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Google Classroom - Creating Assignments and Materials

Google classroom -, creating assignments and materials, google classroom creating assignments and materials.

Google Classroom: Creating Assignments and Materials

Lesson 2: creating assignments and materials.

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Creating assignments and materials

Google Classroom gives you the ability to create and assign work for your students, all without having to print anything. Questions , essays , worksheets , and readings can all be distributed online and made easily available to your class. If you haven't created a class already, check out our Getting Started with Google Classroom lesson.

Watch the video below to learn more about creating assignments and materials in Google Classroom.

Creating an assignment

Whenever you want to create new assignments, questions, or material, you'll need to navigate to the Classwork tab.

In this tab, you can create assignments and view all current and past assignments. To create an assignment, click the Create button, then select Assignment . You can also select Question if you'd like to pose a single question to your students, or Material if you simply want to post a reading, visual, or other supplementary material.

clicking the Assignment option in the Create menu

This will bring up the Assignment form. Google Classroom offers considerable flexibility and options when creating assignments.

Click the buttons in the interactive below to become familiar with the Assignment form.

This is where you'll type the title of the assignment you're creating.

Instructions

If you'd like to include instructions with your assignment, you can type them here.

Here, you can decide how many points an assignment is worth by typing the number in the form. You can also click the drop-down arrow to select Ungraded if you don't want to grade an assignment.

You can select a due date for an assignment by clicking this arrow and selecting a date from the calendar that appears. Students will have until then to submit their work.

In Google Classroom, you can sort your assignments and materials into topics. This menu allows you to select an existing topic or create a new one to place an assignment under.

Attachments

You can attach files from your computer , files from Google Drive , URLs , and YouTube videos to your assignments.

Google Classroom gives you the option of sending assignments to all students or a select number .

Once you're happy with the assignment you've created, click Assign . The drop-down menu also gives you the option to Schedule an assignment if you'd like it to post it at a later date.

You can attach a rubric to help students know your expectations for the assignment and to give them feedback.

Once you've completed the form and clicked Assign , your students will receive an email notification letting them know about the assignment.

Google Classroom takes all of your assignments and automatically adds them to your Google Calendar. From the Classwork tab, you can click Google Calendar to pull this up and get a better overall view of the timeline for your assignments' due dates.

Using Google Docs with assignments

When creating an assignment, there may often be times when you want to attach a document from Google Docs. These can be helpful when providing lengthy instructions, study guides, and other material.

When attaching these types of files, you'll want to make sure to choose the correct setting for how your students can interact with it . After attaching one to an assignment, you'll find a drop-down menu with three options.

selecting the Students Can View File option

Let's take a look at when you might want to use each of these:

Students can view file : Use this option if the file is simply something you want your students to view but not make any changes to.
Students can edit file : This option can be helpful if you're providing a document you want your students to collaborate on or fill out collectively.
Make a copy for each student : If you're creating a worksheet or document that you want each student to complete individually, this option will create a separate copy of the same document for every student.

Using topics

On the Classwork tab, you can use topics to sort and group your assignments and material. To create a topic, click the Create button, then select Topic .

clicking the Topic option in the Create menu

Topics can be helpful for organizing your content into the various units you teach throughout the year. You could also use it to separate your content by type , splitting it into homework, classwork, readings, and other topic areas.

In our next lesson , we'll explore how to create quizzes and worksheets with Google Forms, further expanding how you can use Google Classroom with your students.

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Tips for Writing an Assignment and Teaching It to Students

Uw-madison's writing across the curriculum program.

Here are some suggestions to keep in mind as you write your assignment handouts, as well as suggestions for other activities that prepare students to write.

Good writing assignments encourage students’ engagement with course material, promote critical thinking, and help students learn characteristic ways of asking questions, analyzing data, and making arguments in your discipline. No matter what type of writing you assign, how you present the assignments to your students can affect their success.

Continually share your pedagogical goals for the course and for writing assignments with students.
Sequence writing assignments to build on developing writing skills by progressing from easier to more difficult kinds of writing and thinking (e.g., move from summaries to arguments, from narrow questions to more complex problems).
The writing task (what you want them to do)
The student writer’s role
Format (length, resources to be used, manuscript details, etc.)
Expectations for process (draft dates, peer review workshops, revision dates)
Criteria for evaluation
Discuss how to read and interpret writing assignments.
Ask students how they plan to approach the assignment to clarify any misinterpretations they may have and to help them get started on the right track.
Allow time for student questions.
Model successful sample papers.
Do a “norming” session by asking students to evaluate a variety of sample essays (or parts of essays) and explain why the good papers were successful.
Try writing the assignment yourself and share your efforts with your students.
Provide students with multiple opportunities for feedback and revision with proposal and draft due dates.
Have students work in peer review groups together, presenting their work and asking each other questions.
Hold brief individual conferences in your office to talk about plans or drafts.
Have students give class presentations on their work.
Respond to writers, not papers.
Resist the urge to comment on everything, which will overwhelm students.
Use written or oral feedback to set a few specific goals for student improvement.
Respond to early drafts; evaluate final drafts.
Ask students to hand in early drafts and your comments with their final drafts so you can respond directly to their revisions (and spend less time responding to final versions).
Have students turn in self-evaluating cover sheets or cover letters with their papers to encourage self-reflection and to guide your feedback.
Consider giving global or models feedback to short assignment

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Along with instruction and assessment, assignments form the foundation of the teaching and learning process. They provide opportunities for students to practice the skills and apply the knowledge that they have been taught in a supportive environment. It also helps the teacher gauge how well students are learning the material and how close they are to mastery.

Because of the nature of assignments, managing them can get hectic. That’s why its best to use a platform like Google Classroom to help you manage assignments digitally. In today’s tip, we will discuss 48 ways that you can use Classroom to manage student assignments.

Assignment Status – Easily check how many students turned in an assignment as well as how many assignments have been graded by going to the Classwork tab and clicking on the title of the assignment.
Assign to Multiple Classes – Post an assignment to multiple classes by using the “for” drop-down menu when creating an assignment.
Brainstorm – Use Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Drawings to brainstorm for class assignments.
Calendar of Due Dates – Link a Google Calendar with due dates for assignments, tests, and other important dates into Classroom.
Check Homework – Classroom makes checking homework easy with a quick glance at the assignment page. If more detailed grading is needed, just access the grading interface for the assignment.
Choice Boards – Give students a choice in how they demonstrate what they know by creating a choice board and uploading it as an assignment. Choice boards allow students to choose between several assignments and can be created directly in Classroom, using Google Docs, or with third-party apps.
Co-Teach Classes – Invite others to co-teach in your Classroom. Each teacher is able to create assignments and post announcements for students.
Create Questions Before a Socratic Seminar – Create an assignment for students to develop questions before a Socratic seminar. During the collaborative process, students can eliminate duplicate questions.
Detention Assignment Sheet – Create a detention assignment sheet using Google Docs. The assignment sheet can then be shared with the detention teacher and individual students privately through Classroom.
Differentiate Assignments – Assign work to individual students or groups of students in Classroom.
Differentiate by Product – Differentiate by product in Classroom by providing a challenge, variety, or choice or by using a continuum with assignments.
Digital Portfolios – Students can create digital portfolios of their work by uploading documents, pictures, artifacts, etc. to Classroom assignments.
Directions Document – Use Google Docs to create instruction documents for assignments in Classroom.
Distribute Student Work/Homework – Use Classroom to distribute student assignments or homework to all students, groups of students, or individual students.
Diversify Student Submissions – Create alternative submission options for students through the assignment tool. For example, one group of students may be required to submit a Google Doc while another group is required to submit a Slides presentation.
Do-Now Activities – Use Classroom to post Do-Now Activities.
Draft Assignments – Save posts as drafts until they are ready for publishing.
Feedback Before Student Submits – Provide feedback to students while their assignment is still a work in progress instead of waiting until submission. This will help the student better understand assignment expectations.
Get Notified of Late Assignments – Select notification settings to get notified each time an assignment is turned in late.
Global Classroom – Partner with international teachers to create a co-teaching classroom without borders where students can work on collaborative assignments.
Graphic Organizers – Upload graphic organizers for students to collaborate on assignments and projects.
Group Collaboration – Assign multiple students to an assignment to create a collaborative group. Give students editing rights to allow them access to the same document.
HyperDocs – Create and upload a hyperdoc as an assignment.
Link to Assignments – Create links to assignments not created in Classroom.
Link to Class Blog – Provide the link to a class blog in Classroom.
Link to Next Activity – Provide a link to the next activity students must complete after finishing an assignment.
Make a Copy for Each Student – Chose “make a copy for each student” when uploading assignment documents to avoid students having to share one copy of the document. When a copy for each student is made, Classroom automatically adds each student’s name to the document and saves it to the Classroom folder in Google Drive.
Move to Top/Bottom – Move recent assignments to the top of the Classwork feed so students can find new tasks more quickly.
Multiple File Upload – Upload multiple files for an assignment in one post.
Naming Conventions for Assignments – Create a unique naming system for assignments so they can be easily found in the Classroom folder in Google Drive.
Offline Mode – Change settings to allow students to work in offline mode if internet connections are weak. Once an internet connection is established, students can upload assignments to Classroom.
One Student One Sheet – In Google Sheets, assign one tab (sheet) per student for the student to complete the assignment.
One Student One Slide – In Google Slides, assign one slide to each student to present findings on a topic or to complete an assignment.
Organize Student Work – Google Classroom automatically creates calendars and folders in Drive to keep assignments organized.
Peer Tutors – Assign peer tutors to help struggling students with assignments.
Protect Privacy – Google Classroom only allows class members to access assignments. Also, it eliminates the need to use email, which may be less private than Classroom.
Provide Accommodations – Provide accommodations to students with disabilities in Google Classroom by allowing extra time to turn in assignments, using text to speech functions, and third-party extensions for colored overlays.
Reorder Assignments by Status – Instead of organizing assignments by student first or last name, organize them by status to see which students have or have not turned in work.
Reuse Posts – Reuse post from prior assignments or from other Classrooms.
See the Process – Students don’t have to submit their assignments for you to see their work. When you chose “make a copy for each student” for assignments, each student’s work can be seen in the grading tool, even if it’s not submitted. Teachers can make comments and suggestions along the way.
Share Materials – Upload required materials such as the class syllabus, rules, procedures, etc. to a Class Resources Module, or upload assignment materials within the assignment.
Share Resources – Create a resource list or a resource module for students.
Share Solutions to an Assignment – Share solutions to an assignment with a collaborator or students after all assignments have been turned in.
Stop Repeating Directions – By posting a directions document to assignments, the need to continually repeat directions is lessened, if not eliminated altogether. Keep in mind that some students will still need directions to read orally or clarified.
Student Work Collection – Use Classroom to collect student work from assignments.
Summer Assignments – Create summer assignments for students through Classroom.
Templates – Create templates for projects, essays, and other student assignments.
Track Assignments Turned In – Keep track of which students turned in assignments by going to the grading tool.

