assignment model for college students

Creative Ways to Design Assignments for Student Success

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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Fourteen Creative Assignment Ideas for the Online Classroom

April 10, 2024

In today's rapidly evolving world of higher education, online learning has become an integral part of the academic landscape. As institutions continue to embrace virtual classrooms, the need for innovative assignments that not only engage students but also address the growing concern of academic dishonesty has become increasingly vital. If instructors want to promote learning—true learning that fosters synthesis, critical thinking, and knowledge retention—assignments should necessitate students are actively engaging with the course material. This engagement may involve curating novel insights, synthesizing various sources, critically analyzing the content, or applying information in new contexts. Recognizing that learners’ time and attention are geared toward graded course assignments, it is essential that we embrace innovative assignment ideas that can foster critical thinking, analysis, engagement, and reflection.

The online classroom presents unique challenges when it comes to engaging students. While it offers unparalleled flexibility and accessibility, it also lacks the immediate interpersonal connection found in a traditional learning environment. Students who struggle to stay motivated, may disengage and have a lack of investment in their coursework. To counter this, educators must create assignments that capture students' interests, inspire critical thinking, and encourage active participation. Incorporating innovative assignments tailored to individual learning goals and preferences can help educators bridge the gap and create a more stimulating and inclusive learning experience.

Moreover, the rise of digital learning has led to increased opportunities for academic dishonesty. Traditional assignments, such as essays and exams, are particularly susceptible to plagiarism and cheating. As a result, educators need to think outside the box to develop assignments that limit the potential for dishonesty and provide meaningful learning experiences By adopting unique, experiential, and collaborative approaches to assignments, educators can cultivate a classroom environment where students are invested in their work and are less likely to resort to dishonest practices.

Innovative assignments can help mitigate the risk of academic dishonesty while providing students with valuable skills that extend beyond the confines of the classroom. These types of assignments encourage students to think critically, problem-solve, and work effectively in teams, which are essential skills for success in both their academic and professional lives. Furthermore, by giving students opportunities to explore their interests and apply their knowledge in real-world situations, innovative assignments can help foster a sense of ownership and pride in their work, ultimately boosting their motivation and dedication to learning. The following 14 assignment ideas provide unique opportunities for faculty to motivate and assess student learning:

• Description: Students create short multimedia narratives, combining text, images, audio, and video to share a personal or researched story.
• Sample directions: Create a 3–5 minute multimedia story based on a personal experience, or a researched topic related to the course. Use text, images, audio, and video to craft a compelling narrative.
• Tools: Adobe Spark, WeVideo, or iMovie.
• Learning objectives: Improve storytelling skills, enhance creativity, develop multimedia production abilities, and practice effective communication.
• Description: Students virtually explore museums, historical sites, or scientific institutions and create a presentation or report reflecting on their experience.
• Sample directions: Explore a designated virtual museum, historical site, or scientific institution and create a 10-slide presentation summarizing your experience and key takeaways.
• Tools: Google Arts & Culture, VirtualFieldTrips.org, or Prezi.
• Learning objectives: Expand cultural and subject matter knowledge, hone presentation skills, and improve critical thinking and reflection.
• Description: Students research a topic and create an interactive infographic that effectively communicates complex information in a visually engaging manner.
• Sample directions: Research a course-related topic and design an interactive infographic that presents complex information in an engaging and accessible manner.
• Tools: Canva, Piktochart, or Visme.
• Learning objectives: Develop visual communication skills, practice data analysis and interpretation, and enhance design abilities.
• Description: Students produce a podcast episode on a course-related topic, requiring them to conduct research, develop a script, and record and edit their audio.
• Sample directions: Produce a 10–15 minute podcast episode discussing a course-related issue, including background research, expert interviews, and your own analysis.
• Tools: Audacity, GarageBand, or Anchor.
• Learning objectives: Strengthen research and critical thinking skills, improve audio production abilities, and enhance communication and storytelling.
• Description: Students work together to create a wiki on a specific subject, with each member contributing to the development of content, organization, and design.
• Sample directions: Work in teams to create a comprehensive wiki on a specific subject within the course, with each member contributing to content, organization, and design.
• Tools: Wikispaces, PBworks, or Google Sites.
• Learning objectives: Build teamwork and collaboration skills, enhance content creation abilities, and practice information organization and presentation.
• Description: Students develop and execute a social media campaign addressing a course-related issue, focusing on creating shareable content and engaging with their target audience.
• Sample directions: Develop a week-long social media campaign addressing a course-related issue, creating content for three platforms (e.g., X, Instagram, and Facebook) and tracking engagement metrics.
• Tools: Hootsuite, Canva, or Buffer.
• Learning objectives: Develop digital marketing and communication skills, practice content creation, and analyze audience engagement.
• Description: Students participate in a simulated experience, such as a mock trial, business negotiation, or diplomatic negotiation, to develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
• Sample directions: Participate in a virtual mock trial, business negotiation, or diplomatic negotiation related to the course material. Prepare by researching your role, developing strategies, and collaborating with teammates.
• Tools: Zoom breakout rooms, Discord, or Roll20.
• Learning objectives: Enhance problem-solving and critical thinking skills, improve collaboration and communication, and gain practical experience in real-world scenarios.
• Description: Students create a digital portfolio showcasing their course-related work, reflecting on their learning experiences, and demonstrating their growth and development.
• Sample directions: Create a digital portfolio showcasing your course-related work, including reflections on your learning experiences and evidence of your growth and development.
• Tools: Wix, WordPress, or Google Sites.
• Learning objectives: Develop self-assessment and reflection skills, enhance digital literacy, and showcase personal and academic growth.
• Description: Students engage in structured online debates on controversial topics, requiring them to research, articulate, and defend their positions while responding to opposing arguments.
• Sample directions: Engage in a structured online debate on a controversial course topic, with assigned roles (proponent, opponent, moderator), and provide evidence-based arguments and rebuttals.
• Tools: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet.
• Learning objectives: Strengthen critical thinking and research skills, improve argumentation and persuasion abilities, and enhance communication and collaboration.
• Description: Students create a series of blog or vlog posts on a course-related topic, reflecting on their learning process and engaging with their audience through comments and feedback.
• Sample directions: Write or record a series of three blog or vlog posts on a course-related topic, reflecting on your learning process and responding to audience feedback in the comment section.
• Tools: Blogger, WordPress, Loom, or YouTube.
• Learning objectives: Improve written or verbal communication skills, develop content creation abilities, and practice self-reflection and audience engagement.
• Description: Students become "experts" on a specific course topic and prepare a lesson, including multimedia elements, to teach their classmates in an online setting.
• Sample directions: Choose a course topic, become an "expert" on the subject, and prepare a 20-minute multimedia lesson to teach your classmates in an online setting.
• Tools: PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Prezi.
• Learning objectives: Enhance subject matter expertise, develop teaching and presentation skills, and foster collaboration and peer learning.
• Description: Students participate in a game-based learning activity, such as a digital scavenger hunt or escape room, that requires them to apply their knowledge to solve problems or complete challenges.
• Sample directions: Participate in a digital scavenger hunt or escape room related to course material, solving problems and completing challenges within a set timeframe.
• Tools: GooseChase, Breakout EDU, or Minecraft: Education Edition.
• Learning objectives: Reinforce subject matter knowledge, improve problem-solving skills, and foster collaboration and engagement.
• Description: Students collaborate with local organizations, virtually or in person, to address real-world issues and apply their course knowledge in a practical context.
• Sample directions: Collaborate with a local organization to address a real-world issue related to the course, develop a project proposal, execute the project, and present your outcomes.
• Tools: Zoom, Trello, or Slack.
• Learning objectives: Apply course concepts to real-world situations, develop project management and collaboration skills, strengthen community engagement, and enhance problem-solving abilities.
• Description: Students develop and present a webinar on a course-related topic, honing their public speaking, research, and presentation skills while engaging with a wider audience.
• Sample directions: Develop a 30-minute webinar on a course-related topic, including a presentation, Q&A session, and audience engagement activities.
• Tools: Zoom, Webex, or GoToWebinar.
• Learning objectives: Strengthen public speaking and presentation skills, improve research, and content creation abilities, and engage with diverse audiences.

The need for innovative assignments in the online classroom for college students is undeniable. By embracing creative, engaging, and authentic assignments, educators can not only address the challenges of student engagement and academic dishonesty but also help students develop valuable skills and a lifelong passion for learning. As we continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of higher education, educators are responsible for adapting and evolving to ensure that we provide our students with the best possible learning experience in the digital age.

About the Authors

Jean Mandernach, Ph.D. is executive director of the Center for Innovation in Research on Teaching at Grand Canyon University. Her research focuses on enhancing student learning experiences in the online classroom through innovative instructional and assessment strategies. She explores strategies for integrating efficient online instruction in a manner that maximizes student learning, satisfaction, and engagement. In addition, she has interests in innovative faculty development and evaluation models, teaching and learning analytics, emergent instructional technology, and faculty workload considerations. Mandernach is an active researcher, author, presenter, and consultant in the field of online education. 

Morgan McNaughton, M.A., M.S., serves as a dedicated program manager at Grand Canyon University's Center for Innovation in Research on Teaching. Her research is centered around dynamic faculty development models, teaching and learning analytics, instructional technology, and cultivating a supportive adjunct faculty culture. With a wealth of experience in elevating student learning experiences in online classrooms, McNaughton has honed her expertise in implementing innovative and efficient program development strategies to help students and faculty alike.

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Getting Started with Creative Assignments

Creative teaching and learning can be cultivated in any course context to increase student engagement and motivation, and promote thinking skills that are critical to problem-solving and innovation. This resource features examples of Columbia faculty who teach creatively and have reimagined their course assessments to allow students to demonstrate their learning in creative ways. Drawing on these examples, this resource provides suggestions for creating a classroom environment that supports student engagement in creative activities and assignments.  

On this page:

• The What and Why of Creative Assignments

Examples of Creative Teaching and Learning at Columbia

• How To Get Started

Cite this resource: Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning (2022). Getting Started with Creative Assignments. Columbia University. Retrieved [today’s date] from https://ctl.columbia.edu/resources-and-technology/resources/creative-assignments/

The What and Why of Creative Assignments  

Creative assignments encourage students to think in innovative ways as they demonstrate their learning. Thinking creatively involves combining or synthesizing information or course materials in new ways and is characterized by “a high degree of innovation, divergent thinking, and risk-taking” (AAC&U). It is associated with imagination and originality, and additional characteristics include: being open to new ideas and perspectives, believing alternatives exist, withholding judgment, generating multiple approaches to problems, and trying new ways to generate ideas  (DiYanni, 2015: 41). Creative thinking is considered an important skill alongside critical thinking in tackling contemporary problems. Critical thinking allows students to evaluate the information presented to them while creative thinking is a process that allows students to generate new ideas and innovate.

Creative assignments can be integrated into any course regardless of discipline. Examples include the use of infographic assignments in Nursing (Chicca and Chunta, 2020) and Chemistry (Kothari, Castañeda, and McNeil, 2019); podcasting assignments in Social Work (Hitchcock, Sage & Sage, 2021); digital storytelling assignments in Psychology (Sheafer, 2017) and Sociology (Vaughn and Leon, 2021); and incorporating creative writing in the economics classroom (Davis, 2019) or reflective writing into Calculus assignment ( Gerstle, 2017) just to name a few. In a 2014 study, organic chemistry students who elected to begin their lab reports with a creative narrative were more excited to learn and earned better grades (Henry, Owens, and Tawney, 2015). In a public policy course, students who engaged in additional creative problem-solving exercises that included imaginative scenarios and alternative solution-finding showed greater interest in government reform and attentiveness to civic issues (Wukich and Siciliano, 2014).

The benefits of creative assignments include increased student engagement, motivation, and satisfaction (Snyder et al., 2013: 165); and furthered student learning of course content (Reynolds, Stevens, and West, 2013). These types of assignments promote innovation, academic integrity, student self-awareness/ metacognition (e.g., when students engage in reflection through journal assignments), and can be made authentic as students develop and apply skills to real-world situations.  

When instructors give students open-ended assignments, they provide opportunities for students to think creatively as they work on a deliverable. They “unlock potential” (Ranjan & Gabora and Beghetto in Gregerson et al., 2013) for students to synthesize their knowledge and propose novel solutions. This promotes higher-level thinking as outlined in the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy’s “create” cognitive process category: “putting elements together to form a novel coherent whole or make an original product,” this involves generating ideas, planning, and producing something new. 

The examples that follow highlight creative assignments in the Columbia University classroom. The featured Columbia faculty taught creatively – they tried new strategies, purposefully varied classroom activities and assessment modalities, and encouraged their students to take control of what and how they were learning (James & Brookfield, 2014: 66).

Dr. Cruz changed her course assessment by “moving away from high stakes assessments like a final paper or a final exam, to more open-ended and creative models of assessments.”  Students were given the opportunity to synthesize their course learning, with options on topic and format of how to demonstrate their learning and to do so individually or in groups. They explored topics that were meaningful to them and related to the course material. Dr. Cruz noted that “This emphasis on playfulness and creativity led to fantastic final projects including a graphic novel interpretation, a video essay that applied critical theory to multiple texts, and an interactive virtual museum.” Students “took the opportunity to use their creative skills, or the skills they were interested in exploring because some of them had to develop new skills to produce these projects.” (Dr. Cruz; Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning , Season 3, Episode 6). Along with their projects, students submitted an artist’s statement, where they had to explain and justify their choices. 

Dr. Cruz noted that grading creative assignments require advanced planning. In her case, she worked closely with her TAs to develop a rubric that was shared with students in advance for full transparency and emphasized the importance of students connecting ideas to analytical arguments discussed in the class. 

Watch Dr. Cruz’s 2021 Symposium presentation. Listen to Dr. Cruz talk about The Power of Blended Classrooms in Season 3, Episode 6 of the Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning podcast. Get a glimpse into Dr. Cruz’s online classroom and her creative teaching and the design of learning experiences that enhanced critical thinking, creativity, curiosity, and community by viewing her Voices of Hybrid and Online Teaching and Learning submission.

As part of his standard practice, Dr. Yesilevskiy scaffolds assignments – from less complex to more complex – to ensure students integrate the concepts they learn in the class into their projects or new experiments. For example, in Laboratory 1, Dr. Yesilevskiy slowly increases the amount of independence in each experiment over the semester: students are given a full procedure in the first experiment and by course end, students are submitting new experiment proposals to Dr. Yesilevskiy for approval. This is creative thinking in action. Students not only learned how to “replicate existing experiments, but also to formulate and conduct new ones.”

Watch Dr. Yesilevskiy’s 2021 Symposium presentation. 

How Do I Get Started?: Strategies to Support Creative Assignments

The previous section showcases examples of creative assignments in action at Columbia. To help you support such creative assignments in your classroom, this section details three strategies to support creative assignments and creative thinking. Firstly, re-consider the design of your assignments to optimize students’ creative output. Secondly, scaffold creative assignments using low-stakes classroom activities that build creative capacity. Finally, cultivate a classroom environment that supports creative thinking.     

Design Considerations for Creative Assignments 

Thoughtfully designed open-ended assignments and evaluation plans encourage students to demonstrate their learning in authentic ways. When designing creative assignments, consider the following suggestions for structuring and communicating to your students about the assignment. 

Set clear expectations . Students may feel lost in the ambiguity and complexity of an open-ended assignment that requires them to create something new. Communicate the creative outcomes and learning objectives for the assignments (Ranjan & Gabora, 2013), and how students will be expected to draw on their learning in the course. Articulare how much flexibility and choice students have in determining what they work on and how they work on it. Share the criteria or a rubric that will be used to evaluate student deliverables. See the CTL’s resource Incorporating Rubrics Into Your Feedback and Grading Practices . If planning to evaluate creative thinking, consider adapting the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ creative thinking VALUE rubric . 

Structure the project to sustain engagement and promote integrity. Consider how the project might be broken into smaller assignments that build upon each other and culminate in a synthesis project. The example presented above from Dr. Yesilevskiy’s teaching highlights how he scaffolded lab complexity, progressing from structured to student-driven. See the section below “Activities to Prepare Students for Creative Assignments” for sample activities to scaffold this work. 

Create opportunities for ongoing feedback . Provide feedback at all phases of the assignment from idea inception through milestones to completion. Leverage office hours for individual or group conversations and feedback on project proposals, progress, and issues. See the CTL’s resource on Feedback for Learning . Consider creating opportunities for structured peer review for students to give each other feedback on their work. Students benefit from learning about their peers’ projects, and seeing different perspectives and approaches to accomplishing the open-ended assignment. See the CTL’s resource Peer Review: Intentional Design for Any Course Context . 

Share resources to support students in their work. Ensure all students have access to the resources they will need to be successful on the assigned project. Connect students with campus resources that can help them accomplish the project’s objectives. For instance, if students are working on a research project – connect them to the Library instruction modules “ From Books to Bytes: Navigating the Research Ecosystem ,” encourage them to schedule a consultation with a specialist for research support through Columbia Libraries , or seek out writing support. If students will need equipment to complete their project, remind them of campus resources such as makerspaces (e.g., The Makerspace @ Columbia in Room 254 Engineering Terrace/Mudd; Design Center at Barnard College); borrowing equipment (e.g., Instructional Media and Technology Services (IMATS) at Barnard; Gabe M. Wiener Music & Arts Library ). 

Ask students to submit a self-reflection with their project. Encourage students to reflect on their process and the decisions they made in order to complete the project. Provide guiding questions that have students reflect on their learning, make meaning, and engage their metacognitive thinking skills (see the CTL’s resource of Metacognition ). Students can be asked to apply the rubric to their work or to submit a creative statement along with their work that describes their intent and ownership of the project.

Collect feedback from students and iterate. Invite students to give feedback on the assigned creative project, as well as the classroom environment and creative activities used. Tell students how you will use their suggestions to make improvements to activities and assignments, and make adjustments to the classroom environment. See the CTL’s resource on Early and Mid-Semester Student Feedback . 

Low-Stakes Activities to Prepare Students for Creative Assignments

The activities described below are meant to be scaffolded opportunities leading to a larger creative project. They are low-stakes, non-graded activities that make time in the classroom for students to think, brainstorm, and create (Desrochers and Zell, 2012) and prepare them to do the creative thinking needed to complete course assignments. The activities can be adapted for any course context, with or without the use of technology, and can be done individually or collaboratively (see the CTL’s resource on Collaborative Learning to explore digital tools that are available for group work). 

