Assessment | Inclusive Teaching | Teaching Strategies |
Transparent Assignment Design
Transparency—clearly and openly communicating information about the learning process, course expectations, assessment criteria, and rationale behind instructional decisions to students in order to create a more equitable and inclusive learning environment—is one of the foundational principles of good, effective teaching. There are many ways to increase transparency in your course, from the learning goals and policies in your syllabus to sharing with students how to address and communicate with you and one another. Research shows that increased transparency has a marked effect on student success, confidence, and belonging (Winkelmes, 2016).
The transparent assignment framework was developed as part of a set of strategies to increase transparency in higher education, a project known as TiLT (Transparency in Learning and Teaching). It encourages instructors to clearly and explicitly state an assignment’s:
- Purpose: Why students are being asked to do a particular assignment and how it will benefit their learning;
- Task: What specifically they are being asked to do, and how to do it; and
- Criteria: How their work will be evaluated.
Transparent communication about how and why students are learning course content in particular ways benefits all students, with particular benefits for students from underrepresented backgrounds and first-generation students (Winkelmes et al., 2019, p. 1). It can also increase the quality of student work by creating clearer pathways to success; knowing how to complete an assignment can improve motivation to complete effortful work and resilience in the face of challenges.
But increasing transparency in assignments also has benefits for faculty and instructors. Sometimes, what’s clear to us as instructors really isn’t all that clear at all. Transparent communication about the processes and expectations of assignments can limit the number of clarifying questions students ask, saving class time, office hours, and emails for more focused questions or problems. It also leads to more on-time completion of assignments and fewer grade disputes (Winkelmes et al., 2015).
This worksheet includes reflection prompts and considerations for designing more transparent and equitable assignments. Whether you are designing a new assignment or reviewing an old one, the worksheet will help you articulate a clear purpose, task, and criteria for evaluation. Not every element is required for an assignment to be transparent; reflect on each element as it applies to your classroom context and teaching style. You don’t need to label the purpose, task, and criteria in your communication with students, but you can use those categories to guide the creation of your assignment sheet or post in Canvas. You can see some examples of assignment transformations here.
When you’ve finished, consider ways to get feedback on the changes you’ve made to your assignment. Ask a colleague to evaluate how transparent the new assignment is, or schedule a consultation with the Kaneb Center. You can also sign up for an assignment review through the short-term Inclusive Pedagogy Partnership to get feedback on your transparent assignment.
For more resources, see our Transparent Assignment Design workshop page.