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Student staring at laptop screen as they try to write an assignment

5 tips on writing better university assignments

Lecturer in Student Learning and Communication Development, University of Sydney

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

University of Sydney provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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

1. Use all available sources of information

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

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

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

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

2. Take referencing seriously

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

Hands on a keyboard using the Ctrl C copy function

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

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

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

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

3. Plan before you write

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

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

Young woman sitting at desk with laptop and checking notes for assignment

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

4. Choose the right words

Which of these sentences is more appropriate for an assignment?

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

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

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

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

5. Edit and proofread

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

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

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

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

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

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Instructors: Create, edit and delete courses and assignments

Create an assignment

Use Assignments to create, collect, and give feedback on assignments in a learning management system (LMS).

Before you begin

To use Assignments, you need an LMS and a Google Workspace for Education account. The account usually looks like [email protected] . If Assignments isn't installed in your LMS, ask your administrator to go to Get started with Assignments .

Create an assignment in Canvas

Sign in to Canvas.
Open the course.

Enter a name and description for your assignment.
When you set the points to zero, assignments are left ungraded in Google Assignments.
Points that use a decimal value will be rounded down in Google Assignments.
Due dates are imported automatically into Google Assignments if the Canvas assignment has a single due date for all students. Otherwise, the due date is left unset in Google Assignments.

To save your assignment, click Save or Save & Publish .

To confirm your changes and return to the rest of your assignment, click Edit .
Tip : Your Canvas admin might have given Assignments a different name.
If you’re signed in to your Google Workspace for Education account—Click Continue .
If you’re not signed in—Sign in with your Google Workspace account.
If this is your first time using Assignments in this course, you must link your LMS account to your Google Account. For instructions, go to Link your account to Assignments (below).

Files students submit are shared with the instructor.
Tip: Files students submit automatically upload to SpeedGrader™.
Click Create .

Tip : Students can't see an assignment until you publish it.

Copy an assignment to another course in Canvas

In the sidebar, click Assignments .

Click Copy .

Use SpeedGrader with Google Drive files

If you create an assignment in Canvas, you can use SpeedGrader to grade students’ Drive files. However, you won’t be able to use the features included in Assignments. For details, go to Use SpeedGrader with Google Drive files in Canvas .

Create an assignment in Schoology

Sign in to Schoology.
In the sidebar, click Materials .
Click Add Materials and select Google Assignments .
If this is your first time using Assignments in this course, you must link your LMS account to your Google Account. For instructions, go to Link your account to Assignments (below).
Enter a title for the assignment.
(Optional) To edit the total points or add a due date or any other instructions, enter the details.
Click Create .
Open the assignment.

Link your account to Assignments

The first time you use Assignments in a course, you need to link your Google Workspace for Education account. When you do, Assignments creates a folder in Google Drive for student assignments and automatically sends grades to the LMS. Students can't submit classwork until you link your account. After you select Google Assignments as an external tool, choose an option based on whether you're:

Google, Google Workspace, and related marks and logos are trademarks of Google LLC. All other company and product names are trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.

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Students will know if homework is really benefiting them or not so be sure to make it worth their while or they will be less willing to complete assignments in the future. Let’s take a look at the different steps you can take when it comes to using homework appropriately.

Homework should be a review or further practice of something learned in class so ensure that whatever homework you have assigned can be completed by students independently and with ease. To do this, conduct several comprehension tests and practice activities in class so that students feel confident enough with the material to work on their own. . Indicate what pages of the textbook you are using so that students can find key information later on when you are not available to help them.

Think about the before giving it to students to make sure that it will actually benefit them. Also, try to use a variety of exercises rather than the same ones over and over again (see our article ‘ ’). When handing out homework, go over the directions in class to check that students understand what they are expected to do at home. Have students read the instructions aloud and ask them if they have any questions about the exercises. ork as students will not understand it and only become frustrated with the exercises as well as less open to discussing the topic in class. Sometimes you might want to give students the opportunity to think about a topic before you introduce it in class but in this case you should assign something very general for example tell students to try to think of three directions related words for the next class. This is not something you would collect so students do not have to give it a lot of thought or get stressed about it. In this case, you can spend some time at the beginning of the next class about directions. If some of your students find homework assignments too challenging, arrange a tutorial once or twice a week either before or after school so that students can get extra help.

Once students have completed homework, you have to check it. This can be done a number of ways and depends a lot on the type of activity you assigned. You should before asking students to present their work to the class. This will help them practice the right material rather than repeating mistakes. If the worksheet consists of or type questions, check answers as a class before collecting the sheets from your students. This may mean that students who did not complete the homework will fill in the answers as they come up in class but if you notice a student doing this, you can mark him down for not doing the work at home and should take some time to talk to the student individually.

Not all homework has to be graded but this encourages students to actually do the work. Be sure to collect all homework assignments even if all you do is ensure that they have been completed. Other activities, such as the writing exercise mentioned above, you may consider giving grades on. It is up to you how many points the exercise is worth. When grading subjective material try to which you can use to help you grade all the work the same way. Breaking down points into different categories such as spelling, content, and grammar will certainly help you with grading fairly.

When you return the homework assignments to your students give them another opportunity to ask questions about the material and . Students who consistently perform at a low level might need a second opportunity to complete the exercise once they have a better understanding of what you are looking for. This will give them the chance to earn more points towards a higher overall grade. In this situation, it is still better to be proactive and give these students special attention to begin with but a combination of both approaches may be the most successful.

By reserving larger reading and writing assignments for homework assignments, you can maximize your class time by conducting lots of and . Homework also gives you more material to so it is very helpful when used correctly.

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How to write the best college assignments.

By Lois Weldon

When it comes to writing assignments, it is difficult to find a conceptualized guide with clear and simple tips that are easy to follow. That’s exactly what this guide will provide: few simple tips on how to write great assignments, right when you need them. Some of these points will probably be familiar to you, but there is no harm in being reminded of the most important things before you start writing the assignments, which are usually determining on your credits.