Brainstorming 

Brainstorming is a process that students can engage in to generate as many ideas as possible related to a topic of study or an assignment topic (Sweet et al., 2013: 87). As they engage in this messy and jugement-free work, students explore a range of possibilities. Brainstorming reveals students’ prior knowledge (Ambrose et al., 2010: 29). Brainstorm activities are useful early on to help create a classroom culture rooted in creativity while also serving as a potential icebreaker activity that helps instructors learn more about what prior knowledge and experiences students are bringing to the course or unit of study. This activity can be done individually or in groups, and in class or asynchronously. Components may include:

• Prompt students to list off (individually or collaboratively) their ideas on a whiteboard, free write in a Google Doc or some other digital space. 
• Provide formative feedback to assist students to further develop their ideas.
• Invite students to reflect on the brainstorm process, look over their ideas and determine which idea to explore further.

Mind mapping

A mind map, also known as a cognitive or concept map, allows students to visually display their thinking and knowledge organization, through lines connecting concepts, arrows showing relationships, and other visual cues (Sweet et al., 2013: 89; Ambrose et al. 2010: 63). This challenges students to synthesize and be creative as they display words, ideas, tasks or principles (Barkley, 2010: 219-225). A mind mapping activity can be done individually or in groups, and in class or asynchronously. This activity can be an extension of a brainstorming session, whereby students take an idea from their brainstormed list and further develop it. 

Components of a mind mapping activity may include:

• Prompt students to create a map of their thinking on a topic, concept, or question. This can be done on paper, on a whiteboard, or with digital mind mapping or whiteboard tools such as Google Drawing.
• Provide formative feedback on the mind maps.
• Invite students to reflect on their mind map, and determine where to go next.

Digital storytelling

Digital storytelling involves integrating multimedia (images, text, video, audio, etc.) and narrative to produce immersive stories that connect with course content. Student-produced stories can promote engagement and learning in a way that is both personal and universal (McLellan, 2007). Digital storytelling contributes to learning through student voice and creativity in constructing meaning (Rossiter and Garcia, 2010). 

Tools such as the CTL-developed Mediathread as well as EdDiscussion support collaborative annotation of media objects. These annotations can be used in writing and discussions, which can involve creating a story. For freeform formats, digital whiteboards allow students to drop in different text and media and make connections between these elements. Such storytelling can be done collaboratively or simply shared during class. Finally, EdBlogs can be used for a blog format, or Google Slides if a presentation format is better suited for the learning objective.

Asking questions to explore new possibilities

Tap into student imagination, stimulate curiosity, and create memorable learning experiences by asking students to pose “What if?” “why” and “how” questions – how might things be done differently; what will a situation look like if it is viewed from a new perspective?; or what could a new approach to solving a problem look like? (James & Brookfield, 2014: 163). Powerful questions are open-ended ones where the answer is not immediately apparent; such questions encourage students to think about a topic in new ways, and they promote learning as students work to answer them (James & Brookfield, 2014: 163). Setting aside time for students to ask lots of questions in the classroom and bringing in questions posed on CourseWorks Discussions or EdDiscussion sends the message to students that their questions matter and play a role in learning. 

Cultivate Creative Thinking in the Classroom Environment

Create a classroom environment that encourages experimentation and thinking from new and diverse perspectives. This type of environment encourages students to share their ideas without inhibition and personalize the meaning-making process. “Creative environments facilitate intentional acts of divergent (idea generation, collaboration, and design thinking) and convergent (analysis of ideas, products, and content created) thinking processes.” (Sweet et al., 2013: 20)

Encourage risk-taking and learning from mistakes . Taking risks in the classroom can be anxiety inducing so students will benefit from reassurance that their creativity and all ideas are welcome. When students bring up unexpected ideas, rather than redirecting or dismissing, seize it as an opportunity for a conversation in which students can share, challenge, and affirm ideas (Beghetto, 2013). Let students know that they can make mistakes, “think outside of the box” without penalty (Desrochers and Zell, 2012), and embrace failure seeing it as a learning opportunity.

Model creative thinking . Model curiosity and how to ask powerful questions, and encourage students to be curious about everything (Synder et al., 2013, DiYanni, 2015). Give students a glimpse into your own creative thinking process – how you would approach an open-ended question, problem, or assignment? Turn your own mistakes into teachable moments. By modeling creative thinking, you are giving students permission to engage in this type of thinking.

Build a community that supports the creative classroom environment. Have students get to know and interact with each other so that they become comfortable asking questions and taking risks in front of and with their peers. See the CTL’s resource on Community Building in the Classroom . This is especially important if you are planning to have students collaborate on creative activities and assignments and/or engage in peer review of each other’s work. 

Plan for play. Play is integral to learning (Cavanagh, 2021; Eyler, 2018; Tatter, 2019). Play cultivates a low stress, high trust, inclusive environment, as students build relationships with each. This allows students to feel more comfortable in the classroom and motivates them to tackle more difficult content (Forbes, 2021). Set aside time for play (Ranjan & Gabora, 2013; Sinfield, Burns, & Abegglen, 2018). Design for play with purpose grounded in learning goals. Create a structured play session during which students experiment with a new topic, idea, or tool and connect it to curricular content or their learning experience. Play can be facilitated through educational games such as puzzles, video games, trivia competitions, scavenger hunts or role-playing activities in which students actively apply knowledge and skills as they act out their role (Eyler, 2018; Barkley, 2010). For an example of role-playing games explore Reacting to the Past , an active learning pedagogy of role-playing games developed by Mark Carnes at Barnard College. 

The CTL is here to help!

CTL consultants are happy to support instructors as they design activities and assignments that promote creative thinking. Email [email protected] to schedule a consultation.

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Sweet, C., Carpenter, R., Blythe, H., and Apostel, S. (2013). Teaching Applied Creative Thinking: A New Pedagogy  for the 21st Century. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press Inc. 

Tatter, G. (2019). Playing to Learn: How a pedagogy of play can enliven the classroom, for students of all ages . Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

Vaughn, M. P. and Leon, D. (2021). The Personal Is Political Art: Using Digital Storytelling to Teaching Sociology of Sexualities. Teaching Sociology. 49(3), 245-255. 

Wukich, C. and Siciliano, M. D. (2014). Problem Solving and Creativity in Public Policy Courses: Promoting Interest and Civic Engagement. Journal of Political Science Education . 10, 352-368.

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Eberly Center

Teaching excellence & educational innovation, creating assignments.

Here are some general suggestions and questions to consider when creating assignments. There are also many other resources in print and on the web that provide examples of interesting, discipline-specific assignment ideas.

Consider your learning objectives.

What do you want students to learn in your course? What could they do that would show you that they have learned it? To determine assignments that truly serve your course objectives, it is useful to write out your objectives in this form: I want my students to be able to ____. Use active, measurable verbs as you complete that sentence (e.g., compare theories, discuss ramifications, recommend strategies), and your learning objectives will point you towards suitable assignments.

Design assignments that are interesting and challenging.

This is the fun side of assignment design. Consider how to focus students’ thinking in ways that are creative, challenging, and motivating. Think beyond the conventional assignment type! For example, one American historian requires students to write diary entries for a hypothetical Nebraska farmwoman in the 1890s. By specifying that students’ diary entries must demonstrate the breadth of their historical knowledge (e.g., gender, economics, technology, diet, family structure), the instructor gets students to exercise their imaginations while also accomplishing the learning objectives of the course (Walvoord & Anderson, 1989, p. 25).

Double-check alignment.

After creating your assignments, go back to your learning objectives and make sure there is still a good match between what you want students to learn and what you are asking them to do. If you find a mismatch, you will need to adjust either the assignments or the learning objectives. For instance, if your goal is for students to be able to analyze and evaluate texts, but your assignments only ask them to summarize texts, you would need to add an analytical and evaluative dimension to some assignments or rethink your learning objectives.

Name assignments accurately.

Students can be misled by assignments that are named inappropriately. For example, if you want students to analyze a product’s strengths and weaknesses but you call the assignment a “product description,” students may focus all their energies on the descriptive, not the critical, elements of the task. Thus, it is important to ensure that the titles of your assignments communicate their intention accurately to students.

Consider sequencing.

Think about how to order your assignments so that they build skills in a logical sequence. Ideally, assignments that require the most synthesis of skills and knowledge should come later in the semester, preceded by smaller assignments that build these skills incrementally. For example, if an instructor’s final assignment is a research project that requires students to evaluate a technological solution to an environmental problem, earlier assignments should reinforce component skills, including the ability to identify and discuss key environmental issues, apply evaluative criteria, and find appropriate research sources.

Think about scheduling.

Consider your intended assignments in relation to the academic calendar and decide how they can be reasonably spaced throughout the semester, taking into account holidays and key campus events. Consider how long it will take students to complete all parts of the assignment (e.g., planning, library research, reading, coordinating groups, writing, integrating the contributions of team members, developing a presentation), and be sure to allow sufficient time between assignments.

Check feasibility.

Is the workload you have in mind reasonable for your students? Is the grading burden manageable for you? Sometimes there are ways to reduce workload (whether for you or for students) without compromising learning objectives. For example, if a primary objective in assigning a project is for students to identify an interesting engineering problem and do some preliminary research on it, it might be reasonable to require students to submit a project proposal and annotated bibliography rather than a fully developed report. If your learning objectives are clear, you will see where corners can be cut without sacrificing educational quality.

Articulate the task description clearly.

If an assignment is vague, students may interpret it any number of ways – and not necessarily how you intended. Thus, it is critical to clearly and unambiguously identify the task students are to do (e.g., design a website to help high school students locate environmental resources, create an annotated bibliography of readings on apartheid). It can be helpful to differentiate the central task (what students are supposed to produce) from other advice and information you provide in your assignment description.

Establish clear performance criteria.

Different instructors apply different criteria when grading student work, so it’s important that you clearly articulate to students what your criteria are. To do so, think about the best student work you have seen on similar tasks and try to identify the specific characteristics that made it excellent, such as clarity of thought, originality, logical organization, or use of a wide range of sources. Then identify the characteristics of the worst student work you have seen, such as shaky evidence, weak organizational structure, or lack of focus. Identifying these characteristics can help you consciously articulate the criteria you already apply. It is important to communicate these criteria to students, whether in your assignment description or as a separate rubric or scoring guide . Clearly articulated performance criteria can prevent unnecessary confusion about your expectations while also setting a high standard for students to meet.

Specify the intended audience.

Students make assumptions about the audience they are addressing in papers and presentations, which influences how they pitch their message. For example, students may assume that, since the instructor is their primary audience, they do not need to define discipline-specific terms or concepts. These assumptions may not match the instructor’s expectations. Thus, it is important on assignments to specify the intended audience http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop10e.cfm (e.g., undergraduates with no biology background, a potential funder who does not know engineering).

Specify the purpose of the assignment.

If students are unclear about the goals or purpose of the assignment, they may make unnecessary mistakes. For example, if students believe an assignment is focused on summarizing research as opposed to evaluating it, they may seriously miscalculate the task and put their energies in the wrong place. The same is true they think the goal of an economics problem set is to find the correct answer, rather than demonstrate a clear chain of economic reasoning. Consequently, it is important to make your objectives for the assignment clear to students.

Specify the parameters.

If you have specific parameters in mind for the assignment (e.g., length, size, formatting, citation conventions) you should be sure to specify them in your assignment description. Otherwise, students may misapply conventions and formats they learned in other courses that are not appropriate for yours.

A Checklist for Designing Assignments

Here is a set of questions you can ask yourself when creating an assignment.

• Provided a written description of the assignment (in the syllabus or in a separate document)?
• Specified the purpose of the assignment?
• Indicated the intended audience?
• Articulated the instructions in precise and unambiguous language?
• Provided information about the appropriate format and presentation (e.g., page length, typed, cover sheet, bibliography)?  
• Indicated special instructions, such as a particular citation style or headings?  
• Specified the due date and the consequences for missing it?
• Articulated performance criteria clearly?
• Indicated the assignment’s point value or percentage of the course grade?
• Provided students (where appropriate) with models or samples?

Adapted from the WAC Clearinghouse at http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop10e.cfm .

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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 .

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How to Write an Effective Assignment

At their base, all assignment prompts function a bit like a magnifying glass—they allow a student to isolate, focus on, inspect, and interact with some portion of your course material through a fixed lens of your choosing.

The Key Components of an Effective Assignment Prompt

All assignments, from ungraded formative response papers all the way up to a capstone assignment, should include the following components to ensure that students and teachers understand not only the learning objective of the assignment, but also the discrete steps which they will need to follow in order to complete it successfully:

• Preamble.  This situates the assignment within the context of the course, reminding students of what they have been working on in anticipation of the assignment and how that work has prepared them to succeed at it. 
• Justification and Purpose.  This explains why the particular type or genre of assignment you’ve chosen (e.g., lab report, policy memo, problem set, or personal reflection) is the best way for you and your students to measure how well they’ve met the learning objectives associated with this segment of the course.
• Mission.  This explains the assignment in broad brush strokes, giving students a general sense of the project you are setting before them. It often gives students guidance on the evidence or data they should be working with, as well as helping them imagine the audience their work should be aimed at.  
• Tasks.  This outlines what students are supposed to do at a more granular level: for example, how to start, where to look, how to ask for help, etc. If written well, this part of the assignment prompt ought to function as a kind of "process" rubric for students, helping them to decide for themselves whether they are completing the assignment successfully.
• Submission format.  This tells students, in appropriate detail, which stylistic conventions they should observe and how to submit their work. For example, should the assignment be a five-page paper written in APA format and saved as a .docx file? Should it be uploaded to the course website? Is it due by Tuesday at 5:00pm?

For illustrations of these five components in action, visit our gallery of annotated assignment prompts .

For advice about creative assignments (e.g. podcasts, film projects, visual and performing art projects, etc.), visit our  Guidance on Non-Traditional Forms of Assessment .

For specific advice on different genres of assignment, click below:

Response Papers

Problem sets, source analyses, final exams, concept maps, research papers, oral presentations, poster presentations.

• Learner-Centered Design
• Putting Evidence at the Center
• What Should Students Learn?
• Start with the Capstone
• Gallery of Annotated Assignment Prompts
• Scaffolding: Using Frequency and Sequencing Intentionally
• Curating Content: The Virtue of Modules
• Syllabus Design
• Catalogue Materials
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• Getting Feedback
• Equitable & Inclusive Teaching
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• Teaching and Your Career
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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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Types of Assignments

Cristy Bartlett and Kate Derrington

Introduction

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

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

Different Types of Written Assignments

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

Components of an essay

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

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

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

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

Table 20.1 An effective essay

An effective essay body paragraph needs to:

An effective essay conclusion needs to:

Common types of essays

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

Analytical essays

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

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

Argumentative essays

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

Case Study Responses

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

Students typically lose marks for not:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Table 20.2 Explanations of different types of reports

Reflective writing

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

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

The Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle

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

The 4 R’s of reflective thinking

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

Annotated Bibliography

What is it.

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

How do I know what to include?

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

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

What do I say?

Important considerations include:

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

Literature Reviews

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

Table 20.4 Comparison of Literature Reviews

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Center for Teaching Innovation

Ai in assignment design.

Using generative artificial intelligence (AI) can be both productive and limiting—it can help students to create and revise content, yet it also has the potential to undermine the process by which students create. When incorporated effectively into assignments, generative AI can be leveraged to stimulate students' ability to apply essential knowledge and develop critical thinking skills. 

As you explore the possible uses of generative AI in your course, note that establishing a general familiarity with generative AI and being mindful of accessibility and ethical concerns will be helpful. 

The following process may help you determine how to best incorporate generative AI into your course assignments.

Affirm What You Actually Want to Assess

As you decide how you might incorporate AI into your course, it’s important to revisit your current course assessment plan, most importantly your course learning outcomes —that is, the skills and knowledge you want students to learn and demonstrate by the end of your course. Once you have a clear idea of the specific skills/knowledge you want to assess, the following questions can help determine whether or not your current assignments are effective and assessing what you want them to assess:

• Does my assignment call for the same type of thinking skills that are articulated in my class outcomes? For example, if my course learning outcome calls for students to analyze major themes in a work, is there risk of my final assignment prompting students to do more (e.g., synthesize multiple themes across multiple works) or to do less (e.g., merely identify a theme) than this outcome? If so, there may be a misalignment that can easily be addressed.
• Does my assignment call for the same type of thinking skills that students have actually practiced in class? For example, if I am asking students to generate a research prospectus, have I given them adequate opportunity to develop—and receive feedback on—this skill in class?
• Depending on your discipline, is there a need for an additional course outcome that honors what students now need to know about the use of generative AI in your course/field?

Explore When & How Generative AI Can Facilitate Student Learning

Once you have affirmed your learning outcomes and ensured that your assignments are properly aligned with those outcomes, think about if, when, and how it might make sense to incorporate generative AI. Is there a way to leverage generative AI to engage students in deeper learning, provide meaningful practice, or help scaffold your assignments?

Consider the usefulness of generative AI to serve as:

• Have students analyze AI-generated texts to articulate what constitutes “good” (and not so good) responses to prompts.
• Have students analyze AI-generated texts and engage in error analysis to develop more nuanced and discipline-specific writing skills.
• Leverage the use of generative AI platforms to help students become more discerning. This can help students develop the critical thinking and information literacy skills required to effectively and responsibly use such platforms.
• Have students revise AI-generated texts to develop critical thinking skills.
• Have students engage with a generative AI platform as a tutor. 
• Facilitate students’ responsible, self-guided use of generative AI to develop select discipline specific skills (e.g., coding in computer science courses)
• Have students use generative AI to off-load repetitive tasks.
• Have students use generative AI to conduct preliminary analysis of data sets to confirm broad takeaways and affirm that their more nuanced analysis is heading in the right direction.

Identify When Generative AI Cannot Facilitate Student Learning

It is often the case that students cannot—or should not—leverage generative AI to promote or demonstrate their own learning. To help ensure that your assignment design highlights students’ unique perspectives and underscores the importance of a (non-generative AI informed) discipline-specific process, consider how to emphasize metacognition, authentic application, thematic connection, or personal reflection.  

Even if another part of an assignment calls for the use of generative AI, the following strategies may supplement the uses of AI highlighted above and foster deep and meaningful learning:

• Have students identify the successes and challenges they experienced throughout the completion of a project.
• Have students set incremental goals throughout a project, highlighting next steps of a discipline-specific process, resources they used, and the steps about which they are enthusiastic/nervous.
• Have students self-assess their work, identifying strengths and weaknesses of their product/effort.
• Have students engage in problem-based learning projects, ideally in authentic settings (e.g., problems that focus on our local community, real-world challenges, real-world industries, etc.).
• Have students present projects (and engage with) authentic audiences (e.g., real stakeholders, discipline-specific research partners, native-speaking language partners, etc.)
• Have students connect select reading(s) to course experiences (e.g., labs, field experiences, class discussions). 
• Leverage Canvas-based tools that promote student-to-student interactions (e.g., Hypothesis for social annotation or FeedbackFruits for peer review and feedback).
• Have students provide a reflective rationale for choices made throughout the completion of a class project (e.g., an artist statement, response to a reflection prompt about personal relevance of source selections)
• Have students connect course experiences/motivations to their own lived experiences.

