitely works for preventing AI and is okay for short pieces, but for longer pieces, it has a lot of downsides. I would have trouble writing a long piece in this setting and imagine many students will as well. Additionally, this requirement could create an accusatory class atmosphere that is more focused on preventing AI use than actually teaching. It’s also not practical for online teaching. 

That all being said, given how common AI writing has become in education, I understand why some teachers will turn to this method. Hopefully, suggestions 1-7 will work but if AI-generated papers are still out of hand in your classroom, this is a blunt-force method that can work temporarily. 

Good luck and may your assignments be free of AI writing! 

  • 7 Ways To Detect AI Writing Without Technology
  • Best Free AI Detection Sites
  • My Student Was Submitting AI Papers. Here's What I Did

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  • Create assignments

Create an assignment

This article is for teachers.

When you create an assignment, you can post it immediately, save a draft or schedule it to post at a later date. After students have completed and handed in their work, you can mark and return it to the students.

Open all | Close all

Create and post assignments

When you create an assignment, you can:

  • Select one or more classes

Select individual students

Add a mark category, add a marking period, change the point value, add a due date or time, add a topic, add attachments, add a rubric.

  • Turn on originality reports

Go to classroom.google.com  and click Sign in.

Sign in with your Google Account. For example,  [email protected] or [email protected] .  Learn more .

and then

  • Enter the title and any instructions.

You can continue to edit and customise your assignment. Otherwise, if you're ready, see below to post, schedule or save your assignment .

Select additional classes

Assignments to multiple classes go to all of the students in those classes.

  • Create an assignment (details above).

Down arrow

Unless you're selecting multiple classes, you can select individual students. You can't select more than 100 students at a time.

  • Click a student's name to select them.

Use mark categories to organise assignments. With mark categories, you and your students can see the category an assignment belongs to, such as Homework or Essays . Teachers also see the categories on the Marks page.

For more information on mark categories, go to Add a mark category to posts or Set up marking .

To organise assignments and marks into your school or district's marking structure, create marking periods, such as quarters or terms.

  • From the menu, select a marking period.

Tip: Before adding a marking period to an assignment, create a marking period for the class first. Learn how to create or edit marking periods .

You can change the point value of an assignment or make the assignment unmarked. By default, assignments are set at 100 points.

  • Under Points , click the value.
  • Enter a new point value or select Unmarked .

By default, an assignment has no due date. To set a due date:

student assignment

  • Click a date on the calendar.
  • To create a topic, click Create topic and enter a topic name.
  • Click a topic in the list to select it.

Note : You can only add one topic to an assignment.

Learn more about how to add topics to the Classwork page .

  • Create an assignment.

student assignment

  • Important: Google Drive files can be edited by co-teachers and are view-only for students. To change these share options, you can stop, limit or change sharing .

student assignment

  • To add YouTube videos, an admin must turn on this option. Learn about access settings for your Google Workspace for Education account .
  • You can add interactive questions to YouTube video attachments. Learn how to add interactive questions to YouTube video attachments .

student assignment

  • Tip: When you attach a practice set to an assignment, you can't edit it.

File upload

  • If you see a message stating that you don't have permission to attach a file, click Copy . Classroom makes a copy of the file to attach to the assignment and saves it to the class Drive folder.
  • Students can view file – All students can read the file, but not edit it.
  • Students can edit file – All students share the same file and can make changes to it.

Note : This option is only available before you post an assignment.

student assignment

Use an add-on

For instructions, go to Use add-ons in Classroom

For instructions, go to Create or reuse a rubric for an assignment .

For instructions, go to Turn on originality reports .

You can post an assignment immediately or schedule it to be posted later. If you don't want to post it yet, you can save it as a draft. To see scheduled and drafted assignments, click Classwork .

Post an assignment

  • Follow the steps above to create an assignment.
  • Click Assign to immediately post the assignment.

Schedule the assignment to be posted later

Scheduled assignments might be delayed by up to five minutes after the post time.