The most important aspects: Outline and Introduction

Preparation is the key to success, especially when it comes to academic assignments. It is recommended to always write an outline before you start writing the actual assignment. The outline should include the main points of discussion, which will keep you focused throughout the work and will make your key points clearly defined. Outlining the assignment will save you a lot of time because it will organize your thoughts and make your literature searches much easier. The outline will also help you to create different sections and divide up the word count between them, which will make the assignment more organized.

The introduction is the next important part you should focus on. This is the part that defines the quality of your assignment in the eyes of the reader. The introduction must include a brief background on the main points of discussion, the purpose of developing such work and clear indications on how the assignment is being organized. Keep this part brief, within one or two paragraphs.

This is an example of including the above mentioned points into the introduction of an assignment that elaborates the topic of obesity reaching proportions:

Background : The twenty first century is characterized by many public health challenges, among which obesity takes a major part. The increasing prevalence of obesity is creating an alarming situation in both developed and developing regions of the world.

Structure and aim : This assignment will elaborate and discuss the specific pattern of obesity epidemic development, as well as its epidemiology. Debt, trade and globalization will also be analyzed as factors that led to escalation of the problem. Moreover, the assignment will discuss the governmental interventions that make efforts to address this issue.

Practical tips on assignment writing

Here are some practical tips that will keep your work focused and effective:

– Critical thinking – Academic writing has to be characterized by critical thinking, not only to provide the work with the needed level, but also because it takes part in the final mark.

– Continuity of ideas – When you get to the middle of assignment, things can get confusing. You have to make sure that the ideas are flowing continuously within and between paragraphs, so the reader will be enabled to follow the argument easily. Dividing the work in different paragraphs is very important for this purpose.

– Usage of ‘you’ and ‘I’ – According to the academic writing standards, the assignments should be written in an impersonal language, which means that the usage of ‘you’ and ‘I’ should be avoided. The only acceptable way of building your arguments is by using opinions and evidence from authoritative sources.

– Referencing – this part of the assignment is extremely important and it takes a big part in the final mark. Make sure to use either Vancouver or Harvard referencing systems, and use the same system in the bibliography and while citing work of other sources within the text.

– Usage of examples – A clear understanding on your assignment’s topic should be provided by comparing different sources and identifying their strengths and weaknesses in an objective manner. This is the part where you should show how the knowledge can be applied into practice.

– Numbering and bullets – Instead of using numbering and bullets, the academic writing style prefers the usage of paragraphs.

– Including figures and tables – The figures and tables are an effective way of conveying information to the reader in a clear manner, without disturbing the word count. Each figure and table should have clear headings and you should make sure to mention their sources in the bibliography.

– Word count – the word count of your assignment mustn’t be far above or far below the required word count. The outline will provide you with help in this aspect, so make sure to plan the work in order to keep it within the boundaries.

The importance of an effective conclusion

The conclusion of your assignment is your ultimate chance to provide powerful arguments that will impress the reader. The conclusion in academic writing is usually expressed through three main parts:

– Stating the context and aim of the assignment

– Summarizing the main points briefly

– Providing final comments with consideration of the future (discussing clear examples of things that can be done in order to improve the situation concerning your topic of discussion).

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Lois Weldon is writer at Uk.bestdissertation.com . Lives happily at London with her husband and lovely daughter. Adores writing tips for students. Passionate about Star Wars and yoga.

7 comments on “How To Write The Best College Assignments”

Extremely useful tip for students wanting to score well on their assignments. I concur with the writer that writing an outline before ACTUALLY starting to write assignments is extremely important. I have observed students who start off quite well but they tend to lose focus in between which causes them to lose marks. So an outline helps them to maintain the theme focused.

Hello Great information…. write assignments

Well elabrated

Thanks for the information. This site has amazing articles. Looking forward to continuing on this site.

This article is certainly going to help student . Well written.

Really good, thanks

Practical tips on assignment writing, the’re fantastic. Thank you!

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Creating and Adapting Assignments for Online Courses

Woman with dark hair and glasses working on laptop

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

How to write any assignment?

Types of college assignments and how to write an assignment

Assignment writing is partly as hard as it is due to the sheer amount of work that needs to be done. For every class, you get a home assignment and end up with dozens of projects due in the same week.

Yet, it’s important to differentiate between the types of homework, as no assignments are created equal.

Presentation
Research paper
Dissertation

All these can be given to you as homework, but the mechanics behind every task are extremely different. In this article, we will look closely at each of these assignments and give you some tips on writing them.

Essay: How to head a college assignment

Essay assignment is your most basic type of paper. Students have to write dozens, if not hundreds, of them during their studies. But if you don’t learn how to do it right, it will be harder each time. On the contrary, if you learn how to write this type of assignment, it will feel like a piece of cake.

So, where do you start? If the topic has been given to you by your professor, you begin with research. Find recent, relevant studies that you can base your research upon. The number of sources to use should also be discussed with your professor.

Some people find it easier to start once they get all the technical stuff out of the way. I.e. write up a title page, add the page numbers and format the references. Then, start writing.

What about writing assignment services?

Sometimes, it’s easier to do my assignment when you know you have a backup plan. Services like Studyfy can serve as your safety net you can always fall back on.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t always have to order a full paper from them. You can use Studyfy for formatting, editing, proofreading, or even writing an outline. If you feel stuck with a topic, order an outline, and a professional writer will give you ideas for each paragraph.

Or, order a full essay to have a reference point on which to base your future essays.

Research paper: How to find relevant sources for academic writing

Any written assignment starts with research. The only difference is that for a research paper, you need a lot more references than you would need for an essay. So, how do you find relevant, accurate and dependable sources?

Your class studies can be an excellent stepping stone for the beginning of your research. You may not realize it, but all the assignments you get are meant to deepen and expand your knowledge.

So, using your textbooks or additional readings recommended by your professor is a great way to do just that. Look for sources that have been written at least in the last ten years. But if the topic is evolving rapidly, then 3-5 years is your best bet.

Writing reports as writing assignments

You might have written a book report as a high school student. Well, you still have to write them in college, but they become a bit trickier. Apart from your usual book and film reports, you also get to write lab reports, business reports, and other types of reports, depending on what you study.

This paper is more analytical compared to an essay. It usually contains a methodology, results, and discussion. Basically, writing a report means conducting an experiment and then putting it on paper.

You state your goals and motivation, project results, list the methods used, describe and analyze the results and then compare actual findings to what you’ve expected. Easy, right?

PowerPoint presentations in your own words

A student may be required to prepare a presentation for any subject and any topic. Often, these assignments are voluntary and done for extra credit.

You also will be required to prepare a presentation for your thesis defense, but that’s another topic. The main thing you need to know about presentations is that they can’t be too cluttered. The slides themselves must contain minimum information.

Only the main points, such as visual data like statistics and illustrations, should be on the slides. Everything that you, as the presenter, need to say has to be placed in the right task words and speaker notes. The lack of speaker notes may deduct your grade.

While crafting a compelling PowerPoint is essential, some students opt for " do my PowerPoint presentation " services to alleviate the burden.

How to write a review

Similarly to reports, you must have written a few reviews during your time in school. The assignments are quite similar, but college assignment writing needs to be better researched and more analytical.

The most common piece you’ll need to write is a literature review. It’s essentially an analysis of sources done in preparation for your thesis or dissertation. Basically, any academic paper is done to prepare you for writing a thesis.

The structure of a literature review is the same as that of any other academic paper. Yet here, every new paragraph of the body is dedicated to a specific journal article, book or paper.

You read the source carefully, analyze its findings and present this analysis in your paper. After reviewing all the sources, you may discover gaps or inconsistencies in the existing research.

Term paper writing as assignment writing

A term paper is an academic piece written by a student over the course of the semester. Usually, a student chooses the topic themselves and writes it independently, on their own time. A term paper usually contributes significantly to the final grade. It’s meant to show what you’ve learned over the course of the semester.

A term paper is usually from 15 to 25 pages. It follows the usual structure, i.e. introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. In the introduction, there is usually a research question or a thesis statement. And the body paragraphs develop that statement or answer the question.

Writing a thesis

A master’s thesis is a big academic work that may take you over a year to write. It involves extensive and often empirical research. You may need to use qualitative or quantitative methods.

Qualitative research often involves speaking to respondents and answering the questions like ‘Why’ and ‘How.’ Performing quantitative research usually means experimenting, measuring, and answering the question, ‘How many/much?’

What’s a dissertation?

A dissertation is an extension of your thesis in the same way that your thesis is an extension of all the other research papers you’ve written over the course of your college education. A dissertation is written after the thesis and is even more extensive and detailed.