Create Transparent Assignment Materials

Once you have thought about whether or not generative AI can be effectively incorporated into your assignments, it is important to create assignment materials that are transparent (Winkelmes, et al., 2019). Specifically, this means creating ways to communicate to students the task you are are requiring, along with its purpose and evaluative criteria:

• Task. Students will benefit from having a clear and accessible set of directions for the project or assignment you are asking them to complete. 
• Purpose. Students are often more motivated when they understand why a particular task is worth doing and what specific knowledge or skills they will develop by completing the assigned task.
• Evaluative Criteria. Students benefit from having a clear sense of how their work will be evaluated and a full understanding of what good work looks like.

Communicate Your Expectations for Generative AI Use 

Regardless of the extent to which you incorporate the use of generative AI into your assignment design, it is essential to communicate your expectations to students. Sharing clear directions for assignments, communicating how students can be successful in your class, and promoting academic integrity serves both you and your students well. 

Example Assignment Policy Language for Generative AI Use

The following language on the use of generative AI may be helpful as you create directions for specific assignments. Please note that the following sample language does not reflect general, course-level perspectives on the use of generative AI tools. For sample course-level statements, see AI & Academic Integrity .

Prohibiting AI Use for a Specific Assignment

Allowing the use of generative ai for a specific assignment with attribution.

For full details on how to properly cite AI-generated work, please see the APA Style article, How to Cite ChatGPT . "

Encouraging the Use of Generative AI for a Specific Assignment with Attribution

For full details on how to properly cite AI- generated work, please see the APA Style article, How to Cite ChatGPT ."

Confer with Colleagues

There is almost always a benefit to discussing an assessment plan with colleagues, either within or beyond your department. Remember, too, that CTI offers consultations on any topic related to teaching and learning, and we are delighted to collaboratively review your course assessment plan. Visit our Consultations page to learn more, or contact us to set up a consultation.

2023 EducaUse Horizon Report | Teaching and Learning Edition. (2023, May 8). EDUCAUSE Library. https://library.educause.edu/resources/2023/5/2023-educause-horizon-report-teaching-and-learning-edition

Antoniak, M. (2023, June 22). Using large language models with care - AI2 blog. Medium. https://blog.allenai.org/using-large-language-models-with-care-eeb17b0aed27

Dinnar, S. M., Dede, C., Johnson, E., Straub, C. and Korjus, K. (2021), Artificial Intelligence and Technology in Teaching Negotiation. Negotiation Journal, 37: 65-82. https://doi.org/10.1111/nejo.12351

Jensen, T., Dede, C., Tsiwah, F., & Thompson, K. (2023, July 27). Who Does the Thinking: The Role of Generative AI in Higher Education. YouTube. International Association of Universities. Retrieved July 27, 2023.

OpenAI. (2023, February 16.). How should AI systems behave, and who should decide? https://openai.com/blog/how-should-ai-systems-behave

Winkelmes, M. A., Boye, A., & Tapp, S. (2019). Transparent design in higher education 

teaching and leadership: A guide to implementing the transparency framework institution-wide to improve learning and retention. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing .

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Creating and Adapting Assignments for Online Courses

Online teaching requires a deliberate shift in how we communicate, deliver information, and offer feedback to our students. How do you effectively design and modify your assignments to accommodate this shift? The ways you introduce students to new assignments, keep them on track, identify and remedy confusion, and provide feedback after an assignment is due must be altered to fit the online setting. Intentional planning can help you ensure assignments are optimally designed for an online course and expectations are clearly communicated to students.  

When teaching online, it can be tempting to focus on the differences from in-person instruction in terms of adjustments, or what you need to make up for. However, there are many affordances of online assignments that can deepen learning and student engagement. Students gain new channels of interaction, flexibility in when and where they access assignments, more immediate feedback, and a student-centered experience (Gayten and McEwen, 2007; Ragupathi, 2020; Robles and Braathen, 2002). Meanwhile, ample research has uncovered that online assignments benefit instructors through automatic grading, better measurement of learning, greater student involvement, and the storing and reuse of assignments. 

In Practice

While the purpose and planning of online assignments remain the same as their in-person counterparts, certain adjustments can make them more effective. The strategies outlined below will help you design online assignments that support student success while leveraging the benefits of the online environment. 

Align assignments to learning outcomes. 

All assignments work best when they align with your learning outcomes. Each online assignment should advance students' achievement of one or more of your specific outcomes. You may be familiar with  Bloom's Taxonomy,  a well-known framework that organizes and classifies learning objectives based on the actions students take to demonstrate their learning. Online assignments have the added advantage of flexing students' digital skills, and Bloom's has been revamped for the digital age to incorporate technology-based tasks into its categories. For example, students might search for definitions online as they learn and remember course materials, tweet their understanding of a concept, mind map an analysis, or create a podcast. 

See a  complete description of Bloom's Digital Taxonomy  for further ideas. 

Provide authentic assessments. 

Authentic assessments call for relevant, purposeful actions that mimic the real-life tasks students may encounter in their lives and careers beyond the university. They represent a shift away from infrequent high-stakes assessments that tend to evaluate the acquisition of knowledge over application and understanding. Authentic assessments allow students to see the connection between what they're learning and how that learning is used and contextualized outside the virtual walls of the learning management system, thereby increasing their motivation and engagement. 

There are many ways to incorporate authenticity into an assignment, but three main strategies are to use  authentic audiences, content, and formats . A student might, for example, compose a business plan for an audience of potential investors, create a patient care plan that translates medical jargon into lay language, or propose a safe storage process for a museum collection.  

Authentic assessments in online courses can easily incorporate the internet or digital tools as part of an authentic format. Blogs, podcasts, social media posts, and multimedia artifacts such as infographics and videos represent authentic formats that leverage the online context. 

Learn more about  authentic assessments in Designing Assessments of Student Learning . 

Design for inclusivity and accessibility. 

Adopting universal design principles at the outset of course creation will ensure your material is accessible to all students. As you plan your assignments, it's important to keep in mind barriers to access in terms of tools, technology, and cost. Consider which tools achieve your learning outcomes with the fewest barriers. 

Offering a variety of assignment formats is one way to ensure students can demonstrate learning in a manner that works best for them. You can provide options within an individual assignment, such as allowing students to submit either written text or an audio recording or to choose from several technologies or platforms when completing a project. 

Be mindful of how you frame and describe an assignment to ensure it doesn't disregard populations through exclusionary language or use culturally specific references that some students may not understand. Inclusive language for all genders and racial or ethnic backgrounds can foster a sense of belonging that fully invests students in the learning community.  

Learn more about  Universal Design of Learning  and  Shaping a Positive Learning Environment . 

Design to promote academic integrity online. 

Much like incorporating universal design principles at the outset of course creation, you can take a proactive approach to academic integrity online. Design assignments that limit the possibilities for students to use the work of others or receive prohibited outside assistance.  

Provide   authentic assessments  that are more difficult to plagiarize because they incorporate recent events or unique contexts and formats. 

Scaffold assignments  so that students can work their way up to a final product by submitting smaller portions and receiving feedback along the way. 

Lower the stakes  by providing more frequent formative assessments in place of high-stakes, high-stress assessments. 

In addition to proactively creating assignments that deter cheating, there are several university-supported tools at your disposal to help identify and prevent cheating.  

Learn more about these tools in  Strategies and Tools for Academic Integrity in Online Environments . 

Communicate detailed instructions and clarify expectations. 

When teaching in-person, you likely dedicate class time to introducing and explaining an assignment; students can ask questions or linger after class for further clarification. In an online class, especially in  asynchronous  online classes, you must anticipate where students' questions might arise and account for them in the assignment instructions.  

The  Carmen course template  addresses some of students' common questions when completing an assignment. The template offers places to explain the assignment's purpose, list out steps students should take when completing it, provide helpful resources, and detail academic integrity considerations.  

Providing a rubric will clarify for students how you will evaluate their work, as well as make your grading more efficient. Sharing examples of previous student work (both good and bad) can further help students see how everything should come together in their completed products. 

Technology Tip

Enter all  assignments and due dates  in your Carmen course to increase transparency. When assignments are entered in Carmen, they also populate to Calendar, Syllabus, and Grades areas so students can easily track their upcoming work. Carmen also allows you to  develop rubrics  for every assignment in your course.  

Promote interaction and collaboration. 

Frequent student-student interaction in any course, but particularly in online courses, is integral to developing a healthy learning community that engages students with course material and contributes to academic achievement. Online education has the inherent benefit of offering multiple channels of interaction through which this can be accomplished. 

Carmen  Discussions   are a versatile platform for students to converse about and analyze course materials, connect socially, review each other's work, and communicate asynchronously during group projects. 

Peer review  can be enabled in Carmen  Assignments  and  Discussions .  Rubrics  can be attached to an assignment or a discussion that has peer review enabled, and students can use these rubrics as explicit criteria for their evaluation. Alternatively, peer review can occur within the comments of a discussion board if all students will benefit from seeing each other's responses. 

Group projects  can be carried out asynchronously through Carmen  Discussions  or  Groups , or synchronously through Carmen's  Chat function  or  CarmenZoom . Students (and instructors) may have apprehensions about group projects, but well-designed group work can help students learn from each other and draw on their peers’ strengths. Be explicit about your expectations for student interaction and offer ample support resources to ensure success on group assignments. 

Learn more about  Student Interaction Online .

Choose technology wisely. 

The internet is a vast and wondrous place, full of technology and tools that do amazing things. These tools can give students greater flexibility in approaching an assignment or deepen their learning through interactive elements. That said, it's important to be selective when integrating external tools into your online course.  

Look first to your learning outcomes and, if you are considering an external tool, determine whether the technology will help students achieve these learning outcomes. Unless one of your outcomes is for students to master new technology, the cognitive effort of using an unfamiliar tool may distract from your learning outcomes.  

Carmen should ultimately be the foundation of your course where you centralize all materials and assignments. Thoughtfully selected external tools can be useful in certain circumstances. 

Explore supported tools 

There are many  university-supported tools  and resources already available to Ohio State users. Before looking to external tools, you should explore the available options to see if you can accomplish your instructional goals with supported systems, including the  eLearning toolset , approved  CarmenCanvas integrations , and the  Microsoft365 suite .  

If a tool is not university-supported, keep in mind the security and accessibility implications, the learning curve required to use the tool, and the need for additional support resources. If you choose to use a new tool, provide links to relevant help guides on the assignment page or post a video tutorial. Include explicit instructions on how students can get technical support should they encounter technical difficulties with the tool. 

Adjustments to your assignment design can guide students toward academic success while leveraging the benefits of the online environment.  

Effective assignments in online courses are:  

Aligned to course learning outcomes 

Authentic and reflect real-life tasks 

Accessible and inclusive for all learners 

Designed to encourage academic integrity 

Transparent with clearly communicated expectations 

Designed to promote student interaction and collaboration 

Supported with intentional technology tools 

• Cheating Lessons: Learning from Academic Dishonesty (e-book)
• Making Your Course Accessible for All Learners (workshop reccording)
• Writing Multiple Choice Questions that Demand Critical Thinking (article)

Learning Opportunities

Conrad, D., & Openo, J. (2018).  Assessment strategies for online learning: Engagement and authenticity . AU Press. Retrieved from  https://library.ohio-state.edu/record=b8475002~S7 

Gaytan, J., & McEwen, B. C. (2007). Effective online instructional and assessment strategies.  American Journal of Distance Education ,  21 (3), 117–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/08923640701341653   

Mayer, R. E. (2001).  Multimedia learning . New York: Cambridge University Press.  

Ragupathi, K. (2020). Designing Effective Online Assessments Resource Guide . National University of Singapore. Retrieved from  https://www.nus.edu.sg/cdtl/docs/default-source/professional-development-docs/resources/designing-online-assessments.pdf  

Robles, M., & Braathen, S. (2002). Online assessment techniques.  Delta Pi Epsilon Journal ,  44 (1), 39–49.  https://proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN=507795215&site=eds-live&scope=site  

Swan, K., Shen, J., & Hiltz, S. R. (2006). Assessment and collaboration in online learning.  Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks ,  10 (1), 45.  

TILT Higher Ed. (n.d.).  TILT Examples and Resources . Retrieved from   https://tilthighered.com/tiltexamplesandresources  

Tallent-Runnels, M. K., Thomas, J. A., Lan, W. Y., Cooper, S., Ahern, T. C., Shaw, S. M., & Liu, X. (2006). Teaching Courses Online: A Review of the Research.  Review of Educational Research ,  76 (1), 93–135.  https://www-jstor-org.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/stable/3700584  

Walvoord, B. & Anderson, V.J. (2010).  Effective Grading : A Tool for Learning and Assessment in College: Vol. 2nd ed . Jossey-Bass.  https://library.ohio-state.edu/record=b8585181~S7

Related Teaching Topics

Designing assessments of student learning, strategies and tools for academic integrity in online environments, student interaction online, universal design for learning: planning with all students in mind, related toolsets, carmencanvas, search for resources.

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Common Assignments: Journal Entries

Basics of journal entries, related webinar.

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

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Sample written assignments

Look at sample assignments to help you develop and enhance your academic writing skills. 

How to use this page

This page features authentic sample assignments that you can view or download to help you develop and enhance your academic writing skills. 

PLEASE NOTE: Comments included in these sample written assignments  are intended as an educational guide only.  Always check with academic staff which referencing convention you should follow. All sample assignments have been submitted using Turnitin® (anti-plagiarism software). Under no circumstances should you copy from these or any other texts.

Annotated bibliography

Annotated Bibliography: Traditional Chinese Medicine  (PDF, 103KB)

Essay: Business - "Culture is a Tool Used by Management"  (PDF, 496KB)

Essay: Business - "Integrating Business Perspectives - Wicked Problem"  (PDF, 660KB)

Essay: Business - "Overconsumption and Sustainability"  (PDF, 762KB)

Essay: Business - "Post bureaucracy vs Bureaucracy"  (PDF, 609KB)

Essay: Design, Architecture & Building - "Ideas in History - Postmodernism"  (PDF, 545KB)

Essay: Design, Architecture & Building - "The Context of Visual Communication Design Research Project"  (PDF, 798KB)

Essay: Design, Architecture & Building - "Ideas in History - The Nurses Walk and Postmodernism"  (PDF, 558KB)

Essay: Health (Childhood Obesity )  (PDF, 159KB)

Essay: Health  (Improving Quality and Safety in Healthcare)  (PDF, 277KB)

Essay: Health (Organisational Management in Healthcare)   (PDF, 229KB)

UTS HELPS annotated Law essay

 (PDF, 250KB)

Essay: Science (Traditional Chinese Medicine)  (PDF, 153KB)

Literature review

Literature Review: Education (Critical Pedagogy)   (PDF, 165KB)

Reflective writing

Reflective Essay: Business (Simulation Project)  (PDF, 119KB)

Reflective Essay: Nursing (Professionalism in Context)  (PDF, 134KB)

Report: Business (Management Decisions and Control)   (PDF, 244KB)

Report: Education (Digital Storytelling)  (PDF, 145KB)

Report: Education (Scholarly Practice)   (PDF, 261KB)

Report: Engineering Communication (Flood Mitigation & Water Storage)  (PDF, 1MB)

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.

Designing Assignments and Activities with ChatGPT and Generative AI in Mind

Generative AI, such as ChatGPT, can be a powerful tool to engage students in learning and creativity. Essentially, generative AI tools are those that create content on their own without human intervention. It can be useful for writing text, generating ideas, creating images, writing and editing code, and more. By designing assignments that incorporate generative AI technology, instructors can provide students with opportunities to explore, create, and problem-solve. However, as an instructor, you may also want to create assignments that challenge students to demonstrate their own knowledge and skills without relying heavily on AI-generated content. In this article, we will review different assignment ideas and strategies to create prompts and assignment ideas in different disciplines.

Table of Contents

Syllabus statements and student input, is ai use cheating.

• AI Detection
• Design Assignments to Limit AI Use
• Design Assignments to Work with AI
• Registration
• Recording from August, 2023
• Workshop Slides

Intelligent.com conducted a poll of more than 1,000 current college students in May 2023 regarding their use of ChatGPT for coursework. 30% of students used ChatGPT for coursework during the 2022/2023 academic year, and of that group, 46% utilized it frequently. Users of ChatGPT and other generative AI tools like Bing Chat and Google Bard continue to grow with some flattening of the upward trend in summer 2023. Generative AI is rapidly advancing and becoming more prevalent in education, work, and our daily lives. As an educator, it’s a good idea to help students be aware of the ethical considerations surrounding the use of generative AI.

• Consider adding an acceptable use statement in your syllabus. Here are some guidelines and examples.
• How do you think generative AI can be applied to the course assignments in this class?
• Can you share any specific examples of generative AI being used in educational settings?
• How can we ensure that AI tools are used in a way that promotes skill development in our course?
• After reviewing the assignment directions and grading information, what would be some helpful uses of AI tools that will still allow you to learn the content and demonstrate your learning?
• Based on various surveys and instructor experiences, not all students believe it is ethical to use AI on assignments. Be sure to include a discussion/policy about how AI can or cannot be used in group work.

There is no standard for determining if AI use by students qualifies as plagiarism or cheating . There is also no consistent standard for citing or crediting work using an AI tool. It may be useful to check with your professional organizations and journals and share any of their policies with students. Currently, AI is part of retail and other business careers, education in personalized learning, systems that make recommendations, human resources decisions, healthcare, agriculture, gaming, marketing, finance, and more .

Organization and publication examples:

• RTDNA Journalism Association
• NIH Grants Peer Review Policy
• IEEE Journal Submission Policy

Citation Style Guidance:

• APA: How to Cite ChatGPT
• MLA: How Do I Cite Generative AI in MLA Style?
• Chicago Style Manual

It may be useful to reflect on how you define plagiarism and cheating and then help guide students to think about it. Review this image from Matt Miller @DitchThatTextbook to help guide your thinking.

No True Detection of AI is Possible

There is no “fool-proof” way to detect AI use in student projects, and there have been many stories published about false positives and negatives using various AI detectors.

At NC State University, we provide access to Turnitin, which has an AI detector if you would like to get some input on if students have used AI to craft their writing. That said, do not use Turnitin as sole evidence that a student has cheated or plagiarized. Please review the academic integrity guidance and policies from the Office of Student Conduct. Note that the Division of Academic and Student Affairs also encourages faculty to notify students if they plan on using Turnitin.

• Turnitin at NC State
• Turnitin AI Detection
• Article on AI detection issues with Turnitin

AI detection and AI detector workaround programs are regularly being created and released. Here are some common tools and videos guiding students and content creators on how to get around AI detection.