  • To schedule the same assignment across multiple classes, make sure that you select all of the classes that you want to include.
  • When you enter a time, Classroom defaults to p.m. unless you specify a.m.
  • (Optional) Select a due date and topic for each class.
  • (Optional) To replicate your selected time and date for the first class into all subsequent classes, click Copy settings to all .
  • Click Schedule . The assignment will automatically post on the scheduled date, at the scheduled time.

After scheduling multiple assignments at once, you can still edit assignments later by clicking into each class and changing them individually.

Save an assignment as a draft

  • Follow the steps above to create an assignment

You can open and edit draft assignments on the Classwork page.

Manage assignments

Edits affect individual classes. For multi-class assignments, make edits in each class.

Note : If you change an assignment's name, the assignment's Drive folder name isn't updated. Go to Drive and rename the folder.

Edit a posted assignment

student assignment

  • Enter your changes and click Save .

Edit a scheduled assignment

  • Enter your changes and click Schedule .

Edit a draft assignment

Changes are automatically saved.

  • Assign it immediately (details above).
  • Schedule it to be posted on a specific date, at a specific time (details above).
  • Click a class.

You can only delete an assignment on the Classwork page.

If you delete an assignment, all of the marks and comments related to the assignment are deleted. However, any attachments or files created by you or the students are still available in Drive.

Related articles

  • Create or reuse a rubric for an assignment
  • Create a quiz assignment
  • Create a question
  • Use add-ons in Classroom
  • Create, edit, delete or share a practice set
  • Learn about interactive questions for YouTube videos in Google Classroom

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AI Assignment: Homework Helper 4+

Best ai writing assistant, appzibrain infotech llp, designed for ipad.

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Description.

Stressed About Homework? Let Us Finish it Fast. Get Detailed Answers 10X Faster! Use AI Assignment: Homework Helper for quick and accurate answers to study questions. Essential for students striving for high grades. Step into a world of effortless learning with AI Assignment: Homework Helper, where each photo brings you closer to understanding. This app goes beyond traditional math solvers, offering a unique blend of AI-driven solutions and interactive answers for a variety of academic subjects. Simply snap a picture of the problem, and our app swiftly analyzes and resolves it with precision. From complex math equations to science experiments and literary analysis, we've got you covered. Enhance your writing with real-time grammar checks, style suggestions, and more. Perfect for essays, emails, and professional documents. For more information : Privacy Policy : https://appzibraininfotech.blogspot.com/2024/03/privacy-policy.html Terms of Use : https://appzibraininfotech.blogspot.com/2024/03/terms-of-use.html

App Privacy

The developer, AppziBrain Infotech LLP , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

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    Access educational and online tools for teachers and students, including lesson plans, apps, and games to advance learning in the classroom at no cost. ... Create new assignments. Create assignments, quizzes, and lesson content for your students. Track student grades.

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    About Assignments. Assignments is an add-on application for learning management systems (LMSs) that helps you distribute, analyze, and grade student work with Google Workspace for Education. Assignments makes Google Docs and Google Drive compatible with your LMS for file submissions. You can use Assignments to save time distributing and grading ...

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    Boundary and School Assignment Updates for the 2024-2025 School Year . Over the past two years, Durham Public Schools has worked collaboratively with district leaders, community partners, DPS staff and our families to improve equity and access to schools and programs while managing growth within our community.

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    Student Assignment Department 2465 Gillespie Street Fayetteville, NC 28306 Phone: 910-678-2616 Dr. Melody Chalmers McClain Associate Superintendent, Student Support Services Saundra McNeill Student Assignment Manager. Quick Links. Student Assignment Homepage; Cumberland County School Enrollment Procedures ;

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  29. Create an assignment

    Next to All students, click the down arrow All students again to deselect students. Click a student's name to select them. Add a mark category. Use mark categories to organise assignments. With mark categories, you and your students can see the category an assignment belongs to, such as Homework or Essays.

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