Whenever you’re writing a thesis or a dissertation, you are to stay in close contact with your academic supervisor. Bring them drafts of your work, and discuss the sources, precise language you choose and your methods. They will guide you and motivate you to write better.

Get Ahead with Expert Assignments!

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Typical assignment structure

The assignment format is usually standardized and doesn’t change depending on the institution. Below is the approximate layout of every paper.

Your topic, name, name of institution and date should be on the title page. The format in which this information appears will depend on the formatting style.

You should always check with your professor to know the right style for your assignment.

Introduction

This section is often written last. In it, you introduce the topic, your research methods (if applicable), and the projected findings.

It’s easier to write it after the body has been drafted since you know what to expect.

This is the part where you present your arguments or findings. Each idea should have a dedicated paragraph. For essays, keep them short and sweet.

Provide an argument with a citation and follow it up with your own analysis or thoughts.

Here, you summarize the arguments you’ve presented above, bring them to a consensus and reflect on whether the research has met your expectations from the intro or not.

Don’t introduce any new information in this section.

Reference list or bibliography

Sort all the sources in alphabetical order and format them in accordance with the formatting style. Be attentive for page numbers, years of publication and other details.

How to stay focused while writing

Keeping on track and not procrastinating while you write is a big issue for students. You must remember why you are doing it and learn to motivate yourself.

Statistically, people who have completed their higher education make more money and have more prospects in life. Even if your future occupation will have no connection to what you’re studying, you are still more likely to be employed if you have a diploma. In the volatile times we live in now, it’s very important. When you sit down to write, put away your phone, clear your desk, and turn off notifications from all the distracting apps. Using applications like Forest or Pomodoro may also be useful. Nevertheless, it’s important to take breaks. Your eyes get tired from looking at the screen, and moving your body is important. Take breaks every 30-45 minutes. Remember to drink water and walk around.

Expert Assignment Assistance

Unlock academic success with expert assignment help! Our team of dedicated professionals provides personalized guidance and solutions for all your assignments.

Final thoughts

Writing academic papers is not easy. Yet, it’s not supposed to be. On the contrary, facing a challenge every once in a while is very important. It builds resilience and willpower.

Besides, once you learn to write basic papers like essays, the rest will become easy for you. Imagine that those other, more complicated papers are just the next level of the game.

And the thesis is the final boss. Sure, it’s hard to write, but the reward is worth it.

Assignment writing is an art - choose your own words, enrich the assignment writing process with valuable resources. include key words, and don't stray from your assignment topic.

When writing sentences, your academic writing skills are a product of careful planning, key points, your own task words and a creative writing process.

Writing assignments, or assignment writing, branches from the assignment topic without limiting task words or useful phrases.

When working on an assignment task, make sure to follow assignment guidelines when writing paragraphs explaining your key components.

Include topic task words on a particular subject, and don't bury the thesis statement - all this requires careful planning, especially for undergraduate students who are encountering writing assignments, assignment tasks and topic task words for the first time.

How to ace any college assignment

Academic paper writing is a natural part of higher education. Attaining your diploma is impossible without writing a few papers, even if you study art or engineering.

Every paper has its own peculiarities, yet the structure is approximately the same. And once you learn to stick to that structure, all writing will seem like a piece of cake.

Write the main body first. Present your arguments, cite sources, and analyze quotes or other writers’ findings. Sometimes, you may be required to voice your opinion, but not always. Be mindful of those details.

Write the conclusion next. Discuss what you’ve discovered, talk about shortcomings or gaps in knowledge and see if you can fill those gaps in your subsequent papers.

After the paper is almost done, write the intro. It’s not set in stone, but many authors find it easier to write the intro once they know what the paper looks like. Then, you can prepare the reader for what’s to come.

After the main parts are complete, proceed to polishing. Format the references and the title page. Read the formatting guide closely and take note of all the details. The lack of page numbers or a wrong year of publication can reduce your grade.

Good assignment writing and academic assignment writing are made with your own words. All writing assignments, no matter the type, follow a similar writing process in an academic writing style.

A similar style to essay writing branches out from the assignment topic, follows specific key task words and a research process, while showcasing your critical thinking skills.

The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

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

Basic beginnings

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

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

Assignment formats

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

An Overview of Some Kind

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

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

The Task of the Assignment

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

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

Additional Material to Think about

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

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

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

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

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

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

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

Interpreting the assignment

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

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

Who is your audience.

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

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

What are the absolute rules of the paper?

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

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

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

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

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

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

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

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Grim Truth

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

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

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

What kind of evidence do you need?

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

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

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

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

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

Technical details about the assignment

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

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

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

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

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

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

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How do I create assignments?

Assignments on Khan Academy can be strategically used as a supplementary tool to provide additional support or acceleration. Articles, videos, exercises, quizzes, unit tests, course challenges and Khanmigo Activities can be assigned for individual students based on their unique learning needs.

This article will cover the 3 options on how to make assignments for students:

1. Making them from the "Assign tab" on your Teacher Dashboard

2. Assigning them while viewing the content item itself

3. Assigning Khanmigo Activities (for Khan Academy District teachers + students only)

Below are the 5 steps to create an assignment from your Teacher Dashboard:

We recommend this option, as it gives you more insight to the content in a particular course, and helps you customize the assignment to your classroom's needs.

Step 1: Log into your Khan Academy account. Click your name in the top right-hand corner, then select the “ Teacher Dashboard ” link from the dropdown list.

Step 2 : Select which class you would like to make an assignment for.

Step 3: On the left hand menu bar, click the “Assign” option below the “Assignments” section .

Step 4: Click the checkbox on the right-hand side of the screen to select which content in the course you would like to assign to your students .

Please note, this page is organized by the units in the course. If you click the > symbol next to the unit title, it will expand to show the lessons.

Click the > symbol next to the lesson to show the v ideos, articles, practice exercises, quizzes, and/or unit tests in that unit.

We recommend choosing 1-2 pieces of individual content to assign, rather than assigning the entire unit or lesson.

The Course Challenge is located at the end of this list , so scroll down to the bottom to locate it.

The “ Search for Content ” box also allows you to easily search for content in that course, or search by content type.

Please note: if you have multiple courses added to your class, you can select which course from the dropdown which is located to the left of the search bar.

Step 5: Click the blue “Assign” button in the top right hand corner of the screen. This will open a pop up window with additional information to add about your assignment(s):

The blue “Assign” button and the pop-up window show how many items you’re assigning .

Note: Watch out that you didn’t assign a unit’s worth of content – 60 assignments can be overwhelming for students!

You can decide between different or the same set of questions for your students.

Please note that the Start over link is not available for assignments that have the "Same question set for all students" setting applied to them.

Select which class(es) and student(s) to receive the assignment(s)

Choose your assignment Start Date, Due Date and times.

Choosing the start date to be today will give your students the assignment immediately

Selecting a future start date will give your students the assignment on that date

Students will see the assignments listed in order by the due date, with assignments due soonest will show up at the top of their list. If you would like to sequence the assignments in a specific order, assign them with slightly different due dates.

Creating assignments directly from the content page:

To create an assignment from a specific content page please follow the below steps:

Step 1: browse our library until you find material that you want your students work on. This could be a quiz, unit test, course challenge, video, article, or an exercise.)

Step 2: Once you are viewing a piece of Khan Academy content, click the Assign button near the top right-hand corner of the screen.

Assigning Khanmigo Activities for district-rostered students

Khan Academy District teachers have the ability to assign Khanmigo activities directly to their Khanmigo-enabled students.

Currently, there are two ways in which you can assign these activities:

From the new “Assign Khanmigo” option on your Teacher Dashboard
Through the AI activity pages themselves

Check out this article to learn more details about assigning Khanmigo Activities to your students!

We hope this article was helpful for you to learn how to make assignments on Khan Academy. For additional guidance or to share feedback, please reach out to our support team here ! We are happy to help.

Additional resources:

How do I edit or delete assignments?

What reporting options are available for teachers to track student performance?

How do I find content to assign?

Teaching Tips

The Ultimate Guide to Grading Student Work

Strategies, best practices and practical examples to make your grading process more efficient, effective and meaningful

Top Hat Staff

The Ultimate Guide to Grading Student Work

This ultimate guide to grading student work offers strategies, tips and examples to help you make the grading process more efficient and effective for you and your students. The right approach can save time for other teaching tasks, like lecture preparation and student mentoring.