• AI Text Classifier by OpenAI
• AI Content Detector: Writer  
• AI Writing CheckWriter’s AI Content Detector
• Video: How to Not Get Caught Using ChatGPT at School
• Video: New Way to Bypass AI Detection

There are also some red flags you can look for in reviewing student work. It’s helpful (albeit difficult in large classes) if you know your students writing and can determine if an assignment does not fit their typical way or level of writing. What to look for:

• A factual error or made-up citation
• Missing required assignment data sources or article text
• “Too perfect” in terms of grammar and usage
• Overly formal, detached, or impersonal style/tone
• Predictable formations – -like a five-paragraph essay from middle school language arts
• The writing too directly and repetitively parallels the assignment directions

Note: Students who are good at prompt writing and provide context, follow-up questions, a voice for the AI, etc., may not produce writing that exhibits these flaws. You may also want to consider having a conversation with a student about their work and topic if you have concerns. ChatGPT-4 (a paid option) is significantly better at avoiding these style issues, and Bing Chat is powered by GPT-4 (free).

Designing Assignments to Limit AI Usage

There are ways to design assignments that can make generative AI use more difficult for students. However, as tools become more sophisticated, assignment revisions may not be enough to truly prevent students from using AI; however, these strategies are a good start.

Ask ChatGPT

Ask ChatGPT to provide assignment examples in your field that would be difficult for it to complete. Include context, specific learning outcomes, and more to get a more specific list of suggestions. Prompt Example:

• You are a professor for an introductory course in {subject area} at the college level. You are trying to design assignments that would be tricky for students to use AI to complete. What are some assignment ideas and topics within the field that would be difficult for Bard to complete successfully?
• You are a professor for a college statistics course. Students are expected to recognize and be able to explain the central role of variability in the field of statistics. They also must be able to find variability when interpreting data. What are some course assignments that students can complete to show they have met these objectives and that are difficult for ChatGPT to complete? Explain how the assignment will help students demonstrate their understanding and what makes it complicated for a generative AI tool like ChatGPT. See the results here!

Require Specific Data Sources to be Used in the Assignment

ChatGPT is not connected to the web. It’s a “pretrained” tool that has not been trained on information post-2021. So, incorporating specific texts into assignments can make things more difficult for ChatGPT. You can ask students to write and cite sources/text from specific articles or videos. You can also provide data sets that students must use in their work.

Google Version History

Require that students submit written work using Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc., and use version history to validate that the writing and input occurred over time vs. in large chunks suggesting that students may have copied and pasted from another source like ChatGPT. Students have also used time stamps in Google Docs version history to exonerate themselves from false positives picked up by AI detectors.

Incorporate Student Discussion and Collaboration

In-person student discussions that reference past class activities, readings done outside of class, previous lectures, and so on can be integrated into your course. Examples:

• Ask students in a chemistry course to compare and contrast two models that they read about for homework or that were shared in a recorded lecture. Ask students to come up with examples in class (or on a discussion board) with a partner based on the reading assignment.
• Use Perusall and set the auto-grading (ai-assisted) feature to highly weight active engagement time and getting responses. Manually grade and let students know that credit comes from their in-text conversations with each other.

Reflective Assignments

AI tools are not truly reflective and aren’t likely (even fictionally) to make good connections between course content and personal experience or learnings. Examples:

• Write a reflection on a time when you struggled with a {subject area} concept. What was the concept? How did you eventually understand it? What advice would you give to other students who are struggling with the same concept?
• Compare and contrast two different ways of solving a problem {in your content area}. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method? When would you use one method over the other?

Real-World & Localized Connections in Assignments

Some AI tools are not connected to the internet and will not have an understanding of local references or the most recent sources. Others may not be able to draw connections that make sense to humans who understand those “smaller” contexts. For example, we asked Bard to write a short story set in a modern-day context in Raleigh, North Carolina on the NC State Campus and gave it some specific guidelines. In addition to writing a formulaic story , Bard regularly referenced “The Old Well” which is part of the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. Prompt example:

• Analyze the impact of a recent policy change {content-specific} or ask students to choose a policy change that has been implemented in the last year. Research the policy change and its implications for the economy. Write a report that includes the expected impact, strengths and weaknesses of the change, and recommendations for how the policy change could be improved.

Take Assignments through a Process

Asking students to complete an assignment with a process including steps like brainstorming, mapping, drafting, peer review, an interview, and a final product can make it difficult for them to find successful ways to use AI. It may be able to help students with sections of the assignment but not the entire product or process. You can also ask students process-oriented questions along the way. You can also include ambiguous questions or those that require positions on controversial topics. Examples:

• Compare your answers to your team’s answers. Discuss any differences.
• Explain the process you followed to arrive at your conclusion.
• Analyze the ethical implications of each step in the process and propose alternatives if necessary.
• Explain the long-term consequences of implementing this process and how they might evolve over time.
• Discuss the role of creativity and innovation in…
• Identify potential biases, assumptions, and problems that could arise and suggest methods to mitigate them.

Retrieval Practice Activities

Retrieval practice activities allow students to practice recalling information from class activities, lectures, readings, and so on. If specific to course content, AI would not be helpful in these activities (particularly if completed in person). More on retrieval practice .

Multi-Step with a Creative Component

Create projects in which students demonstrate their learning. Essentially find ways to ask them to take what they’ve learned, organize it, and make something with it. Examples:

• Short story writing in which students must use content information, specific vocabulary, and maybe even primary sources to craft a story.
• Ask students to create a comic strip based on a concept, vocabulary, a reading, etc.
• Students creating a public service announcement video to demonstrate learning

Blended Instruction or Flipping

You may also want to consider using blended or flipping formats for your course in order to limit AI use. In this model, students would learn content outside of class time and then use class time for the application of what they learned.

Designing Assignments to Work with AI

AI tools are likely to be used by students in future careers and likely in their coursework, so one approach is to incorporate the tools directly and intentionally into assignments and activities.

“Am I going to teach students to write or to write with AI tools like ChatGPT? Derek Bruff

Consider these assignment reflection questions from Derek Bruff’s article “Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age.”

• Why does this assignment make sense for this course?
• What are the specific learning objectives for this assignment?
• How might students use AI tools while working on this assignment?
• How might AI undercut the goals of this assignment? How could you mitigate this?
• How might AI enhance the assignment? Where would students need help figuring that out?
• Focus on the process. How could you make the assignment more meaningful for students or support them more in the work?

Consider these ideas for assignments that can work with AI tools:

• Use AI to generate multiple explanations for a concept and ask students to critique the AI-generated explanations. Ask them to cite/use specific course readings, notes from lectures, etc., in their critiques.
• Save time in reviewing student writing by asking them or requiring them first to get an AI review of their work, then reflect on the review, make edits, and then submit their final work.
• Include an AI tool in a “Think-Pair-Share” activity in class. Students pair with another person in class and then with an AI tool.
• Ask students to predict what responses they will get from AI to specific course content questions, problem sets, etc.
• Provide several responses from AI and ask students to make a better or different product using those drafts/responses. They might make a mind map from a narrative created by AI and then find three additional sources to support or expand on different sections of the mind map.
• Assign a peer teaching project in which students will teach a concept or review a concept for their peers. Encourage students to get help from AI with the content and in designing a short activity that can be done as part of the peer teaching. Make students responsible for answering questions from peers and instructors. Use any gaps to adjust your own teaching.
• Ask students to debate an AI tool — students on one side and ChatGPT on the other.
• Ask students to find evidence for an AI-created “main points” of an article. First, copy and paste an article into ChatGPT (or a link to an article into Bing or Bard) and ask the tool to summarize the key points of the article. Then provide that to students and ask them to find quotes or details that expand on each point.

NC State Office of Faculty Excellence: Navigating the Landscape of Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Writing Instructors –> Tim Laquintano, Carly Schnitzler, and Annette Vee — TextGenEd: An Introduction to Teaching With Text Generation Technologies (Assignment examples for AI Literacy, Creative Explorations, Ethical Considerations, and more – access at the bottom of the article)

Writing Instructors –> Anna Mills (Curator). AI Text Generators and Teaching Writing: Starting Points For Inquiry

AI Writing Detection: Red Flags

Ethan & Lilach Mollick — Using AI to Implement Effective Teaching Strategies in Classrooms: Five Strategies, Including Prompts

Ethan Mollick — Assigning AI: Seven Ways of Using AI in Class and The Homework Apocalypse  

Jeffrey Young — EdSurge Instructors Rush to Do ‘Assignment Makeovers’ to Respond to ChatGPT” 

Derek Bruff

• Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age: Essay Edition
• Assignment Makeovers in the AI Age: Reading Response Edition

Tyler Cowen & Alexander Tabarook How to Learn & Teach Economics with Large Language Models, Including GPT

Sam Lau & Philip Guo Teaching Programming in the Age of ChatGPT – O’Reilly  

AI Prompts for Teaching  

Impact Research: K-12 Teachers & Students ChatGPT Use

Torrey Trust — Essential Considerations for Addressing the Possibility of AI-Driven Cheating, Part 1 | Faculty Focus  

Ideas to Limit AI Use in Assignments from Google Bard  

Educause Review: Artificial Intelligence

An introduction to prompting generative AI like ChatGPT for teaching and learning  

ChatGPT, Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence in Education – Ditch That Textbook

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning (PDF)  

Rethinking your Problem Sets in the World of Generative AI – MIT

Hybrid Teaching: Best Practices

Blended Learning | Columbia CTL  

How We Use AI to Enhance Your Writing | Grammarly 

30 AI tools for the classroom – Ditch That Textbook  

College of Education ChatGPT Resources

Templates for college and university assignments

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8 creative assignments that make finals kind of awesome.

1. Sociology of Food

In Professor of Sociology Idee Winfield’s First Year Experience final, students will eat. Yep. That’s right. Of course, there’s more to the assignment than that, but the exam period will involve a potluck meal during which student groups will present on an aspect of the industrial food system and its consequences for around 20 minutes each.

“Students will combine multimedia with presentation software and a variety of active learning strategies, such as blind taste tests and game show formats, to teach a topic,” Winfield said.

2. Introduction to Data Science

Data science is the intersection of statistics, mathematics, and computer science applied to extracting knowledge from big data. Consistently ranked as one of the top fields to watch in the next decade, recent graduates of the College’s program are in positions at industry-leading analytic companies or taking on graduate school fellowships to Ivy League colleges. Assistant Professor Paul Anderson is showing students the full range of possibilities for data scientists in his introductory course’s final.

“Each student will play the part of a data scientist hired to analyze a breast cancer diagnostic dataset,” Anderson said. “Their task is to analyze and prepare a report on their findings after developing computational models that predict whether or not a patient has a benign or malignant form of breast cancer.”

3. TV Production

Adjunct Professor Tim Fennell has assigned students of his communication course to produce and/or edit short video projects. One student is editing a music video by multi-platinum Mark Bryan (shot as part of a project for his arts management course) for his song A Little Bit of Everything .

4. Globalization, Governance, and Un-Americanizing U.S. Cities in the 21st Century

In Urban Studies Program Director Kevin Keenan’s First Year Experience course, which focuses on issues affecting major American cities and how those issues trickle through to smaller U.S. cities, he’s requiring students to map urban governance concepts covered in the class, such as approaches to economic revitalization and urban activism to a sensory experience.

Students are also required to integrate knowledge from other courses to achieve “integrative learning,” and they must use all of their senses to engage with this knowledge just as they learn about the world in their everyday lives using these same senses.

“Students will provide that sensory experience in the format of the project to explain how their body in all of its senses is helping them learn,” Keenan explained.

RELATED: Formulate a zombie apocalypse escape plan with Keenan’s help

5. Law and Society

Former College of Charleston President and Chief Justice of the S.C. Court of Appeals Alex Sanders is teaching students in this political science course designed to introduce students to the legal method of deciding disputes through the study of particular areas of legal doctrine.

For his final, which covers only the second half of the semester, Sanders is letting each student choose a social issue (like affirmative action, gun control or same-sex marriage) to analyze. The issues are discussed in class, then the student must write a paper arguing against his or her chosen position on the issue.

6. Theatre and Ethical Choice

Associate Professor of Theatre and Dance Susan Kattwinkel’s First Year Experience course examines plays and performances that force audiences to consider questions like which of two moral codes to follow, whom to believe and when to sacrifice personal desires for the greater good.

Students in her course will choose a scene, character or image that illustrates an ethical choice from the 2014-15 College Reads! book The Good Soldiers in their final. They will write and perform (in groups) a short scene based around their selections.

7. Campaigns and Elections

Political science department chair Gibbs Knotts teaches this course, which focuses on American elections, campaigns, and voting behavior within the context of political representation and U.S. electoral rules and procedures. He has assigned students to apply research from the discipline of political science to a recent statewide election.

Specifically, students will analyze candidate profiles, campaign strategy and election results for a comprehensive look at their chosen election.

8. Healing Narratives: Understanding Illness Through Storytelling

In this unique course taught by Assistant Professor of English Kathele Béres Rogers and Adjunct Professor of Psychology Silvia Youssef Hanna, students have worked with community members from local hospice and assisted-living facilities to understand them and their stories. For the final assignment, students will present the narratives of those community members.

RELATED: Learn more about the class in this College of Charleston Magazine article

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20 Business Ideas for College Students in 2024

Starting a business in college opens up opportunities beyond what’s offered in the classroom. Browse business ideas you can implement from your dorm room.

While summers typically bring sunshine and a chance to relax or travel, for college students the season presents a different opportunity. Starting a small business while you’re still in college can help you reduce tuition debt and earn real-world experience in the summer months. It may even become a flexible side gig once classes resume.

Even better news: There are ways to design your summer around something you enjoy, where you make money online while setting your own hours. There is no shortage of clever small business ideas for college students. But which one is right for you?

Ahead, explore low-barrier business ideas you can implement with little to no upfront investment or experience. The future is bright for those who seize it! 

20 business ideas for college students

• Sell handmade goods
• Start a tutoring business
• Sell digital products
• Start a neighborhood service-based business
• Try dropshipping
• Become a content creator
• Become a reseller
• Sell print-on-demand goods
• Become a freelancer
• Create experiences
• Sell at pop-up shops and markets
• Run a summer camp program
• Offer technical services
• Start and monetize a podcast
• Create and sell student resources
• Start a community-focused business or non-profit
• Innovate and develop a new product
• Organize on-campus events
• Try affiliate marketing
• Offer branding and marketing services

Whether you’re fresh out of high school or you’re on break before your senior year of college, this is your moment. When else in your life will you have this much time—and youthful energy—to make a leap? 

There are plenty of profitable business ideas for college students that require no startup costs, and can even be run from your home (or dorm room).

1. Sell handmade goods

If you’re creative, take a break from the books to work with your hands and sell handmade goods . You can sell your products through an ecommerce store, online marketplace , or in-person events like a local market. There may be opportunities to sell or market your goods on campus, too. Check with your student administration for rules around commercial activity on school property. 

🧼 Success Story: How Katie Carson Build a Soap Empire on YouTube

Royalty Soaps was born after its founder—then a high school student—gained a loyal YouTube following for her soap-making content. 👉 Read Katie's story

2. Start a tutoring business

3. Sell digital products

This is one of the best business ideas for students living in cramped apartments or dorm rooms. All you need is a computer and your creativity. If you’re studying design, try creating templates or printable digital art to sell online . In a music program? Create beats or short music clips to license for commercial use. 

4. Start a neighborhood service-based business

5. Try dropshipping

6. Become a content creator

Angelina Li started making her own slime at age 14, documenting her experiments on TikTok. After she went viral, she built Fireflyslime , running the business while attending college.

If you’re already a minor superstar on a social media platform like TikTok , YouTube , or Instagram , consider leveraging your growing audience to make money. Do sponsored content or set up an ecommerce store to sell merch to your fans. If you’re starting from scratch, the key to building a following on social media is finding a niche market and creating consistent, engaging content that speaks to your target audience .

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7. Become a reseller

8. Sell print-on-demand goods 

Selling print-on-demand goods is another great option for starting a business on a low budget, and it’s one of the easiest online business ideas for creatives. If you have artistic skills, you can print your designs onto anything from t-shirts to mugs. This business model is a great startup idea you can launch in your free time and run without much oversight.

9. Become a freelancer

10. Create experiences

As a hospitality student, you may consider testing your skills by creating experiences. Can you build and sell local experiences to tourists, for example? Think biking or culinary tours of your city’s favorite spots. University students can offer a unique perspective of the place where they study. In person or virtual classes can also fall under this category. Have a skill and a knack for teaching? Advertise DIY workshops or online marketing courses.

11. Sell at pop-up shops and markets

🥪 Success Story: How a Vegan "Meat" Brand Launched at a Farmer's Market

Brother and sister team Kale and Aubry Walch tested their recipes at a local market before building their own plant-based deli. 👉 Read their story

12. Run a summer camp program 

13. Offer technical services

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14. Start and monetize a podcast

15. Create and sell student resources

16. Start a community-focused business or non-profit 

If your goal isn’t to make money but to gain skills and experience, you could start a cause-based business that gives back to a charity or community organization that you care about. Otherwise, your for-profit business can still aim to donate proceeds to a cause of your choice. Consider worthy causes that are close to home, like providing support for students on financial assistance.

17. Innovate and develop a new product

If you’re in an industrial design program, you have access to the tools and software to help you develop a product. If you stumble upon a great invention that could solve a pain point, don’t wait until you graduate to bring it to market. Tap into campus resources to launch your business while you’re still in college.

👩🏾‍🦱 Success Story: An Art Major Developed a Product to Fill a Market Gap

Yelitsa Jean-Charles was dissatisfied by the options for dolls with Black hair. So she designed her own. She built her successful business, Healthy Roots Dolls, to teach a generation to love their curls. 👉 Read Yelitsa’s story

18. Organize on-campus events

19. Try affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money online with minimal effort, once you set it up. This is one of the best business ideas for students with already busy schedules. To get started, you’ll need an audience, whether that’s a loyal group of subscribers on YouTube or an engaged Substack email list. You’ll then embed affiliate links in your content, promoting another brand’s products and making a commission when it leads to a sale. 

20. Offer branding and marketing services

The benefits of starting a business in college

School can give you the academic backing to pursue your dream career, but starting a business teaches you valuable lessons you won’t find in a classroom. There are several benefits to pursuing a business idea in college—and it’s not too late to cash in on them.

Gain real world experience 

Sure, business school can teach you theory and formulas, but there’s nothing like doing business to learn the ropes. Experience helps make your résumé stand out from the competition. 

Learn hands-on skills 

Strengthen your skills in empathy, delegation, stress management , customer service , and more. Student entrepreneurs have a leg up on fellow graduates once they hit the job market. The skills you learn outside the classroom become just as valuable as those learned in class. 

Build your professional network

By the time you graduate, you already have a contact list full of people to approach for references, mentorships, and even jobs. This network can include faculty, other students, and members of the local business community . 

Try out an industry before you graduate

Studying fashion management? Run your own business selling clothes online to get a taste for the business. Have an interest in working with animals? Try your hand at starting a pet business , offering services to pet owners like dog walking or cat sitting.