Grading is one of the most painstaking responsibilities of postsecondary teaching. It’s also one of the most crucial elements of the educational process. Even with an efficient system, grading requires a great deal of time—and even the best-laid grading systems are not entirely immune to student complaints and appeals. This guide explores some of the common challenges in grading student work along with proven grading techniques and helpful tips to communicate expectations and set you and your students up for success, especially those who are fresh out of high school and adjusting to new expectations in college or university.

What is grading?

Grading is only one of several indicators of a student’s comprehension and mastery, but understanding what grading entails is essential to succeeding as an educator. It allows instructors to provide standardized measures to evaluate varying levels of academic performance while providing students valuable feedback to help them gauge their own understanding of course material and skill development. Done well, effective grading techniques show learners where they performed well and in what areas they need improvement. Grading student work also gives instructors insights into how they can improve the student learning experience.

Grading challenges: Clarity, consistency and fairness

No matter how experienced the instructor is, grading student work can be tricky. No such grade exists that perfectly reflects a student’s overall comprehension or learning. In other words, some grades end up being inaccurate representations of actual comprehension and mastery. This is often the case when instructors use an inappropriate grading scale, such as a pass/fail structure for an exam, when a 100-point system gives a more accurate or nuanced picture.

Grading students’ work fairly but consistently presents other challenges. For example, grades for creative projects or essays might suffer from instructor bias, even with a consistent rubric in place. Instructors can employ every strategy they know to ensure fairness, accessibility, accuracy and consistency, and even so, some students will still complain about their grades. Handling grade point appeals can pull instructors away from other tasks that need their attention.

Many of these issues can be avoided by breaking things down into logical steps. First, get clear on the learning outcomes you seek to achieve, then ensure the coursework students will engage in is well suited to evaluating those outcomes and last, identify the criteria you will use to assess student performance.

What are some grading strategies for educators?

There are a number of grading techniques that can alleviate many problems associated with grading, including the perception of inconsistent, unfair or arbitrary practices. Grading can use up a large portion of educators’ time. However, the results may not improve even if the time you spend on it does. Grading, particularly in large class sizes, can leave instructors feeling burnt out. Those who are new to higher education can fall into a grading trap, where far too much of their allocated teaching time is spent on grading. As well, after the graded assignments have been handed back, there may be a rush of students wanting either to contest the grade, or understand why they got a particular grade, which takes up even more of the instructor’s time. With some dedicated preparation time, careful planning and thoughtful strategies, grading student work can be smooth and efficient. It can also provide effective learning opportunities for the students and good information for the instructor about the student learning (or lack of) taking place in the course. These grading strategies can help instructors improve their accuracy in capturing student performance .

Establishing clear grading criteria

Setting grading criteria helps reduce the time instructors spend on actual grading later on. Such standards add consistency and fairness to the grading process, making it easier for students to understand how grading works. Students also have a clearer understanding of what they need to do to reach certain grade levels.

Establishing clear grading criteria also helps instructors communicate their performance expectations to students. Furthermore, clear grading strategies give educators a clearer picture of content to focus on and how to assess subject mastery. This can help avoid so-called ‘busywork’ by ensuring each activity aligns clearly to the desired learning outcome.

Step 1: Determine the learning outcomes and the outputs to measure performance. Does assessing comprehension require quizzes and/or exams, or will written papers better capture what the instructor wants to see from students’ performance? Perhaps lab reports or presentations are an ideal way of capturing specific learning objectives, such as behavioral mastery.

Step 2: Establish criteria to determine how you will evaluate assigned work. Is it precision in performing steps, accuracy in information recall, or thoroughness in expression? To what extent will creativity factor in the assessment?

Step 3: Determine the grade weight or value for each assignment. These weights represent the relative importance of each assignment toward the final grade and a student’s GPA. For example, how much will the final exam count relative to a research paper or essay? Once the weights are in place, it’s essential to stratify grades that distinguish performance levels. For example:

A grade = excellent
B grade = very good
C grade = adequate
D grade = poor but passing
F grade = unacceptable

Making grading efficient

Grading efficiency depends a great deal on devoting appropriate amounts of time to certain grading tasks. For instance, some assignments deserve less attention than others. That’s why some outcomes, like attendance or participation work, can help save time by getting a simple pass/fail grade or acknowledgment of completion using a check/check-plus/check-minus scale.

However, other assignments like tests or papers need to show more in-depth comprehension of the course material. These items need more intricate scoring schemes and require more time to evaluate, especially if student responses warrant feedback.

When appropriate, multiple-choice questions can provide a quick grading technique. They also provide the added benefit of grading consistency among all students completing the questions. However, multiple-choice questions are more difficult to write than most people realize. These questions are most useful when information recall and conceptual understanding are the primary learning outcomes.

Instructors can maximize their time for more critical educational tasks by creating scheduled grading strategies and sticking to it. A spreadsheet is also essential for calculating many students’ grades quickly and exporting data to other platforms.

Making grading more meaningful in higher education

student smiling and walking to class with a textbook in his hand

Grading student work is more than just routine, despite what some students believe. The better students understand what instructors expect them to take away from the course, the more meaningful the grading structure will be. Meaningful grading strategies reflect effective assignments, which have distinct goals and evaluation criteria. It also helps avoid letting the grading process take priority over teaching and mentoring.

Leaving thoughtful and thorough comments does more than rationalize a grade. Providing feedback is another form of teaching and helps students better understand the nuances behind the grade. Suppose a student earns a ‘C’ on a paper. If the introduction was outstanding, but the body needed improvement, comments explaining this distinction will give a clearer picture of what the ‘C’ grade represents as opposed to ‘A-level’ work.

Instructors should limit comments to elements of their work that students can actually improve or build upon. Above all, comments should pertain to the original goal of the assignment. Excessive comments that knit-pick a student’s work are often discouraging and overwhelming, leaving the student less able or willing to improve their effort on future projects. Instead, instructors should provide comments that point to patterns of strengths and areas needing improvement. It’s also helpful to leave a summary comment at the end of the assignment or paper.

Maintaining a complaint-free grading system

In many instances, an appropriate response to a grade complaint might simply be, “It’s in the syllabus.” Nevertheless, one of the best strategies to curtail grade complaints is to limit or prohibit discussions of grades during class time. Inform students that they can discuss grades outside of class or during office hours.

Instructors can do many things before the semester or term begins to reduce grade complaints. This includes detailed explanations in the grading system’s syllabus, the criteria for earning a particular letter grade, policies on late work, and other standards that inform grading. It also doesn’t hurt to remind students of each assignment’s specific grading criteria before it comes due. Instructors should avoid changing their grading policies; doing so will likely lead to grade complaints.

Assigning student grades

Since not all assignments may count equally toward a final course grade, instructors should figure out which grading scales are appropriate for each assignment. They should also consider that various assignments assess student work differently; therefore, their grading structure should reflect those differences. For example, some exams might warrant a 100-point scale rather than a pass/fail grade. Requirements like attendance or class participation might be used to reward effort; therefore, merely completing that day’s requirement is sufficient.

Grading essays and open-ended writing

Some writing projects might seem like they require more subjective grading standards than multiple-choice tests. However, instructors can implement objective standards to maintain consistency while acknowledging students’ individual approaches to the project.

Instructors should create a rubric or chart against which they evaluate each assignment. A rubric contains specific grading criteria and the point value for each. For example, out of 100 points, a rubric specifies that a maximum of 10 points are given to the introduction. Furthermore, an instructor can include even more detailed elements that an introduction should include, such as a thesis statement, attention-getter, and preview of the paper’s main points.

Grading creative work

While exams, research papers, and math problems tend to have more finite grading criteria, creative works like short films, poetry, or sculptures can seem more difficult to grade. Instructors might apply technical evaluations that adhere to disciplinary standards. However, there is the challenge of grading how students apply their subject talent and judgment to a finished product.

For creative projects that are more visual, instructors might ask students to submit a written statement along with their assignment. This statement can provide a reflection or analysis of the finished product, or describe the theory or concept the student used. This supplement can add insight that informs the grade.

Grading for multi-section courses

Professors or course coordinators who oversee several sections of a course have the added responsibility of managing other instructors or graduate student teaching assistants (TAs) in addition to their own grading. Course directors need to communicate regularly and consistently with all teaching staff about the grading standards and criteria to ensure they are applied consistently across all sections.

If possible, the course director should address students from all sections in one gathering to explain the criteria, expectations, assignments, and other policies. TAs should continue to communicate grading-related information to the students in their classes. They also should maintain contact with each other and the course director to address inconsistencies, stay on top of any changes and bring attention to problems.

To maintain consistency and objectivity across all sections, the course director might consider assigning TAs to grade other sections besides their own. Another strategy that can save time and maintain consistency is to have each TA grade only one exam portion. It’s also vital to compare average grades and test scores across sections to see if certain groups of students are falling behind or if some classes need changes in their teaching strategies.

Types of grading

Absolute grading : A grading system where instructors explain performance standards before the assignment is completed. grades are given based on predetermined cutoff levels. Here, each point value is assigned a letter grade. Most schools adopt this system, where it’s possible for all students to receive an A.
Relative grading : An assessment system where higher education instructors determine student grades by comparing them against those of their peers.
Weighted grades : A method ussed in higher education to determine how different assessments should count towards the final grade. An instructor may choose to make the results of an exam worth 50 percent of a student’s total class grade, while assignments account for 25 percent and participation marks are worth another 25 percent.
Grading on a curve : This system adjusts student grades to ensure that a test or assignment has the proper distribution throughout the class (for example, only 20% of students receive As, 30% receive Bs, and so on), as well as a desired total average (for example, a C grade average for a given test). We’ve covered this type of grading in more detail in the blog post The Ultimate Guide to Grading on A Curve .

Ungrading is an education model that prioritizes giving feedback and encouraging learning through self-reflection rather than a letter grade. Some instructors argue that grades cannot objectively assess a student’s work. Even when calculated down to the hundredth of a percentage point, a “B+” on an English paper doesn’t paint a complete picture about what a student can do, what they understand or where they need help. Alfie Kohn, lecturer on human behavior, education, and parenting, says that the basis for grades is often subjective and uninformative. Even the final grade on a STEM assignment is more of a reflection of how the assignment was written, rather than the student’s mastery of the subject matter. So what are educators who have adopted ungrading actually doing? Here are some practices and strategies that decentralize the role of assessments in the higher ed classroom.

Frequent feedback: Rather than a final paper or exam, encourage students to write letters to reflect on their progress and learning throughout the term. Students are encouraged to reflect on and learn from both their successes and their failures, both individually and with their peers. In this way, conversations and commentary become the primary form of feedback, rather than a letter grade.
Opportunities for self-reflection: Open-ended questions help students to think critically about their learning experiences. Which course concepts have you mastered? What have you learned that you are most excited about? Simple questions like these help guide students towards a more insightful understanding of themselves and their progress in the course.
Increasing transparency: Consider informal drop-in sessions or office hours to answer student questions about navigating a new style of teaching and learning. The ungrading process has to begin from a place of transparency and openness in order to build trust. Listening to and responding to student concerns is vital to getting students on board. But just as important is the quality of feedback provided, ensuring both instructors and students remain on the same page.

Grading on a curve

Instructors will grade on a curve to allow for a specific distribution of scores, often referred to as “normal distribution.” To ensure there is a specific percentage of students receiving As, Bs, Cs and so forth, the instructor can manually adjust grades.

When displayed visually, the distribution of grades ideally forms the shape of a bell. A small number of students will do poorly, another small group will excel and most will fall somewhere in the middle. Students whose grades settle in the middle will receive a C-average. Students with the highest and the lowest grades fall on either side.

Some instructors will only grade assignments and tests on a curve if it is clear that the entire class struggled with the exam. Others use the bell curve to grade for the duration of the term, combining every score and putting the whole class (or all of their classes, if they have more than one) on a curve once the raw scores are tallied.

How to make your grading techniques easier

Grading is a time-consuming exercise for most educators. Here are some tips to help you become more efficient and to lighten your load.

Schedule time for grading: Pay attention to your rhythms and create a grading schedule that works for you. Break the work down into chunks and eliminate distractions so you can stay focused.
Don’t assign ‘busy work’: Each student assignment should map clearly to an important learning outcome. Planning up front ensures each assignment is meaningful and will avoid adding too much to your plate.
Use rubrics to your advantage: Clear grading criteria for student assignments will help reduce the cognitive load and second guessing that can happen when these tools aren’t in place. Having clear standards for different levels of performance will also help ensure fairness.
Prioritize feedback: It’s not always necessary to provide feedback on every assignment. Also consider bucketing feedback into what was done well, areas for improvement and ways to improve. Clear, pointed feedback is less time-consuming to provide and often more helpful to students.
Reward yourself: Grading is taxing work. Be realistic about how much you can do and in what time period. Stick to your plan and make sure to reward yourself with breaks, a walk outside or anything else that will help you refresh.

How Top Hat streamlines grading

There are many tools available to college educators to make grading student work more consistent and efficient. Top Hat’s all-in-one teaching platform allows you to automate a number of grading processes, including tests and quizzes using a variety of different question types. Attendance, participation, assignments and tests are all automatically captured in the Top Hat Gradebook , a sophisticated data management tool that maintains multiple student records.

In the Top Hat Gradebook, you can access individual and aggregate grades at a glance while taking advantage of many different reporting options. You can also sync grades and other reporting directly to your learning management system (LMS).

Grading is one of the most essential components of the teaching and learning experience. It requires a great deal of strategy and thought to be executed well. While it certainly isn’t without its fair share of challenges, clear expectations and transparent practice ensure that students feel included as part of the process and can benefit from the feedback they receive. This way, they are able to track their own progress towards learning goals and course objectives.

Click here to learn more about Gradebook, Top Hat’s all-in-one solution designed to help you monitor student progress with immediate, real-time feedback.

The Ultimate Guide to Metacognition for Post-Secondary Courses

25 Effective Instructional Strategies For Educators

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Create and Edit Assignments

You are viewing Original Course View content

Your institution controls which tools are available in the Original Course View . Assignments are always available to instructors in the Ultra Course View .

You can create assignments alongside other content.

With assignments, you can create coursework and manage the grades and feedback for each student separately. You can create assignments in content areas, learning modules, lesson plans, and folders.

When you create an assignment, a Grade Center column is created automatically. From the Grade Center or Needs Grading page, you can see who has submitted their work and start grading. Students access their grades from their My Grades pages or the assignment's Review Submission History page.

You can also create a group assignment and release it to one or more groups in your course. Each group submits one collaborative assignment and all members receive the same grade. You can create a single assignment and assign it to all groups, or create several unique assignments and assign them to individual groups.

Create an assignment

You can create assignments in content areas, learning modules, lesson plans, and folders.

In the Blackboard mobile app, assignment instructions for Original courses show after students begin an attempt.

Drag files from your computer to the "hot spot" in the Attach Files area. If your browser allows, you can also drag a folder of files. The files will upload individually. If the browser doesn't allow you to submit your assignment after you upload a folder, select Do not attach in the folder's row to remove it. You can drag the files individually and submit again.

You won't be able to drag files to upload if your institution uses an older version of Blackboard Learn.

You can use the file name or provide another name for the file.

Optionally, select a Due Date . Assignments with due dates automatically show in the course calendar and in the To Do module. Submissions are accepted after this date but are marked late. If you don’t want students to access an assignment after the due date, choose the appropriate display dates.

If you set the points possible to a non-whole number, letter grades may not be assigned correctly.

Optionally, add a rubric . Expand the sections to make selections such as anonymous grading, how the grade is displayed, and the number of attempts. You can allow more than one attempt on an assignment.
Make the assignment available when you're ready for students to access it. Select the appropriate options for availability, tracking, and display dates. Display dates don't affect an assignment's availability, only when it appears.
Select Submit .

Video: Create an Assignment

Watch a video about creating an assignment.

The following narrated video provides a visual and auditory representation of some of the information included on this page. For a detailed description of what is portrayed in the video, open the video on YouTube , navigate to More actions , and select Open transcript . 

Video: Create an assignment explains how to create an assignment.

Late assignments

When you assign a due date for an assignment, students can still submit attempts after the date passes. Submissions after the due date are marked late. If you penalize late submissions, inform students in the assignment instructions.

You can view the late label in these areas:

Student's submission page in the grade panel
Student's Grade Details page
Needs Grading page

From the Grade Center, you can also view a list of all submissions with the Assignment File Download option in an assignment's menu. View who has submitted, submission dates, and the grading statuses. You can sort by date to easily see who submitted after the due date.

If you don’t want students to access an assignment after the due date, choose the appropriate display dates. Inform students that you won’t accept submissions after the due date and the assignment will no longer be available.

Students see the late label after they make a submission after the due date.