Flesh out your résumé

As a new graduate, your CV may be pretty sparse. But if you run your own business in college, you can add “CEO” to your list of accomplishments.

Earn extra cash

Saving to pay expenses and minimize debt is a good idea if you want to lessen the burden after you graduate. A part-time retail job can also be a source of income, but when you’re the boss, the earning potential is up to you.

Enjoy an income source that works around your studies

The common struggle of scheduling a part-time job around studying and classes can add stress. Work on your business on a flexible schedule and then go all in on your summer break.

Gain job opportunities

Your experience running a business will expose you to other people and businesses in your industry. If you make a great impression, these connections could lead directly to job offers after you graduate.

Prepare for your future

One of the biggest takeaways from the FIRE movement is that the earlier you start planning for retirement , the earlier it can happen. Earning income through a small business in college means that you may be able to start saving and investing now. 

💡For parents and teachers: Know a younger student looking for a summer opportunity? Browse age-appropriate business ideas for students in Shopify’s guides to business ideas for teens and business ideas for kids and help them start a business that sets them up for success.

How do I start a business as a college student?

Which business idea for college students is best for you? In short, your startup should reflect your interests and leverage your strengths. Ask and answer questions like:

• What am I good at?
• What skills do I have that could benefit others?
• Can any of my hobbies or interests become a small business?
• What’s important to me and what are my values ?
• How much time do I have to commit to a small business?
• How much will it cost to start a business ?
• How can I leverage resources at my college to help me start a business ?
• What are my goals?

The answers to these questions will also become a foundation for your business plan and brand guidelines . 

Graduate ahead of the class

There are infinite small business ideas for students of all ages. College students should especially take advantage of this exciting phase of life to explore all possibilities for the future—and graduate with a leg up on your classmates. Whether you sell products or services online or find unique opportunities in your field of study, you could be making money now doing what you love.

Feature image by Alice Mollon

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Business ideas for college students FAQ

What is the best business idea for college students.

The best business idea to pursue while you’re still in college is the one that fits best with your schedule, skills, and interests. There are a number of services you can offer that would benefit your built-in audience of fellow students. Profitable business ideas with low upfront costs include on-campus tech services, print-on demand sales, and maker businesses.

What can I sell as a university student?

University students can sell anything, provided you check age restrictions for selling products like alcohol and understand local laws that govern the product or service you’re selling. Creatives can sell prints through a photography business or dabble in jewelry making. Sell your skill through consulting or paid online courses. The possibilities are endless!

What are low cost college business ideas?

Low cost business ideas for college students are those that do not require upfront inventory, specialized equipment, or other costs to get started. For a small fee, anyone can start a business by setting up a simple website to sell goods or services. Try the Shopify Starter Plan to get up and running right from your social accounts.

What’s the easiest business to start in college?

The easiest businesses to start in college is one with a business model that allows you to have a flexible schedule, a low barrier to entry, and low initial investment. These include affiliate marketing, selling digital products, virtual assistant services, and dropshipping.

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Common Types of Assignments in College and University

Students encounter many types of assignments in their academic journey through college and university. Understanding which assignments these are and how to navigate them sets you apart from other students.

You must follow specific academic writing guidelines and conventions when writing every assignment. Often, a rubric, guidelines, and prompt will be presented via Blackboard, Canvas, email, or PowerPoint slides.

When you know what to expect, you can plan well for it. Here is a complete list of types of assignments you will encounter in college and university.  

List of the Assignments You will Right in College and University Levels

Higher education primarily assesses students by how they express their ideas, knowledge, and experiences. 95% of the assessments will most likely involve writing. The 5% comprises oral presentations and simulations. Below are some common assignments to expect as you step into college or university:

Essay assignments allow you (the student) to research and express your thoughts, ideas, and arguments in written form as you use evidence to support or make meaning to the assessors or professor.

An essay's lowest number of paragraphs is a single paragraph, considering the short 150-200 word one-paragraph essays offered for in-class assessments or exams. There are also two and three-paragraph essays.

A standard college/university-level essay has a 5-paragraph format, which allows you to expand or expound on the thesis in three body paragraphs. The essays have three main parts, the introduction, the body section, and the conclusion. Every paragraph has a topic sentence, supporting sentences, and a concluding statement.

Essays can be argumentative , analytical , expository/explanatory , persuasive, descriptive , definitive, classification , comparative , or summative. When writing an essay, ensure that you have a good title that reflects what it is about. It should also have a thesis, the central claim, or the controlling idea. Finally, the essays should be polished and well-formatted. There is no specific number of essays you are expected to write. However, ensure you perform exemplarily well on each essay to maintain high grades. 

You can also be assigned to write memos. In such assignments, the expectation is for you to write short correspondences to a real or imagined target audience. Memorandum assignments hone your official communication skills, which are helpful in business communication.

You can be assigned to write a memo communication to employers, employees, CEOs, management teams, politicians, activists, etc.

Ensure that you follow the formal memo format and cite and format the memo in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, or Oxford, as needed.

3. Policy Analysis Papers

Depending on your course, you might be assigned to write a paper that analyzes a specific policy or legislation. You will give your expert opinion on a policy and suggest improvement areas. Such assignments are common with social work, medical, nursing, and business students.

4. Posters and Presentations

In most classes, your professor or teacher will assign you to make a poster presentation for the class, seminar, or for demonstration purposes. Nursing students often prepare posters to share their proposals or when defending their capstone projects.

You will also find assignments that require you to create PowerPoint slides that you can present in class or before your professor. Lately, professors require you to make slides and incorporate your audio as you present the facts. Ensure that such slides are appealing and well-designed. Use presenter notes to avoid crowding your slides with points.

5. Dissertations

Students in their senior years are sometimes required to submit dissertations to fulfill the requirements to obtain a degree certification. Technically, this happens at the end of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. When assigned to write a dissertation, begin by writing a proposal approved by your supervisor/assessor, conducting the study/research, and writing an entire dissertation that meets the requirements.

6. Term Papers

Term papers are papers written at the end of every semester on a specific topic of focus for the specific semester.

The aim is to evaluate if you have grasped the knowledge your teacher or professor shared the entire semester. It should follow the format of a scientific research paper.

Writing a term paper is a draining assignment requiring commitment, time management, and good writing skills. Your instructor expects to see you display exquisite skills and knowledge gathered throughout the semester.

7. Research Papers

Students dread research paper assignments, yet they are expected at college and university levels. When assigned to write a research paper, you are supposed to select the best research topic, plan, research, write, and polish the paper before submitting it. For short papers (6-10 pages), research papers take the essay format and a scientific format that includes the abstract, introduction, literature review, methodology( data collection and analysis), findings, discussion, and conclusion.

You can write a research paper based on a hypothesis, research paper, or research paper. The latter points to writing a thesis-driven paper to explain facts, theories, or information to the readers. An excellent example of a research paper is a political science or theology paper .

A thesis paper is a piece of writing involving the original study of a subject at the university and college level. It is a research paper variant written after conducting formal or original research.

It is often submitted as a final step for a master’s program or as a project report or capstone to a bachelor’s degree. It follows the same steps as an experimental research paper or a dissertation.

Primarily, it requires in-depth research, writing, and a lot of patience because you will be working with your professor and supervisors to perfect it. 

9. Proposals

Before writing a term paper, dissertation, report, capstone, or thesis, you will most likely write a proposal that anticipates the paper.

The proposal is written in future tense and is sometimes submitted to the ethics committee for approval of your research, especially if human subjects/participants are involved.

Ensure that you write the proposal in a formal tone for it to be accepted. Another type of proposal you are most likely to write is the proposal essay and the grant proposal . Ensure that you understand the assignment before settling to write.

10. Reports

At the university or college, you will be required by some professors or departments to write reports. The reports take many structures and formats, depending on your study. Some of the reports include:

• Summary reports
• Patient progress reports
• Case study reports
• Scientific reports
• Lab reports
• Technical reports
• Evaluation reports
• Business reports
• Management reports

The reports are structured to present information in an organized format. They also target audiences such as clients, executives, shareholders, stakeholders, technical staff, senior leaders, or top management teams.

11. Reflective Writing Assignments

Reflective writing assignments are common assessments in college and university. You must take the professor or teacher through your feelings, experiences, opinions, events, and learning encounters. You should also assess what you have learned and what you feel you need to learn. In most cases, it is more than mere descriptive writing.

You have to display in-depth synthesis and analytical writing skills. You will analyze situations, experiences, or problems and use theories and models to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses regarding your behavior, actions, or what you need to learn more. You can also evaluate how you reacted to a situation before learning and how you would address it.

Alongside these assignments, you will occasionally be required to write weekly logs, take notes, and write weekly journals. There are various models, such as the Johari window and Gibbs reflective model, which you can utilize when writing reflective writing tasks.

12.  Case Studies

Case studies are another common form of assignment/assessment assigned to students in many fields, such as nursing, psychology, tourism, business, leadership, management, medicine and health sciences, sociology, social work, etc.

You must relate the answers to the course content to ace your case study assignment. You must also write critically and use appropriate scholarly sources to defend your arguments and analysis.

Refer to the case as you structure the response to any case study. It should be organized well and, if necessary, have headings and subheadings. If it is a question-based case study, ensure that you format your answers using the case contents and concepts taught in class.

13. Discussion Posts and Responses

In recent times, writing threaded discussion posts and responses is a common assessment method that professors often use.

You are expected to write an original discussion post of around 200-300 words on a given topic or to address a given question. You should then respond to at least two of your peers’ discussion posts in 100-150 words. Your peers will also reciprocate the same.

It is believed that the approach encourages people to comment on the thoughts of others and develop academic discussions. These weekly assignments have strict deadlines and grading guidelines.

Ensure that you submit the original post and responses in time. When writing each, use scholarly sources as your in-text citations and references.

14. Literature Reviews

You can be requested to write a standard literature review or a systematic one. As a pedagogical tool, teachers/professors prefer to use literature reviews to assess the research skills of a student.

A literature review analyzes and synthesizes the past literature on your research topic and potential research methods, models, or theories. You can organize it conceptually, chronologically, or methodologically.

On the other hand, a systematic review, primarily assigned to nursing students, is a complex research project that uses a structured protocol to explore a given topic. It entails searching for relevant studies that meet a given threshold and summarizing their stance on a given topic.

Literature review assignments must explore the sources' strengths and weaknesses to make conclusive judgments. You should use a formal tone and language when writing a literature review. Besides, only include scholarly sources peer-reviewed by experts in a specific field.

15. Annotated Bibliography

Some professors prefer assigning annotated bibliography assignments before requesting you to work on a full essay, research paper, or outline.

Such assignments entail writing an alphabetical list of the full references and giving a critical summary of the source, clearly detailing how it relates to a specific topic. Such assignments contribute to a certain percentage of your grade, and you should never take them for granted.

You should check the guidelines for writing to ensure that you include suitable sources and the correct number of sources. It can be either a stand-alone assessment or part of a larger assessment.

16. Review Assignments

In your academic life as a college or university student, you are likely to write review papers. Some of the most common review assignments include:

• Article reviews
• Movie reviews
• Critical reviews
• Scientific journal reviews
• Film reviews
• Concert reviews

The assignments require highlighting your analytical, research, creative, and problem-solving skills. Check the assessment details to be sure about what you should write. You can also check our blog section to get ahold of the specific writing guidelines.

17. Personal Narrative Assignments

Most professors assign personal narrative assignments to assess students' narrative and descriptive writing skills.

You can write a literacy narrative that recounts your reading, writing, and learning experience. You can also be asked to write a descriptive personal narrative to synthesize what you have learned about a reflection, description, or narration. It is primarily a non-fiction writing assignment, the same as a memoir.

You can share a story that stands for a big idea or express yourself by telling people a story about yourself. Sometimes, personal narrative essays are two pages long and give brief answers to the topic.

Check out our complete guide on how to write perfect personal narrative essays .  We also have a guide for narrative essay writing , which should suffice.

18. MCQ assignments

Apart from completing weekly discussion posts and responses, some courses have specific multiple-choice questions (MCQs) based on weekly readings. These weekly quizzes assess if you have memorized the content of a specific chapter from the assigned readings.

You need to read the entire chapter to understand it and skim through it as you answer 10-20 or more questions. You are given answers to select in each MCQ assignment. Unlike other assignments, the computer marks these MCQs, and you get the results as soon as you are done.

Some universities, colleges, and professors allow you to take the quiz twice, which gives you room to improve your scores.

Before you go …

The primary purpose of giving assignments at universities and colleges is to enhance students' understanding and knowledge transfer. As students write the assignments in various formats, they research, read widely, and synthesize information. Not all assignments are identical; grading systems and writing approaches differ. Nevertheless, you will always have a guide and a prompt, sometimes the rubric, to show you what your teacher/professor expects. It is good to get inspired by looking for sample assignments published online. You should also trust the writing guides and advice that you get online.

If you need writing help, do not hesitate to hire our assignment-writing experts . GradeCrest stands out among the many websites that offer legit assignment assistance for money online. We guarantee 100% original (non-plagiarized), human-written, and well-formatted papers. Check out our homework writing services .

Gradecrest is a professional writing service that provides original model papers. We offer personalized services along with research materials for assistance purposes only. All the materials from our website should be used with proper references. See our Terms of Use Page for proper details.

Live college life to the fullest: create your bucket list for the ultimate experience!

The Best College Planner to Never Miss A Deadline Again: 5 Must-Have Options for Students

Don’t Just Survive, THRIVE at School With These College Planners

Ready to get your life together with a college planner?

I’ve rounded up and compared all the best planners for college students right here in this post.

The last of Spring classes are winding down, and we’re all ready to enjoy a lonnnggg summer break.

But the fact of the matter is:

The fall semester really isn’t that far away. As a student who’s been there and done that, I know that those few months of reprieve never seem to last long enough. And while that may be the last thing you want to have on your mind during the summer…

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

So a little preparation now can do wonders for your future self. Today I’m going to help you find the perfect planner for college. And with it, you’ll hopefully be able to preserve your sanity when the new semester rolls around.

With so many types of planners for students out there, it was too difficult to pick just one overall best planner. Not to mention, planning is such an individual thing. We all have our own unique preferences, and what’s right for someone else may not be right for you.

So instead of recommending just one overall best planner, I’ve compiled a list of the top picks in a range of styles and price points.

If you’re in a rush:

✅ This specific academic planner is the most popular.

College Student Planner Comparison

• The Ultimate Student Planner by ClassTracker
• The Centered Student Planner
• The Erin Condren Academic Planner
• The Live Whale Planner
• The Lemome Academic Planner

Honorable Mention: You Are A Badass Planner

How do i find the best academic planner for me.

Best Planners for College Students

Get more information about these 5 student planner options and why they’re the real deal down below.

1. The Ultimate Student Planner by Class Tracker

The Overall Best College Planner.

The Ultimate Student Planner: College Edition features a one-of-a-kind format that’s expertly tailored to the needs of college students. With sections for daily reminders, exams/projects, assignments, a daily plan, and weekly self-care, this planner will help you thrive even during the busiest of weeks. We love how it's lightweight and the intuitive weekly layout makes staying organized so dang easy. 

• Student-focused format developed over decades of testing
• Excellent reminder system
• Flexible weekly layout, easy to customize to your needs
• Dated and Undated versions
• Limited planning space for weekends
• LENGTH: 12 Months, equal to 2 Semesters or 3 Quarters/Trimesters
• DATING: July–June or Undated
• SIZE: 7″ x 8.5″
• PAGE TYPES: Monthly, weekly/daily with self-care corner, class schedule, note & goal setting
• BINDING: Coil binding with rounded corners and soft-touch lamination cover
• COLORS: 16 cover options

We’ll look at the Class Tracker Ultimate Student Planner. It has “ultimate” in the name, so how could I not include it in this list?

However, the name isn’t just hype.

This academic planner is not only my personal favorite but a reader favorite as well. The College Edition of the Ultimate Student Planner is made specifically for college students—and it shows!

This planner takes the unique needs of college students into account by having dedicated pages to record their class schedule each semester. And the weekly layout pages are structured into 4 parts:

• Remember To -Do List
• Quizzes/Exams/Papers/Projects
• Assignments

This helps you stay on top of your schedule so you’ll never miss a due date. Managing your time and energy while juggling a busy college life has never been more straightforward.

You know the syllabus you get from every class at the beginning of each semester?

Simply fill out your planner with that information. And just like that, you’ve laid out a clear roadmap for tackling your workload for the whole semester.

This, in turn, makes it easy for you to keep your priorities in focus. It’s not hard to see how you can experience greater peace of mind and reduced stress levels by utilizing this college planner.

Basically, this student planner simplifies the most challenging parts of college life—organizing and prioritizing.

Better yet:

This college planner is available in dated and undated versions. Which means you can start using one at any time during the year.

Bottom line: the Ultimate Student Planner layout is focus-driven and easy to understand. In fact, the simplicity is what makes so effective. This college planner makes prioritizing everything you have going on at school as easy as ABC. With its help, you’re able to quickly set a realistic and actionable plan that spreads out your workload into a manageable schedule.

Taking into account the practicality and price, the Ultimate Student Planner is the overall best planner for college students.

2. The Centered Student Planner

The Best Planner for Time Management.

The Centered Student Planner is like your own personal assistant and life coach rolled into one. This academic organizer helps optimize your time with an easy-to-use system, so you stay on track with school work without feeling overwhelmed. It also supports your emotional well-being by incorporating happiness habits and research-backed techniques to reduce stress.

This weekly planner is ideal for college freshman, visual learners, students with ADHD, and anyone who struggles with time management. 

• Designed by an award-winning college professor
• Structured weekly layout with hourly time slots
• Exclusive video training
• High-quality and durable materials
• Limited budget tracking space
• LENGTH: 12 Months
• DATING: Aug–July
• SIZE: B5 (7″ x 9″)
• PAGE TYPES: Monthly, weekly, year-at-a-glance, class schedule, notes, to-do lists
• BINDING: Wire-O binding with high-quality linen fabric cover
• COLORS: 5 trendy colors

The Centered Student Planner is designed by an award-winning college professor and it shows; the Centered Student has thought of everything!

Most planners for college students assume you know what you’re doing and how to make the best use of your time. Although time management plays an essential role in a student’s success at college, it unfortunately isn’t something that’s taught or emphasized enough. However it IS a skill that anyone can learn with the right guidance. 

In contrast, the Centered Student Planner anticipates college student’s most common struggles. Not only does it have a horizontal weekly layout with hourly time slots and included stickers , but you’ll also get access to 52 exclusive video tutorials.

With a modern, scannable QR code bookmark, these easily digestible video tutorials are literally at your fingertips, ready to bridge important knowledge gaps before they become an issue.

Refined and improved with the help of feedback from actual university students who use it, the 2024-2025 Centered Student Planner is the best version yet. Last year, the new linen covers and upgraded quality wowed us – this time, they have managed to elevate the aesthetic to a whole new level!