Student assignment submission confirmations

When students submit assignments successfully, the Review Submission History page appears with information about their submitted assignments and a success message with a confirmation number. Students can copy and save this number as proof of their submissions and evidence for academic disputes. For assignments with multiple attempts, students receive a different number for each submission. If your institution has enabled email notifications for submission receipts, students will also receive an email with a confirmation number and other details for each submission.

You and your students won't be able to view confirmation numbers if your institution uses Blackboard Learn 9.1 Q4 2016 or earlier. Student email notifications and student access to receipt history were introduced in Blackboard Learn 9.1 Q2 2017.

You and your administrators have a retrievable record in the system even if an attempt, assignment, or student is later deleted. These records are maintained in the course and also retrievable after the archive and restore process.

You can access all of your students' confirmation numbers from the Grade Center. Open the Reports menu and select Submission Receipts .

On the Submission Receipts page, you can view information for each assignment, such as who submitted and when. Group assignments are also logged and the Submitter column lists who submitted for the group. In the Submission column, view if a student submitted a file or wrote the submission in the assignment's editor.

Use the menus at the top of the page to filter the items. In the second menu, select Not blank and leave the search box empty to show all of the submission receipts. Select a column heading to sort the items.

Edit, reorder, and delete assignments

You can edit, reorder, and delete your assignments. Change the order of assignments with the drag-and-drop function or the keyboard accessible reordering tool. For example, reorder the assignments to keep the current one at the top.

From an assignment's menu, select on option:

Move an assignment to another location in your course. When you move an assignment, it's removed from its original location. You can't copy an assignment.
Edit an assignment. If you change the instructions, students who have already made submissions will see the new instructions only on subsequent attempts.
Apply release criteria, tracking, metadata, and review status.

Delete assignments

You can delete an assignment from a course area and if no student submissions exist, the Grade Center column is also deleted.

When you delete an assignment that has student submissions, you also delete all the submissions. You have two options:

Preserve the scores in the Grade Center, but delete the assignment and all submissions. Though the scores remain in the Grade Center, you can't access the students' submissions again. The action is irreversible.
Delete the assignment, the Grade Center column, all assigned grades, and all submissions. The action is irreversible.

Alternatively, make the gradable item unavailable in your course to preserve the submissions and the scores in the Grade Center.

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How do I create and track Assignments?

The Assignments feature allows Premium members to assign specific worksheets, games or exercises to their students. The student can complete the assignment digitally and submit it for you to review. The Assignments manager can be found under your Premium user ID in the top right-hand corner and selecting My Assignments.

How to Assign Worksheets, Games or Exercises:

– Select the content you’d like to assign, for example a worksheet, game, exercise, or Guided Lesson.

– Click on the “Assign Digitally” button.

– From here, you have two options: Add to an existing Assignment or Add to a new Assignment.

– If you select “ Create new Assignment, ” give it a name. You can select how many attempts the student gets to complete the Assignment, and also if you would like this Assignment to be “Mandatory.” These are both optional, but if “Mandatory” is enabled, students must complete this Assignment before they will be able to play other games within the Brainzy islands.

– Click “Continue.”

– Select the learner(s) you want to send this Assignment to, and then you can choose to select “Publish Assignment.” If you don’t publish now, this Assignment will be saved as a draft. If you have not yet added a student to your account, you can do so in the process of creating an Assignment.

– If you prefer to add this new content to an existing assignment, Select “Assign Digitally” then choose the assignment you would like to add it to and select “Add.”

– If you would like to create an Assignment but you do not want your children to immediately see it, then you can toggle off “Publish assignment?” to save it as a draft.

– When you are finished adding children to the Assignment, then you can click “Save and Finish.” You will see a confirmation message once it has been successfully assigned.

Please note: There is a maximum limit of 50 items per assignment.

How Children Can Access Their Assignments:

– As a parent, if you choose, your children can log in to your account at Education.com using your Premium membership email and password.

– Teachers can have students log in to our kid-safe environment at education.com/games/play . Please have them select “Sign In” and on the next screen they can select “Use Access Code” and then enter their Classroom or Student Code. Classroom Code is recommended for use in the classroom only, while Student Code is recommended for use at home.

– Once the student selects their profile, they will land on our main menu where they will see available Assignments and due dates (if applicable).

– To complete the Assignments, students click on the games or exercises listed on the Assignment page, click “Play,” learn and have fun!

The main menu also allows students to see their progress in each individual game and exercise in the Assignment.

Editing an Assignment or Changing the due date:

– To access your Assignments, sign in to your account and click on your Premium user ID in the top right-hand corner of any page. – You can then select “My Assignments.” You’ll be able to make edits to Assignments here, such as removing items, changing the due dates, editing the children assigned to them or deleting. – When you open the “My Assignments” page, you will see “Draft” which contains any Assignments you have created but not yet assigned, “In Progress” which contains all active Assignments, and also “Past Due” which contains all past due or finished Assignments.

– To edit an Assignment (such as changing its name, due date, number of attempts, mandatory, or a draft), click on it in the table, and then click on “Edit Assignment.” You can edit its details and also duplicate or delete it.

– If you click “Start Assignment” for a Draft Assignment, then it will be sent to your “In Progress” assignments, and also made active for the children to play.

– To change the learners who are on an Assignment, scroll down to “Assigned Children” and click “Edit,” which can be found to the right of the title.

– To quickly change an assignment to/from mandatory , click on the assignment in the table and you will see the column to the right “Mandatory”. Each assignment will have a Yes or No for this. If “Yes” is selected students must complete this Assignment before they will be able to play other games. Click on “Yes” or “No” to switch the setting.

– If you select “Edit” next to the Assigned Items of an assignment, you can reorder the content of the assignment or delete an item from the assignment.

Track Assignment Progress:

– On the “My Assignments” page, you will see a progress bar for “Student Progress.” This shows how many children have started the Assignment. For example, if there are two children assigned to an Assignment, and one has finished it, then you will see “1 finished · 1 not started.”

– To see more detailed progress for each child, click on an Assignment. If you scroll down to “Assigned Children,” then you can click on their name in the table to see their progress on specific items.

– To grade digitally assigned worksheets, once you have selected the student, click on “Set Score” next to the worksheet title. You will be able to view the completed work, and you can then enter the score for the worksheet.

– You can then repeat this process if there are multiple students in the Assignment.

– Please Note: The Assignment only becomes “Finished” when the due date passes. If your children complete the Assignment before the due date, then it will remain “In Progress.”

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Essay Editor

College Assignment Heading: A Simple Guide for Formatting

Crafting an effective college assignment heading is key to making a strong first impression on professors. The title serves as the face of your paper and reflects your focus on precision and adherence to academic standards. Curious about how to create a proper title? This guide provides clear instructions on creating an impressive college paper heading, guiding you to comprehend what a header in writing is, and the appropriate way to format it. By applying these tips and guidelines, be confident your prep aligns with the required scholarly standards.

Basic Rules for an Assignment Header

A well-organized college assignment heading is crucial for clearly identifying your assignment and presenting it professionally. Adhering to the basic rules will help you craft a carefully designed title:

Include Crucial Information: A typical heading generally features the student and teacher’s name and surname, the due date, and the current course name. Clearly display and align the project’s title to the document’s left margin.
Use the Correct Font and Size: Standard academic papers require a legible font like Times New Roman or sometimes Arial and 12-point size. Avoid choosing decorative fonts that may undermine the professional quality of your composition.
Follow Proper Spacing Guidelines: Your prep’s heading needs to be double-spaced, and coherent with the remainder of the writing. This maintains uniformity and readability within the document.
Add Page Numbers (if indicated): Some teachers might ask for page numbers to be positioned in the header section. So, format them as per the given instructions.

A well-crafted essay title guarantees your assignment recognition for clarity and compliance with academic standards, paving the way for successful submission.

How to Head an Assignment?

Understanding what is a heading in an essay and grasping how to head a paper correctly are foundational skills in scholarly writing. A proper essay header normally contains the instructor’s and student’s details, the course code or title, the current date, and the prep’s title. Most colleges follow APA, MLA, or Chicago-style guidelines, so familiarize yourself with these standards. Your header needs to be aligned correctly and placed where it doesn’t interfere with your work’s content. Adhering to these guidelines ensures your college paper heading is both succinct and polished.

Formatting Rules for a Heading

Following these guidelines guarantees your heading format meets academic expectations:

Ensure Consistent Alignment: Align all components of your header close to the left margin, maintaining uniformity in the paper.
Use Double-Spacing: Keep double-spacing between the lines of your prep’s heading.
Avoid Unnecessary Information: Keep the college heading concise, avoiding any extra text or embellishments.
Capitalization and Punctuation: Properly capitalize and punctuate your essay heading consistent with style guidelines, ensuring consistency across the prep.
Consistency: Use identical size, font, and style for all components in your header.