Bottom line: the Centered Student Planner is truly one-of a kind and an amazing option for all kinds of college students. Particularly, this is the best planner for college freshmen, students who have struggled to stay consistent with other planners, and those who need help optimizing their use of time.

3. The Erin Condren Academic Planner

The Best Custom College Planner.

The Erin Condren Academic Planner is the most popular choice because it’s a premium-feeling agenda that has the best personalization on the market and delivers excellent value. It features a vertical weekly layout, as well as dedicated pages for your class schedule and monthly tracking of projects/exams. Plus, Erin Condren has a huge selection of cute accessories that make organization fun and engaging.

This is the best planner for nursing school, college students who want an immersive planning experience, and those who find joy in pretty things.

• Made in the USA, high-end construction quality
• Fully personalisable: cover, size, binding, and interior design!
• Multiple calendar options: July-June, Sept-Aug, and Aug-July
• Optional inserts for added functionality: productivity pages or nursing study pages
• Higher priced
• Coiled styles are bulky
• DATING: Jul-Jun, Aug-Jul, Sep-Aug
• SIZE: B5 (7″ x 9″) & A5 (5.8” x 8.3”)
• PAGE TYPES: Monthly quotes, productivity pages, class schedule, weekly, yearly, 4 note pages after each month, 2 sticker sheets + project & exam tracking pages.
• BINDING: Coiled with laminate cover or Softbound with vegan leather cover (Lay-Flat)
• COLORS: 50+ colors & designs to choose from

This brings us to the:

The Erin Condren Academic Planner.

As another one tailor-made for students, it includes dedicated pages you wouldn’t find in any regular old planner.

Like: project and exam tracking pages, a place to write your class schedule, as well as assignments and due dates on the weekly planning pages. Stickers included,too!

All of which are invaluable features for busy college students!

💡TIP: the newest Erin Condren planners are usually available starting in early May.

As of this year, Erin Condren now offers three styles of academic planners:

• Softbound (lefty-friendly)
• Focused – great for students who want something sleek and minimalist!

But, if it wasn’t good enough already:

These college planners have a HUGE selection of covers —which are easily interchangeable so you can change it up anytime.

You’ll find a range of wonderful designs to choose from (including Star Wars and Hello Kitty!) and they’re always adding more styles. You even have the option to personalize it by adding your name to the cover.

Plus Erin Condren has so many cute and useful accessories which compliment their academic planners (such as this incredibly handy wet erase projects and exams dashboard ). This makes it easy to further tailor your planner to suit your personal needs.

All in all, Erin Condren school agendas are in another league of their own. I’ve personally used more than a couple Erin Condren planners over the years—they do not disappoint!

To get a better idea of what kind of quality you can expect from Erin Condren planners, be sure to check out the video below (or read my review of the Erin Condren LifePlanner ).

Bottom line: Hands down, Erin Condren offers the best customizable academic planners for college students. While more expensive than others, these planners are of premium quality—they’re really nice.

These planners offer a lot of value, but that comes with a lot of pages that you may find unnecessary or even overwhelming. These are the best college planners for students who enjoy pretty stationary, want to use their planner to its FULL potential, and are ready to take their organization game up to the next level.

4. The Live Whale Planner

• DATING: Undated
• SIZE: A5 (5.5″ x 8.5”)
• PAGE TYPES: Monthly, weekly, brain dump (for ideas or reminders), mind map, vision board & budget tracking
• BINDING: Book binding with a vegan leather or linen fabric wrapped hardcover, metal reinforced edges
• COLORS: 6 colors

The Live Whale Planner is a conveniently sized option that’s perfect for school. It has a hardcover, thick 120 GSM pages (so that ink won’t bleed through), and a convenient pen loop.

Inside you’ll find lots and lots of space for writing!

You can track your schedule down to the hour and there are quite a few extra pages for more self-tracking. Other pages include: a budget tracker, new inspirational quotes for each month, a goal date countdown tracker, and “brain dump” space.

In addition:

The cover is made out of animal-friendly vegan leather or you can choose their new linen fabric option . The little whale on the front is a super cute detail too. In any event, there’s clearly there’s a lot to like about this planner!

Live Whale Planner

Best all-in-one academic planner

A book-sized planner that can handle it all, this option has 12 months worth of undated pages for daily, monthly, and budget planning. Plus with habit tracker, brain dump, mind map, and vision board sections it encompasses everything needed for managing life on, and off, campus.

*Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on: 2024-06-21

5. The Lemome Academic Planner

• DATING: July–June
• SIZE: A5 (5.7″ x 8.25″)
• PAGE TYPES: Monthly, weekly, yearly overview, note, goal & stickers
• BINDING: Lay-flat book binding with faux leather softcover
• COLORS: 4 colors

“This was everything I was looking for in a planner. No distracting quotes or needless additions, simple layout with a clean design, monthly calendars and large lined spaces for daily tasks.”

As far as school agendas go, the Lemome Academic Planner strikes a nice middle ground.

If you love taking notes, this is the college planner for you because it has 88 pages just. for. notes. Awesome, right? 

And with high-quality paper, you don’t have to worry about ink bleeding through. The overall design is a sophisticated and a low key look suited for college girls, college guys, and anyone really.

Its on-the-go size is just right for keeping in your backpack, so you can easily carry it with you all over campus. Though if you enjoy using a bigger planner, Lemome’s A4 weekly planner is very comparable. 

Extra features include an elastic closure, a super handy pen loop, an inner pocket, 2 bookmarks, and monthly sticker tabs.

All in all, this is a rock-solid planner for college!

Lemome Academic Planner

The best planner for college guys

Our most inexpensive recommendation, this sturdy no-frills planner comes with many practical features – most notably the 88 pages for notes. It’s trimmed down enough to cut out the “fluff”, but substantial enough to keep a busy college student completely organized.

Looking for something SMALLER? The Lemome Pocket Planner is the size of a smartphone and still has all the same great features.

Need something with HOURLY planning? The Lemome Diary Planner is just what you’re looking for — it’s amazing for daily planning down to the hour.

• LENGTH: 17 Months
• DATING: August–December
• PAGE TYPES: Monthly, weekly, habit trackers, stickers, notes, goals, and quotes
• BINDING: Spiral-bound with soft-touch hardcover
• COLORS: 1 option

Finally, we have a runner-up:

The You Are A Badass Planner .

It isn’t designed to be an academic planner per se, however, the layout is still ideal for college life. Furthermore, the vibrant yellow packs a nice punch of positivity into your day.

The weekly spread pages utilize a horizontal layout with a generous amount of space and checkboxes for each day of the week. Monthly overview, habit tracker pages, and fun stickers are also included.

Instead of the usual 12 months, this planner runs for a total of 17 months.

Reviewers were impressed with both the original version and last year’s version . So, chances are the newest version (which is simply newer and improved) is just as kickass for staying organized in college.

You Are A Badass Planner

The planner that motivates

Though not designed specifically for school, this planner has ample space to write down all the assignments and reminders you need as a student. This is a good planner choice for goal diggers who are motivated by visual progress, especially if you enjoy sassy quotes and fun stickers.

Deciding Between College Planners

If I know I can save myself from a major headache later – I’m all for doing a little work upfront.

That’s why:

I like choosing a college planner during the summer . You know, before things get really busy around back to school time.

It gives me plenty of time to shop around and find a planner that’s a perfect fit for my needs.

Without all the usual college life stress , I can make a more level-headed decision vs the snap one I might make if I waited until the last minute.

Being prepared is a simple yet powerful way to set yourself up for success in college .

And trust me:

I need all the help I can get when it comes to managing my life and keeping my shit together once school is in session.

There’s A LOT to stay on top of as a college student. Between new classes, assignment due dates, social outings, and extracurriculars…the list goes on!

Having the right planner makes all the difference.

Figuring out which college planner will work best for you is actually pretty simple!

You’ll just want to consider a few things…

Start by thinking about how much you’ll have to do in a day. Do you need an academic planner that has space to track everything (down to the hour) or would a minimalist planner work better for you?

Is writing a lot (or often) something that bothers you? It’s an often overlooked detail, but it’s an important factor in your decision.

Writing in a planner is a part of using it and if you can’t stand your own handwriting – well, maybe a bullet journal is more up your alley. A digital student planner could even be the one for you.

And finally…

The SIZE of your college planner is another option to mull over. The point of a school planner is to keep track of your schedule, and if it’s not with you at almost all times, then it’s not doing its job!

Do you prefer to carry light when going around campus or is there plenty of space in your backpack to accommodate a bigger notebook?

Final thoughts on college student planners…

Alright, those are my top 5 picks when it comes to the best college student planners. Hopefully, one of those is your holy grail to organization !

But let me know which one YOU think is the most useful for managing school life. Drop a comment below to share your thoughts.

Don’t forget to have some fun and to check some things off your bucket list this summer !

More articles related to planners & college:

• Review of the ClassTracker Ultimate Student Planner
• Bloom Planner for College Review (with All the Details)
• Time Management Tips for College Students

Pin it for later 📌 :

Best Academic Planners for College Students 2024

Get to know Charlie: college insider, seasoned blogger, and your go-to guide for navigating the ups and downs of campus life. Charlie is a 2015 graduate, author of the book 175+ Things to Do Before You Graduate College , and co-founder of College Life Made Easy , a student lifestyle site dedicated to helping young adults make the college experience less stressful and more successful. You can learn more about her on the About Page. She regularly writes about college tips, organization strategies, scholarships, dorm room ideas, and small DIY craft projects like Halloween costumes and care packages. She has been quoted in major publications, including Redfin , College Ave Student Loans , and more.

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12 Comments

I really like the Centered Student Planner.

Thanks for sharing your favorite of the 5, Mikhail!

I would say that Ultimate Student Planner by ClassTracker is the best option for me. There’s so many ways to help with time management in everyday college life!! With scheduling classes, work, studying, and remembering to make time for myself, this would definitely help me organize and make sure I don’t forget things because I’m writing it down to remember. It also helps me wire my brain to keep everything on schedule. This would help me a lot in my process and organization for college this upcoming semester!

Having a time management system that meshes well with your brain is key! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, Tehillah. 😄

I Love Love LOVE all of these… All of them are AMAZING!

There’s definitely a lot to love, Aastha!

Varsity Blur is my favorite planner!

It’s a great blue! Thanks for sharing, Evonne!

I like the Ultimate student planner the most because it’s both functional and pretty to look at. I like all my stuff to be cute, but sometimes the cute ones aren’t efficient. I love that Class Tracker solves that problem! 🙂

There’s just something about the right stationery aesthetic that makes all the difference. 😉 Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Janaya!

The centered student planner looks and sounds amazing! Hoping to get that one 🙂

It really does! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, Madeline 😊

Top 30+ Engaging Programming Project Ideas for College Students to Boost Your Skills

Programming project ideas for college students aiming to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

Beyond academics, these programming projects offer invaluable experiences that can enhance your resume, develop critical thinking, and prepare you for a career in technology.

Why Choose Programming Projects in College?

Table of Contents

Programming projects complement classroom learning by providing hands-on experience. They enable you to apply theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios, fostering a deeper understanding of programming languages and problem-solving skills.

Moreover, they prepare you for the demands of the industry, where practical expertise often outweighs academic achievements alone.

How to Choose the Right Programming Project?

When selecting a project, consider your interests, career aspirations, and current skill level:

• Personal Interest : Choose a project that excites you to maintain motivation throughout.
• Career Goals : Align the project with your desired field (e.g., web development, data science) to gain relevant experience.
• Complexity Level : Balance challenge and feasibility based on your current skill set to ensure meaningful learning outcomes.

Easy Programming Project Ideas for College Students to Improve Your Skills

• Learning Outcomes : Familiarization with front-end development and handling user input.
• Learning Outcomes : Practice logic implementation and user interface design.

Advanced Programming Project Ideas for College Students to Boost Your Portfolio

• Technologies Used : Backend development, database management, and secure payment integration.
• Learning Outcomes : Mastery of full-stack development and real-world application deployment.
• Technologies Used : Data preprocessing, model training, and evaluation.
• Learning Outcomes : Understanding of machine learning algorithms and data-driven decision-making.

Top Trending Programming Project Ideas for College Students

• Technologies Used : Smart contracts, decentralized applications (DApps).
• Learning Outcomes : Insight into blockchain architecture and decentralized governance.
• Technologies Used : Unity, Vuforia, 3D modeling.
• Learning Outcomes : Proficiency in AR development and interactive user experiences.

Fun and Useful Programming Projects for Beginners

• Technologies Used : API integration, JSON parsing.
• Learning Outcomes : Practical experience with API usage and data visualization.
• Technologies Used : CMS platforms, web hosting.
• Learning Outcomes : Website management and content creation.

Practical Programming Project Ideas for College Students Assignments

• Technologies Used : Object-oriented programming, database management.
• Learning Outcomes : Software design principles and database integration.
• Technologies Used : Data handling, statistical analysis.
• Learning Outcomes : Data management and analytics skills.

High-Impact Programming Project Ideas for College Students for Resume Building

• Technologies Used : Front-end development, responsive design.
• Learning Outcomes : Effective presentation of skills and projects to potential employers.
• Technologies Used : Git, GitHub workflows.
• Learning Outcomes : Community involvement and exposure to professional coding practices.

How These Projects Enhance Your Resume?

Programming projects enhance your resume by demonstrating:

• Technical Skills : Proficiency in programming languages, frameworks, and development tools.
• Problem-Solving Abilities : Solutions to real-world challenges through creative thinking and logical reasoning.
• Project Management : Time management, teamwork, and resource allocation skills.

Tips for Successfully Completing Programming Projects

• Set Clear Goals : Define project objectives, milestones, and deadlines.
• Use Version Control : Implement Git for tracking changes and collaboration.
• Seek Feedback : Regularly review and iterate on your work based on feedback from peers or mentors.

Resources for Getting Started with Programming Projects

• Online Platforms : GitHub, Stack Overflow, and Codecademy offer tutorials, forums, and project ideas.
• Tools and Frameworks : IDEs ( Integrated Development Environments ) like Visual Studio Code, Jupyter Notebook for data science, and AWS for cloud computing.

Ending Remarks

Programming projects are not just assignments; they are opportunities to hone your skills, explore new technologies, and prepare for a successful career in the tech industry.

By choosing projects that align with your interests and career goals, and by leveraging available resources effectively, you can build a robust portfolio and stand out to potential employers.

Start your programming journey today and watch your skills grow exponentially with each project you complete.

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17 Best AI Tools for Students in 2024 (Mostly FREE)

Whether you’re a school student, a college fresher, or a research scholar, AI tools can boost your productivity and transform your academic life.

Wondering how?

From creating PowerPoint presentations to writing informative assignments or code, there’s an AI tool for everything! Today, I’ll introduce you to the Best AI Tools for Students.

In this article, we will begin by understanding what artificial intelligence is and what are its benefits for students. Then we will move on to discuss the 17 Best AI Tools for Students .

So, are you excited to enhance your skills and learning with the power of AI? Let’s dive right into it!

What is Artificial Intelligence?

• 17 Best AI Tools for Students At A Glance (2023)

3) Grammarly

4) quillbot, 5) google bard, 8) natural readers, 10) doctrina ai, 11) tutor ai, 12) tome.app, 13) askcodi, 15) kickresume, 16) bing image creator, 17) replika, 1) boost productivity,  2) enhanced learning, 3) improved research, 4) writing and language assistance, 5) greater accessibility, 6) skill development.

Artificial intelligence refers to the ability of a computer program to perform operations that require human intelligence . It can solve complex problems, make decisions, have conversations, and perform various operations on its own.

Today, you can find a whole range of AI tools flooding the digital world. They are designed to accomplish specific tasks, like writing, idea generation, coding, image creation, building websites, and more.

Some popular examples of AI tools are ChatGPT , Copy AI , Google Bard, Midjourney, Synthesia, etc.

17 Best AI Tools for Students At A Glance (2024)

Below, we have handpicked 17 Best AI Tools that would be beneficial for students in their academic life.

17 Best AI Tools for Students (2024)

ChatGPT is one of the most popular AI tools offered by OpenAI. It has revolutionized the industry and made AI accessible to everyone. With this platform, you can not only generate AI content but also have conversations, brainstorm ideas, solve complex problems, and write code.

It works through text-based prompts. The more detailed your text input is, the more relevant the output will be generated. Students can benefit immensely from ChatGPT . For example, here’s the result when I asked ChatGPT to explain the Theory of Relativity. 

You can use it for researching any topic, breaking down complex concepts, getting creative ideas, rephrasing and editing their assignments, etc. They can also write, debug, and get an explanation for code in any language. 

So, if you’re a student looking for an all-rounder platform to help you in different areas of education, ChatGPT is a must-have tool!

Pricing : Its free version allows generating unlimited content within seconds.

Use For: AI Writing

CopyAI is a renowned AI-writing assistant that is equipped with 90+ use cases and 8 content tones. Its extensive library of use cases has dozens of tools to help students. Students can create precise emails, case studies, short stories, quotes, rephrase or expand content, quiz questions, summaries, etc.

For instance, following are the results when I tried to expand the bullet points about ‘Steps to write an effective article’ into a paragraph. 

What makes CopyAI stand out is its long-form content generator. It can help you write high-quality content for your academic papers. Whether it’s a literature review, a leave application, an essay, or an internship report, you can get high quality and to-the-point content.

So, if you want to generate high-quality content for your essays, assignments, and creative projects, you should try CopyAI.

Pricing : The free version of CopyAI offers 2000 words per month , which would be sufficient for students.

Use Copy AI For: AI Writing

Grammarly is another popular grammar checking, proofreading, and editing tool. I’m sure you must’ve used it for editing your documents. 

It uses a powerful AI algorithm to offer real-time suggestions for improving your grammar, spelling, writing style, etc. It also detects your content tone so you can convey your message in the right emotion.

It is quite accurate at analyzing language patterns, pointing out errors, and offering useful suggestions for correcting them as well.

If you’re a student who wants to improve their grammar and create error-free documents for school and college submissions, Grammarly is your best friend!

Pricing: Both free and premium plans let you create 300 docs or 150k words/month.

Use Grammarly For: Editing & grammar correction

Does your confidence waver while presenting your ideas in written form? Well, you need Quillbot. It’s a really impressive paraphrasing tool that uses AI to rephrase your content into a professional and refined language.

On the free plan of Quillbot, you get access to 23 languages and 2 paraphrasing modes – Standard mode and Fluency mode. You can also access additional tools like Grammar Checker, CoWriter (writing assistant), Summarizer, and Citation Generator.

However, it’s not limited to just that. To really help you learn, it also highlights the changed and unchanged words in different colors. Analyzing and comparing your writing style with Quillbot’s corrections can improve your writing style over time.

For students who struggle with expressing their ideas in a clear and concise manner, Quillbot can work wonders!

Pricing: Their free plan is limited to 125 words at a time.

Use QuillBot For: Paraphrasing

With access to real-time data, it can fetch reliable content around current affairs and, latest news from the web. This makes it ideal for research. It even allows voice input and multiple export options for more convenience.

Bard is a conversational generative AI chatbot designed by Google. Trained on 137 billion parameters, Bard has some incredible abilities. It is similar to ChatGPT and functions as an AI assistant for you.

If you are a student, you can use it for researching the latest data, generating concise content in easy-to-understand language, writing code, getting code explanation, and brainstorming ideas. I especially liked that it can summarize an entire web page from its URL!

Overall, if you need to enhance your research with the latest data, Google Bard is your best bet!

Use Google Bard For: Research

ChatPDF is an Artificial Intelligence tool specifically designed for PDFs . All you need to do is upload a PDF document on ChatPDF. It may be a course book, a novel, a research paper, an academic journal, or anything else.

ChatPDF will analyze the PDF and answer questions using that information in the chat window. Students can quickly resolve their doubts, understand complex concepts, and fetch important information from any books through this tool.

I find its best use case in academic research . Often, researchers need to go through dozens of books to find a simple piece of information. This consumes an unnecessary amount of time. With ChatPDF, they can simply ask relevant questions and get the information they need from any journals and papers!

Overall, if you’re a student or an academic researcher, you would be absolutely hooked on this innovative AI tool!

Pricing: Its free plan lets you upload 3 PDFs/day and ask 50 questions/day.  

Use For: Research

Upword is an AI-notes and summarization tool that is available as a Chrome extension for free. It basically speeds up your research by summarizing any web page or YouTube video you visit. The summaries generated are short and concise for easy reading.

Students can use it to summarize lengthy educational lectures and documentaries into easy, bite-sized content for saving time and improving productivity. The best part is that students can generate as many AI notes as they want for free.

But for accessing additional features like auto-highlighting, audio player, advanced editing, etc, you can opt for their free trial by entering your card details!

Pricing: Free Trial

Use Upword For: Summarization

Natural Readers is a platform that uses AI to convert text into speech . All you have to do is choose an AI voice and style, and add the content you wish to convert into speech. You can import text, documents, web pages, or images into the editor.

At any point, you can switch to a different AI voice and experiment with different reading speeds. They even have a Chrome extension so you can easily listen to emails, ebooks, blogs, Google Docs, PDFs , and more on the go!

Its surprising ability to resemble a human voice, pitch and tone sets it apart. Natural Readers could be a really helpful tool for dyslexic or visually impaired kids , or kids struggling with learning disabilities .

Pricing: On the free account, you can use unlimited free voices and convert 4000 characters per day (around 500 words). They also do not allow downloading the audio files.

Use Natural Readers For: Text to speech

Mubert is an AI-powered text-to-music music platform that lets you create royalty free music and soundtracks. To begin with, you can either generate new music or search by reference to a YouTube video. It lets you generate tracks, loops, mixes, and jingles.

Then, you can either enter a prompt and a duration, or select your preferred genres, moods, and activities. However, you can only select one option from every category at a time. Mubert AI generates an AI soundtrack for you based on your inputs.

Students would really find it helpful to create background music for presentations, video projects, reports , etc.

Overall, students who are more inclined towards music creation and production will find Mubert as a really interesting tool to experiment with!

Pricing: On the free plan, you can generate 25 soundtracks every month. It also integrates an audio branding of Mubert on the free tracks.

Use Mubert For: Text to music

Doctrina AI is a tool that revolutionizes students’ education by employing AI algorithms to enhance learning. It can not only summarize notes for you, but also generate essays, quizzes, and exams on any topic. However, you can only access notes and quizzes on its free plan.

The Free Notes Generator can create notes on any topic of your choice by simply entering the class name and topics discussed. Going one step further, it also recommends books for further reading on the topic.

Whereas, its Quiz Generator requests give you insightful quiz questions on any topic you want. You can also set a difficulty level from easy, medium, and hard for your quiz. With this tool, students can maximize their learning outcomes. 

Pricing: Free/Paid

Used Doctrina AI For: Learning

Tutor AI is a personalized tutoring service that helps every student learn at their own pace and style. Students simply need to enter a topic of their choice and select a subcategory under it. Within a minute, you will have an entire course along with in-depth modules under each.

As you start with a lesson, relevant and informative content will be generated under it. And under the lesson, you’ll find helpful options like simplify, examples, quiz, and ask a question. All of these options are aimed at improving your understanding of the topic.

Pricing: The free plan of Tutor AI features 3 queries , which is pretty limited.

Use Tutor AI For: Learning

Presentations are an evergreen part of your academic life. Be it school, college, or even professional workspace, presentations play an important role in every stage. Tome is an intuitive way of creating presentations with the power of AI.

You simply enter a text prompt for your presentation topic . It first generates an outline that you can edit. Then it generates full fledged presentations with relevant content and images within seconds! Once the presentation is generated, you can share it via links. PDF exports are not allowed, though .

If you are a student who wants to save time on creating presentations or lack the skills to create beautiful presentations, Tome App could be your best friend on your academic journey!

Pricing: The free plan of Tome is limited to 50 tomes/workspace and 500 AI credits.

Use Tome For: Presentations

Coding can be quite difficult at times. And you cannot always approach your teachers for all your doubts. AskCodi comes in handy here! AskCodi is an AI powered coding assistant that simplifies programming and development for you.

It helps you generate code in 50+ languages, translate it into a different language, and get code explanations as well. You get perform different processes like coding, testing, documentation, etc .

But what I liked most was its coding chatbot. It lets you type in your query in conversational language and get code for it within seconds.

If you’re a beginner in the field of coding, AskCodi could be a game changing tool for your programming career!

Pricing: With the free plan, you get a total of 50 monthly credits , which is sufficient for most students.

Use AskCodi For: Coding

Want to build a website for your blog or college project? Hocoos AI Website Builder can help you set it up within minutes! You just have to answer a few questions about your website. This includes things like website category, services, purpose, address, USPs, etc.

Based on the inputs, it generates 3 demo website styles. Once you select your preferred style, font combinations, and color palettes, it generates a beautiful website for you. It is equipped with relevant content, design, and images as per your inputs. You can use the AI writer to edit the content if you need. 

I liked its quick website creation along with the blogging and eCommerce features. Overall, for students who want a beautiful and attractive website for their college projects, Hocoos could be an excellent choice!

Pricing: You get limited customization on the free plan with 15 image uploads and 20 AI content generations . The subdomain URL cannot be edited either.

Use Hocoos For: Website Building

Preparing for a job interview? A well-designed resume can help you leave a mark! To get started, you simply have to answer a few questions via chat, like your name, position, etc. Then you can choose a template from their library of 35+ resume templates.

Kickresume features an AI Writer that can help you rewrite your profile section in a professional language and tone.

Apart from that, you can also get questions for job interview preparation and insightful career advice by entering your position.

I think Kickresume would be a valuable tool for college students who want to build a professional resume! Though it doesn’t allow you to download the AI template for free, you can still screenshot it or edit it on platforms like Canva or MS Word.

Pricing: The AI usage limit is quite low on the free plan. It also doesn’t allow you to download your resume for free if AI features are used.

Use Kickresume For: Resume Building

If you need some unique and catchy images for your projects, look no further than Bing AI Image Creator. You just need to describe the image you want in natural language. It’ll generate a grid of 4 images that you can download, share, or edit. It’s the easiest AI art generator ever!

With Bing, students can help create flawless and realistic images for their assignments, presentations, posters, creative projects, infographics, etc. Its ease of use and unlimited image generation are quite impressive.

Pricing: Free 100 images/day, you can still generate unlimited images at slower speeds.

Use Bing Image Creator For: Creating AI Art

Student life can often be lonely and confusing with nobody to guide you through the difficult times. Here’s when Replika comes in handy! It’s a personal AI chatbot that can carry engaging and realistic conversations. Its ability to remember details from your responses makes it unique.

You start by selecting an avatar and specifying a few of your interests. Based on that, your replika can have interesting conversations with you. Every time you share a new detail, it stores it into the Memory Bank for further reference.

Overall, if you’re feeling isolated, stressed about academics, or struggling with mental health issues, Replika can help you lighten your mood. It can be a good AI-friend and offer an attentive ear to share all your worries.

Pricing: On the free plan, you can have unlimited chats!

Use Replika For: Personal Assistance

Benefits of AI Tools for Students

Incorporating AI tools in the educational journey can have many benefits. Some major benefits are listed below.

The biggest benefit of using AI tools is to automate repetitive tasks and boost productivity. For instance, AI note taking tools, paraphrasing tools, and web page summarization tools help you save a ton of time and remain productive.

With AI tools, personalized learning experience can be provided to every student as per their needs and pace of progress. A tailored approach can help in ensuring that each student has an optimal understanding of the educational content. This leads to an effective learning.

AI-powered tools can even streamline gathering and analyzing data for your research. With their help, you can save time on exploring large amounts of data and get valuable insights along with relevant sources.

This is great for research projects, academic articles, and dissertations.

Artificial intelligence tools also offer grammar and spell-checking functionalities . They can provide suggestions for improving sentence structure and word choice.

Additionally, an AI writing tool can help in creating articles, essays, project reports, and creative content. All of this can help students enhance their language learning and develop stronger communication and writing skills.

For students struggling with visual impairments or learning disabilities, there are AI driven accessibility tools as well. Tools like AI text-to-speech help convert written content into voice speech for clearer understanding.

Thus, it helps make educational resources like online books, websites, blogs, and research papers more accessible for all students.

Extending beyond academic subjects, AI tools also help in skill development across various domains. You can find tools to create AI images, videos, and PowerPoint presentations out of simple text prompts! This helps students enhance their artistic expression and creative skills.

In this article, we looked at the 19 Best AI Tools for Students . If you’re a student, I hope these AI tools will help you learn better and stay more productive. I personally liked ChatPDF, Lumen 5, and AskCodi the most!

Which tools did you like the most? Do you currently use an AI tools as a student? Let me know in the comments section below. This is Kripesh signing off. Cheers and keep learning! 🙂

1) What are the productive AI tools for students?

An impressive AI productivity tool for students is Upword . It helps in speeding up your research by providing summaries of any webpages or YouTube videos you visit.

2) Can I use AI to help me study?

Yes. You can use TutorAI , which is a personalized tutoring service. On entering a topic you wish to learn, it will generate in-depth course lectures for you along with quiz, cross-questioning, simple explanations, etc.

3) Which AI is best for assignment?

If you need help with finding content for your assignments, you can use AI writing tools like ChatGPT or CopyAI .

4) What are the best AI tools for learning and research?

For better learning, you can use AI tools like Doctrina AI and Tutor AI . Whereas, if you want to conduct thorough research, Google Bard and Upword would be great options!

5) What is the fastest growing AI tool?

ChatGPT is one of the fastest growing AI tool that gained 1 million users within 5 days of its launch! It currently has over 100 million users.

6) What are the best AI tools for college students?

If you’re a college student, Kickresume can help you craft a professional resume. AskCodi can help you code well in various languages. Whereas, Tome can create quick presentations and ChatPDF can help with academic research.

7) Which is the best AI tool for article writing in 2024?

For writing long-form content, CopyAI would be the best option.

8) What is the best AI tool for making videos?

If you want to create beautiful and captivating videos from text content, like articles and blogs, Lumen5 could be a great choice.

9) What’s the best ai image generator tool?

If you want to generate AI images, you can use Bing Image Creator, Midjourney, or Leonardo AI . All of them are available free of cost.

10) Can AI tools replace human teachers?

No, AI tools cannot replace the connection and empathy that human teachers possess. However, they can make the work of a teacher easier by making all kinds of information readily available.

Kripesh Adwani

3 thoughts on “17 Best AI Tools for Students in 2024 (Mostly FREE)”

can you provide an ai tools for the interaction betwee students and teacher in online classess

Can I use this for exam prep in social work?

thank you, the insights, I now understand the different roles each AI tools play in delivering services to each client,

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Computer Science

• Sample Assignments

In addition to the flexibility which comes from the breadth of the computer science discipline, the computer scientist has a wide range of career options. Generally, careers that focus on the development of applications and specialized software for business and scientific areas require the Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree. With either degree, students are prepared for employment immediately after graduation. Students with an interest in the development of computer systems, including hardware and major software, will find that the Bachelor of Science degree provides a firm foundation for a career that may require a Master of Science degree and result in employment by a major computer manufacturer. A student hoping to perform advanced computing research or to be a university professor will find that the Ph.D. degree is essential.

The depth, breadth and flexibility of the computer science program includes the ability to apply classroom knowledge to real world projects as part of independent study, directed projects and regular classroom requirements. The following are a sampling of the recent projects students have been involved with

Video Game Creation

Students worked in groups for their final project to create a video game using Java Swing libraries. The project allowed them to apply their knowledge of data storage and organization to a real world software project, and produce readable documentation for a developer. Below are a couple of the projects: Snake, BlackJack and Pong:

Interactive Graphical User Interface

In a recent independent study, a senior computer science major developed an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) for molecular dynamics simulations. His GUI could visualize a molecule using three views while stepping through a simulation and checking results. The GUI was built with the TKInter libraries for Python, while the simulation was executed by the open source MDLab (mdlab.sourceforge.net) software.

Biology and the Game of Life

This course offered students a hands-on atmosphere for applied computing in the biological sciences and mathematics. By running simulations of biological cells using Conway’s Game of Life and the Cellular Potts Model (CPM), students study how the application of simple mathematical rules to behavioral entities result in patterns similar to those observed in nature. In the screenshots below, student projects captured foam bubble dispersion, cell sorting analogous to those in the eye, and the slime mould Dictyostelium Discoideum using CompuCell3D which runs the CPM:

Computer Architecture

Students explored the internal hardware of a computer and for their final project create a machine which can add two numbers using (shown below) breadboards, logic gates and LEDs. The LEDs illuminate to show the result of the addition.

Graphical User Interface Design

Students explored the various design issues which affect the appearance of a graphical user interface and provide the means by which a user may communicate with the underlying applications software, realizing that good design facilitates effective communication. Graphical user interface features such as mouse interaction, menus, dialog boxes, tool bars, error messaging and direct manipulation are evaluated and implemented.

In this particular assignment, students were asked to create simple word processing application in Java, using traditional GUI components, such as menus, dialog boxes, sliders, etc., from the Java Swing GUI widget toolkit.

Computer Graphics

Students were introduced to the theory and programming issues involved in rendering graphic images. Theory includes the physics of light and surfaces, surface illumination equations, and algorithms for rendering scenes using ray tracing. Visual surface algorithms, 3D viewing transformations and projections, anti-aliasing, 3D model transformation, illumination models, texture mapping, animation, and interactive graphic techniques are also presented.

In this assignment, students were asked to create an animation using a number of graphic objects, with one object demonstrating an attempt to model a real world object as accurately as possible. Object shape and surface properties, such as reflectance and texture, were chosen to realistically model the object. Another object had its surface appearance based at least partially upon the use of a two dimensional “texture” map. The project also demonstrates an object based animation as well as a camera based animation.

Evolutionary Computation

Students were encouraged to envision and implement projects in evolutionary computation that are of research level quality. Here is a sample student project, which after additional research and review led to a peer-reviewed publication at a major conference.

Project Title: Communication as a Model for Crossover in Genetic Algorithms

Abstract: We have created an evolutionary model of multiple ant colonies searching for a resource using swarm intelligence and a modified genetic algorithm. In place of the standard crossover we have employed a modified crossover which models communication; we call this a communicative GA (CGA). The communicative crossover operation sums up the moves of the most fit and least fit chromosome. The most frequent high move and low move are selected for altering. For each chromosome, the lowest move is changed into the highest fit chromosome’s most frequent allele. Statistics were recorded in each generation, including; max fitness, min fitness, the average fitness, the average number of generations it took to reach the resource, and the percent of variation of fitness. The statistics were compared to the same model implemented using a standard GA with a crossover.

Our model simulates N different ant colonies competing for one resource. We used N=4 colonies for our experiment. For illustrative purposes we have created a square shaped habitat. The ants’ path towards the resource originates from the colony and the ants may not go off the edge as seen in Figure 1. Six circular tiers were placed radiating outward from the resource representing some indicating factor from the resource. These tiers are used to calculate the fitness of each individual.

Creation of an Expert System

Students use an expert system shell to create expert systems in an area of their choice. Some of the most remarkable Expert Systems created include:

• Advising system for purchasing a boat
• What to do when a hurricane approaches
• Restaurant recommendation system
• Recommendation system for computer games
• Football head coach
• Academic Adviser
• Automobile troubleshooting system
• Recommendation system for music studio equipment
• Surf adviser
• Recommendation system where to spend your vacation
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• Simulation and Modeling Assignment Tips for Engineering Students

Simplifying Simulation and Modeling Assignments: A Practical Approach for Engineering Students

SolidWorks assignments often present a mix of challenges and learning opportunities. Tackling these assignments effectively requires a blend of technical skills, strategic planning, and a methodical approach. This comprehensive guide is designed to help you navigate through assignments similar to developing a Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) for a LEGO car. By following the steps outlined here, you can confidently approach and complete your SolidWorks assignments .

Understanding the intricacies of SolidWorks involves more than just software proficiency. It requires a deep understanding of engineering principles, spatial relationships, and the ability to translate design concepts into practical models. Each step in a SolidWorks assignment, such as creating a DSM, builds upon this foundation. It's about not just using the software, but understanding how to leverage its capabilities to analyze and optimize designs.

Moreover, SolidWorks assignments often simulate real-world engineering challenges where precision and accuracy are paramount. Through tasks like creating DSMs, students learn critical skills in system analysis and optimization, preparing them for future roles in engineering and design fields. This practical experience enhances problem-solving abilities and fosters a disciplined approach to project management, skills that are highly valued in professional settings.

By mastering SolidWorks assignments, you not only fulfill academic requirements but also develop a toolkit of skills that can propel your career in engineering or related disciplines. The ability to create detailed DSMs, analyze component interactions, and calculate metrics like interface averages positions you as a capable engineer capable of tackling complex design challenges. These skills are transferable across industries and will serve you well in both academic and professional environments.

Understanding the Assignment

The key to success in any project is understanding what is required. Let’s break down the steps of a typical SolidWorks assignment, using the example of creating a DSM for a LEGO car:

• Download LEGO Brick Studio 2.0: This software is essential for visualizing and manipulating LEGO models. It is free, open-source, and available for both Windows and iOS platforms.
• Download Specific Files: For this project, you need to download two files: ISE_Palette.xml and ModelA.io. These files are crucial for building and analyzing the LEGO model.
• Examine the LEGO Sports Car: Use the software to thoroughly understand the structure and components of the car. This step is critical for creating the DSM.
• Complete the DSM in Excel: Populate an Excel sheet with a DSM based on your examination of the LEGO model.
• Calculate Key Metrics: Determine the average number of interfaces per part and identify the second most connected component. These metrics provide deeper insights into the model's structure.

Let’s dive deeper into each step to ensure you can handle not just this assignment, but any similar SolidWorks project.

Step 1: Downloading and Setting Up Software

First, ensure you have the necessary software tools installed on your computer:

LEGO Brick Studio 2.0

• Visit the official LEGO Brick Studio website to download the software.
• Follow the installation instructions for your operating system (Windows or iOS).
• Familiarize yourself with the software interface. Spend some time exploring its features and capabilities to ensure you can use it effectively.
• If you don’t already have SolidWorks, you will need to obtain it. Many educational institutions provide access to SolidWorks for their students.
• Install SolidWorks and ensure it is functioning correctly.
• Spend some time familiarizing yourself with SolidWorks if you are not already proficient. There are numerous online tutorials and resources available to help you get started.

Step 2: Preparing the Required Files

Next, download and prepare the specific files needed for your assignment:

• ISE_Palette.xml: This file contains a palette of LEGO parts that you will use to construct and analyze the model.
• ModelA.io: This file contains the actual LEGO sports car model that you will be examining.

Ensure these files are saved in an easily accessible location on your computer. Load the ModelA.io file into LEGO Brick Studio 2.0 to view and manipulate the LEGO car model.

Step 3: Examining the LEGO Model

With the LEGO car model open in LEGO Brick Studio 2.0, spend time thoroughly examining its structure. This step involves:

• Identifying Parts: Make a list of all the different parts that make up the LEGO car. Take note of each part's position and function within the model.
• Understanding Connections: Analyze how the parts are connected. This will involve looking at how individual bricks interlock and interact with each other.
• Visualizing the Model: Use the 3D visualization tools in LEGO Brick Studio to view the model from different angles. This can help you understand the spatial relationships between parts.

Taking detailed notes during this examination will be invaluable when you start creating the DSM.

Step 4: Creating the Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM)

A DSM is a powerful tool for visualizing and managing the relationships and dependencies between different components of a system. To create a DSM for the LEGO car:

• Set Up Your Excel Sheet: Open a new Excel document. Label the rows and columns with the names of the parts identified in the previous step.
• Populate the DSM: For each part, mark an 'X' or another symbol in the cells where there is a connection or dependency between parts. This will create a matrix that visually represents the interactions within the LEGO model.

For example, if part A connects to part B and part C, you would mark the intersections of row A with columns B and C.

Step 5: Calculating Key Metrics

Once your DSM is populated, it’s time to calculate some important metrics:

• Average Number of Interfaces per Part: This metric gives you an idea of the overall complexity of the model. To calculate it:
• Count the total number of connections (or interfaces) in the DSM.
• Divide this number by the total number of parts.
• Identify the Second Most Connected Component: This step involves ranking the parts by the number of connections they have and identifying the part with the second highest number of connections. This component is often critical to the model’s structure.

Step 6: Using Study Materials

To ensure your understanding and execution are thorough, refer to any provided study materials:

• Review Theoretical Concepts: Study materials often include theoretical background on topics like DSM, system engineering, and complexity management. Understanding these concepts can enhance your analysis.
• Apply Learnings: Use the insights gained from your study materials to inform your examination of the LEGO model and the creation of the DSM.

Step 7: Finalizing and Reviewing Your Work

Before submitting your assignment, it’s crucial to review and finalize your work:

• Double-Check the DSM: Ensure all connections are accurately represented in the DSM. This may involve revisiting the LEGO model to confirm any uncertainties.
• Verify Calculations: Recalculate the average number of interfaces per part and double-check the identification of the second most connected component.
• Ensure Clarity: Make sure your Excel sheet is clearly organized and easy to understand. Label all parts and connections clearly.

Step 8: Tips for Success

Successfully completing SolidWorks assignments requires more than just following steps. Here are some tips to help you excel:

• Practice Regularly: The more you work with SolidWorks and LEGO Brick Studio, the more comfortable and proficient you will become. Practice by working on similar projects or creating your own models.
• Stay Organized: Keep all your files, notes, and documents well-organized. This will save time and reduce errors.
• Seek Help When Needed: Don’t hesitate to seek help from tutors, classmates, or online forums. There are numerous resources available that can provide guidance and answer questions.
• Use Online Resources: Take advantage of the wealth of online tutorials, forums, and guides available for SolidWorks and LEGO Brick Studio. These resources can provide valuable insights and tips.

Step 9: Applying These Steps to Other Projects

The steps outlined in this guide are not just applicable to the LEGO car DSM assignment. They can be adapted and applied to a wide range of SolidWorks projects:

• Understanding the Assignment: Always start by thoroughly understanding the requirements and objectives of your project.
• Downloading and Setting Up Software: Ensure you have all the necessary software and tools installed and functioning correctly.
• Preparing Required Files: Gather and organize all the files and resources you will need for the project.
• Examining the Model: Spend time thoroughly examining and understanding the model or system you are working with.
• Creating a DSM or Similar Tool: Use tools like DSM to visualize and analyze the relationships and dependencies within the model.
• Calculating Key Metrics: Identify and calculate important metrics that provide insights into the model’s complexity and structure.
• Using Study Materials: Refer to study materials to enhance your understanding and application of theoretical concepts.
• Finalizing and Reviewing Your Work: Always review and finalize your work to ensure accuracy and clarity.
• Tips for Success: Practice regularly, stay organized, seek help when needed, and use online resources.

Completing SolidWorks assignments can be challenging, but with the right approach and resources, you can tackle these projects successfully. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can systematically approach and complete assignments like developing a DSM for a LEGO car. This structured approach not only helps you with the current task but also prepares you for future projects and assignments in your coursework. Developing proficiency in SolidWorks not only enhances your technical skills but also improves your problem-solving abilities in engineering and design. These skills are invaluable in various industries, from automotive engineering to product design and manufacturing.

For personalized assistance with your SolidWorks assignments, consider reaching out to experts at SolidWorks Assignment Help. Our team offers tailored solutions and guidance to ensure you grasp the concepts and excel in your projects. Whether you need help with DSM creation, 3D modeling, or understanding complex engineering principles, our experts are here to support you. Embrace the learning process and enjoy the journey of mastering SolidWorks!

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Simulation and modeling assignment tips for engineering students submit your assignment, attached files.

• 16 minutes ago

Santa Monica College Professors Accused of Creating Antisemitic Assignments

Ethnic Studies professor and Art History professor require students to promote notion that Israel is committing genocide

Alyssa Erdley | Santa Monica Oberserver | Jun 25, 2024

June 14, 2024 — Santa Monica College has received a legal complaint letter from nonpartisan education organization StandWithUS regarding two class assignments that they call bigoted, harassing, and ultimately illegal. StandWithUs supports Israel and fights antisemitism.

The assignments involved are:

(1) Professor Elias Serna's Ethnic Studies 1: Introduction to Ethnic Studies in which he asked, "What are your thoughts on the ongoing destruction and genocide by Israel in Palestine? What forms of protest have you witnessed or observed? What effect does protest have on the political situation in Gaza? What effect is it having on this generation?"

(2) Professor Ali Ahmadpour's Art History 11 asked students to consider what installation they would create as art director in an SMC encampment "to educate the community about the ongoing conflict in Gaza on the occupied Palestinian lands."

According to StandWithUs, the students who were given the assignments are so afraid of retaliation from SMC administration, faculty and other students that they have asked to remain anonymous. Students at SMC must maintain a high grade point average if they hope to transfer to a University of California campus to finish their bachelor's degrees.

Similar complaints were made against SMC in March, prompting SMC Superintendent/President Kathryn Jeffery to issue a statement supporting the academic freedom of professors to "determine the approach to a subject...without having their decisions subject to the veto of a department chair, dean, or other administrative officer." At the same time, she claimed to guarantee the students' right to be "shielded from prejudiced or capricious evaluation of their academic performance by instructors..."

The Director of the StandWithUs Saidoff Legal Department, Yael Lerman, however, points out two problems with Jeffery's position: one practical and the other legal.

From a practical point of view, Jeffery's attempt to balance teacher and student rights "is a nearly (if not entirely) impossible feat." Students could obviously not turn in an assignment opposed to the teacher's viewpoint with any hope of receiving a good grade. And if the student challenged the grade, that would require a review by college administrators, peers of the professor who might very well share his bias. Such a review would also have a negative impact on how the student is perceived by other faculty going forward.

From a legal perspective, class assignments that assume facts not in existence (that Israel is committing genocide) shows inherent bias and, given the accusation - genocide - bullies and harasses students who may support Israel for reasons of ethnicity and national origin. This would violate Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

"This is not a gray issue of academic freedom," Lerman said in an interview. "But a clearcut case of professors using their classroom for political indoctrination in a manner not protected by professional standards."

As of now, SMC has not responded to StandWithUs's demand for action on the biased class assignments. In December, Dr. Sion Roy, the President of the Board of Trustees of SMC, admitted that the school was under federal investigation for discrimination on campus. The incident underlying the investigation was a meeting of the student-run Inter-Club Council (ICC) in which students, amid a large quantity of openly antisemitic dialogue, disqualified the club Students Supporting Israel (SSI). Following an outcry by StandWithUS, Amcha Initiative and others, SMC administrators reversed the ICC's ruling and reinstated SSI as a recognized club.

Read article HERE

• SWU International
• College Legal Issues

StandWithUs Condemns Antisemitic and Anti-Israel New Business Items Proposed at NEA Representative Assembly

A Resolution Of The Board of Regents Of The University of Colorado in Response to Protests That Occurred On June 1, 2024, and June 17, 2024, at The Private Residences of Regents

• Flagler Forward

Housing for Admitted Students

• Jump to a Section...

Before you start living on campus, you will receive the following: 

• Email from Admissions with the eRezlife application and important deadlines 
• a Docusign email from the Office of Residence Life, with your housing contract. This must be filled out before Move-In Day in August.

What is the eRezlife application? 

The eRezlife application helps to determine building preferences, roommate matching, and emergency contact information. Please connect with your admissions counselor if you have any questions about when this is due. 

What is Docusign- Housing contract? 

The housing contract is like a lease and provides you with important information, including the expectation to live on campus for the entire year and the policies laid out in the Student Handbook. This must be filled out before Move-In Day in August.

Housing Assignments

Housing assignments for first-year and transfer students are usually released in June through the eRezlife portal. As a student, you will be able to self-select your housing assignment from one of three first-year housing options- Cedar, Lewis, and Ponce. 

Are you a transfer student? 

You can select from the sophomore or junior/senior housing options when your housing assignments are released. Those housing options are Abare, FEC, and Sebastian House. 

If you have any questions about housing on campus, please email us at [email protected] .  

• Career Advice

Our students have been drifting away, Helen Kapstein writes, but we want them to drift back to the mindset of being challenged and challenging.

By  Helen Kapstein

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Last semester, I told my students to get lost. That is, I gave them an assignment that asked them to get lost on purpose, in the spirit of Guy Debord’s practice of the dérive, the radical act of drifting without an agenda in the hope of breaking free of habit.

Specifically, I asked them to use or create a deck—a collection of virtual or physical cards with tasks on them that can apply almost anywhere, like “trail a taxi down the street” or “go find something yellow”—to direct their dérive, alone or in a group. I instructed them to capture what they noticed while wandering, perhaps using a notebook or voice recordings, taking pictures or mapping their routes. Afterwards, referring to their field notes, I asked them to write reflection papers, thinking especially about how the experience changed—or didn’t change—their perception of the city.

What I thought would be a fun, interactive assignment that would get them thinking about their relation to their environment, disrupt their “usual motives”—as Debord would say—and challenge their assumptions about themselves turned out to be a very different kind of challenge: to actually get them to do it.

I was surprised and somewhat bemused when a number of students pushed back—not so much because they didn’t want to do the assignment, but because they were nervous about wandering around New York City. To be clear, I had encouraged them to do this with friends and, of course, to use their common sense and to prioritize safety above all else, but they remained anxious about the undertaking. In fact, one student, originally from the Caribbean, came to office hours to discuss the matter and ended up deciding that he would only feel comfortable doing the dérive when his uncle was in town from back home to accompany him. Apparently, this same student is driven to campus every day by his father.

Some of this will sound familiar—perhaps you’ve read similar accounts or had similar experiences with your own students. An article in Curbed from February last year reported on teenagers from the Upper East Side of Manhattan who rarely, if ever, leave the house alone now. Chaperoned by parents or bundled into Lyfts and Ubers, they are wholly different creatures from urban teenagers of the (not-so-distant) past, who reveled in an unsupervised life of sneaking down alleys, sauntering through parks, and skulking about on subways platforms. Writing in the Chronicle of Higher Education , Melinda Zook summarizes how the pandemic profoundly altered our young people.

Now out and about, they often find the world demanding and frightening. They may have missed certain milestones of adolescence, from getting a driver’s license and holding a summer job to opening a bank account. They date less than previous generations, giving them less opportunity to have their hearts broken, but also less chance to know the sweet sadness of love. Going somewhere, anywhere, without their parents knowing is often not part of their reality.

But whereas it might not come as a huge surprise that the children of rich Upper East Siders are coddled by their “super-overprotective” guardians (to quote one parent interviewed in the Curbed piece) who can afford a cab to college every day, mine are CUNY kids, attending a commuter institution in the City University of New York system. On top of their academics, they have full-time jobs and family responsibilities, and, in theory, anyway, they are part of a bigger world.

Nevertheless, they had reservations. They were cynical, they were resistant, they were put-upon, and they were just plain obstinate: “Going into this assignment I thought it was stupid. I assumed that I knew what I needed to know about the city since I lived here.” Their full and rigid schedules didn’t allow for such a seemingly frivolous exercise: “Partaking in this dérive challenged every structural thought that I follow on a day-to-day basis. My life is built on a list. Everything is laid out—all my plans for the day, all my goals and so on.”

And then they did it—because they had to—and were pleasantly surprised. They wrote, “I certainly did get lost, just not in the way I had anticipated,” and “I assumed that whatever I encountered would not be new and would bore me. However these assumptions were proven wrong. I stumbled upon a new part of the city that I had never been to, and I ended up discovering new things.”

While some of what they anticipated and assumed was proven wrong, their expectations were met in other ways. Alongside Debord, we read Garnette Cadogan’s essay “Walking While Black,” in which he reflects on the structural limits of his ability to simply drift as a person of color. A dérive is an avant-garde act—both because it disrupts the way we’re programmed to move through space habitually, and because the person doing it is aware of the markers of privilege such as class, gender, race and sexuality that allow for (or don’t) “the liberation of everyday life,” to again quote Debord. My students, attending a Hispanic and Minority Serving Institution, are always keenly aware of how they move through space, and this assignment affirmed that. They identified with Cadogan, as well as with Lucy, Jamaica Kincaid’s eponymous character, who we’d encountered earlier in the semester. Wrote one student:

“While there were women in the area, I was the only Black woman on the street for what felt like a long time. In New York City, you would think diversity would be everywhere you go, but I did not see that. Like Lucy, I felt like I was a visitor because I was Black. I relate to Lucy in this situation because it was as though I did not belong in this place full of wealth and prestige; not seeing any other people of color was almost confirmation that Wall Street and the area surrounding it was not meant for me … in a place that is supposed to be ‘my city.’”

Our students have been drifting away over the past few years. They have stopped coming to class , lost their connections with one another and turned to artificial intelligence (AI) to do their work . Even in this praxis-based, personal assignment, some students succumbed to the pull of AI and turned in generic descriptions and definitions.

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Instead, we want them to drift back to the mindset that doing a dérive demands—being challenged and being challenging. In a way, their pushback befitted the assignment. This kind of drifting requires literally stepping out of your comfort zone in order to overturn what’s known and normal, to discover your curiosity and creativity, and to embrace the original sense of essay writing as just trying something out. At the end of her dérive essay, having let both her body and mind wander, one student wrote what we ultimately hope is true of all the discovery we want for our students: “I was surprised to remember that all of this started with a school assignment.”

Helen Kapstein is a professor of English at John Jay College, The City University of New York (CUNY).

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DePaul prof out after offering microbiology students an optional assignment on Israel's 'genocide'

Depaul university recently fired a professor for including an optional assignment in a microbiologoy course, which accused israel of 'genocide.', the assignment asked students to comment on 'the impact of genocide/ethnic cleansing on the health/biology of the people it impacts.'.

By  Patrick   McDonald   '26

By  Michael   Duke  

By  Adam   Sabes  

DePaul University in Chicago recently fired a professor for including an optional assignment in a microbiologoy course that accused Israel of “genocide.” 

The assignment asked students to comment on “the impact of genocide/ethnic cleansing on the health/biology of the people it impacts.” 

The professor, Anne d’Aquino, was reportedly hired on April 1, and gave out the assignment on May 6, when Israel carried out part of its counterattack against the terrorist group Hamas.

“Today, Israel rejected a ceasefire deal and continues to bomb Rafah, where over 600,000 children are currently sheltering,” d’Aquino wrote in the description for the optional assignment. “Many view this as the last phase of the genocide/ethnic cleansing of indigenous Palestinian people.”

[RELATED: House committee finds Harvard leadership showed ‘pattern of inaction’ in fighting anti-Semitism]

“I encourage students to use scientific analysis and critical thinking to understand and communicate the impacts of genocide on human biology, and the creation of a decolonized future that promotes liberation and resists systemic oppression,” d’Aquino wrote in the message.

“Students were distracted,” d’Aquino said after her dismissal. “A lot of them were volunteering at the encampment. A lot of them had friends that were at the encampment.”

The course was supposed to “[introduce] students to the diverse microorganisms that cause significant disease within the human population,” the university explained in a statement to CBS .

”On May 8, we received multiple complaints from students regarding an assignment in Health 194, Human Pathogens and Defense,” the university wrote. “The students expressed significant concern about the introduction of political matters into the class. We investigated the matter, spoke with the faculty member, and found it had negatively affected the learning environment.” 

”The class now has a new instructor, and the faculty member has been released from their appointment as a part-time faculty member at DePaul University,” the school also noted.

[RELATED: Harvard faculty buck administrators, vote to allow disciplined anti-Israel campus occupiers to graduate]

DePaul, like many schools around the nation, experienced a two-week-long pro-Hamas encampment that the university was eventually made to disperse due to non-compliance on the part of protesters.

The president of DePaul, Robert Manuel, wrote in a statement on May 16 that the situation at the encampment had “steadily escalated” and resulted in “credible threats of violence” and “physical altercations.”

Campus Reform has contacted DePaul University and Anne d’Aquino for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.

Patrick McDonald '26

Patrick McDonald is a rising sophomore pursuing a double major in Politics and History at Hillsdale College. He is a member of the Alexander Hamilton Society and competes full-time on the Hillsdale College Mock Trial team and the Hillsdale College debate team. Throughout high school, Patrick competed in the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association (NCFCA) in 13 different speech and debate events. He won numerous award...

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