Adhering to these rules will give your composition a polished look. This simplifies it for the lecturer to move through your composition.

Why Is a Good College Assignment Heading Important?

A skillfully designed paper heading gives your assignment a sophisticated look and helps to clearly organize the essentials for your readers. It signals to your lecturer that you have carefully followed educational standards and put thought into every aspect of your project. In addition, a proper heading for an essay guarantees that all relevant data is easily accessible. That’s specifically useful in larger classes where preps are handled by multiple lecturers or TAs. By concentrating on a succinct and accurate essay heading, you set a strong foundation for the rest of your home tasks.

Tips for Refining Your College Paper Heading

Refining your college paper heading is vital to guarantee it meets academic criteria and effectively represents your paper. By carefully focusing on the particulars, you can elevate the expertise and coherence of your home assignment. See some practical tips to consider:

Review institutional guidelines: Always verify your institution's detailed formatting instructions or templates to ensure adherence.
Keep it simple: Steer clear of irrelevant information in your heading; a clean, straightforward format is best.
Maintain consistency: Make sure that the font, size, and alignment are uniform across your header.
Double-check accuracy: Verify that all components in your title, comprising your name and surname, course name, and submission date, are correct.
Align with your prep's style: Confirm the header complements the overall tone and style of your written work.

By applying these suggestions, you can develop an assignment title that fulfills academic standards and improves the overall appearance of your prep.

Recap

A well-formatted college paper heading is a minor but vital part of academic composition. From understanding what a title is to mastering how to head a text, focusing on these details can make a notable difference in the overall presentation of your composition. Always stick to the fundamental formatting standards and each time confirm that you follow the heading format specified by your educational institution's guidelines. To further enhance your writing, consider utilizing our tools at AI Essay Detector and College Essay Generator to help you create outstanding essays with ease.

Top 10 use cases for ai writers.

Writing is changing a lot because of AI. But don't worry — AI won't take human writers' jobs. It's a tool that can make our work easier and help us write better. When we use AI along with our own skills, we can create good content faster and better. AI can help with many parts of writing, from coming up with ideas to fixing the final version. Let's look at the top 10 ways how to use AI for content creation and how it can make your writing better. What Is AI Content Writing? AI content writin ...

Plagiarism: 7 Types in Detail

Your professor says that it is necessary to avoid plagiarism when writing a research paper, essay, or any project based on the works of other people, so to say, any reference source. But what does plagiarism mean? What types of it exist? And how to formulate the material to get rid of potential bad consequences while rendering original texts? Today we try to answer these very questions. Plagiarism: Aspect in Brief Plagiarism is considered to be a serious breach, able to spoil your successful ...

Paraphrasing vs Plagiarism: Do They Really Differ?

Academic assignments require much knowledge and skill. One of the most important points is rendering and interpreting material one has ever studied. A person should avoid presenting word-for-word plagiarism but express his or her thoughts and ideas as much as possible. However, every fine research is certain to be based on the previous issues, data given, or concepts suggested. And here it's high time to differentiate plagiarism and paraphrasing, to realize its peculiarities and cases of usage. ...

What Is Self-Plagiarism & How To Avoid It

Have you ever thought about whether using your own work again could be seen as copying? It might seem strange, but self-plagiarism is a real issue in school and work writing. Let's look at what this means and learn how to avoid self-plagiarism so your work stays original and ethical. What is self-plagiarism? Self-plagiarism, also called auto-plagiarism or duplicate plagiarism, happens when a writer uses parts of their old work without saying where it came from. This isn't just about copying w ...

What is Citation and Why Should You Cite the Sources When Writing Content

When we write something for school, work, or just for fun, we often use ideas and facts from other places. This makes us ask: what is a citation in writing? Let's find out what this means and why it's really important when we write. What is Citation? Citation in research refers to the practice of telling your readers where you got your information, ideas, or exact words from. It's like showing them the path to the original information you used in your writing. When you cite something, you us ...

How To Write Essays Faster Using AI?

Creating various topical texts is an obligatory assignment during studies. For a majority of students, it seems like a real headache. It is quite difficult to write a smooth and complex work, meeting all the professors' requirements. However, thanks to modern technologies there appeared a good way of getting a decent project – using AI to write essays. We'd like to acquaint you with Aithor, an effective tool of this kind, able to perform fine and elaborated texts, and, of course, inspiration, i ...

Can Plagiarism Be Detected on PDF?

Plagiarism has been a challenge for a long time in writing. It's easy to find information online, which might make some people use it without saying where it came from. But plagiarism isn't just taking someone else's words. Sometimes, we might do it by accident or even use our own old work without mentioning it. When people plagiarize, they can get into serious trouble. They might lose others' trust or even face legal problems. Luckily, we now have tools to detect plagiarism. But what about PDF ...

How to Write a Dialogue in an Essay: Useful Tips

A correct usage of dialogues in essays may seem quite difficult at first sight. Still there are special issues, for instance, narrative or descriptive papers, where this literary technique will be a good helper in depicting anyone's character. How to add dialogues to the work? How to format them correctly? Let's discuss all relevant matters to master putting conversation episodes into academic essays. Essay Dialogue: Definition & Purpose A dialogue is a literary technique for presenting a con ...

Mellon College of Science

10605 - machine learning with large datasets.

Large datasets are difficult to work with for several reasons. They are difficult to visualize, and it is difficult to understand what sort of errors and biases are present in them. They are computationally expensive to process, and often the cost of learning is hard to predict - for instance, and algorithm that runs quickly in a dataset that fits in memory may be exorbitantly expensive when the dataset is too large for memory. Large datasets may also display qualitatively different behavior in terms of which learning methods produce the most accurate predictions. This course is intended to provide a student practical knowledge of, and experience with, the issues involving large datasets. Among the issues considered are: scalable learning techniques, such as streaming machine learning techniques; parallel infrastructures such as map-reduce; practical techniques for reducing the memory requirements for learning methods, such as feature hashing and Bloom filters; and techniques for analysis of programs in terms of memory, disk usage, and (for parallel methods) communication complexity. The class will include programming assignments, and a one-month short project chosen by the student. The project will be designed to compare the scalability of variant learning algorithms on datasets. An introductory course in machine learning, like 10-601 or 10-701, is a prerequisite or a co-requisite. If you plan to take this course and 10-601 concurrently please tell the instructor. The course will include several substantial programming assignments, so an additional prerequisite is 15-211, or 15-214, or comparable familiarity with Python and good programming skills.

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Google Classroom: Creating Assignments and Materials
Creating an assignment. Whenever you want to create new assignments, questions, or material, you'll need to navigate to the Classwork tab. In this tab, you can create assignments and view all current and past assignments. To create an assignment, click the Create button, then select Assignment. You can also select Question if you'd like to pose ...
Get Started with Assignments
Easily distribute, analyze, and grade student work with Assignments for your LMS. Assignments is an application for your learning management system (LMS). It helps educators save time grading and guides students to turn in their best work with originality reports — all through the collaborative power of Google Workspace for Education. Get ...
Google Classroom: Creating Assignments
We'll show you how to create assignments in Google Classroom and share them with your students. There are a few options you can change, like the point value,...
Create an assignment
Follow the steps above to create an assignment and select classes. To schedule the same assignment across multiple classes, make sure to select all classes you want to include. Next to Assign, click the Down arrow Schedule. Next to the date, click the Down arrow and select a publish date and time for each class.
Tips for Writing an Assignment and Teaching It to Students
Here are some suggestions to keep in mind as you write your assignment handouts, as well as suggestions for other activities that prepare students to write. Good writing assignments encourage students' engagement with course material, promote critical thinking, and help students learn characteristic ways of asking questions, analyzing data ...
Google Classroom Tip #43: 48 Ways to Manage Student Assignments
Give students editing rights to allow them access to the same document. HyperDocs - Create and upload a hyperdoc as an assignment. Link to Assignments - Create links to assignments not created in Classroom. Link to Class Blog - Provide the link to a class blog in Classroom. Link to Next Activity - Provide a link to the next activity ...
5 tips on writing better university assignments
Here are five tips to help you get ahead. 1. Use available sources of information. Beyond instructions and deadlines, lecturers make available an increasing number of resources. But students often ...
Google Assignments Training
See how Assignments can help you easily distribute, analyze, and grade student work. Learn more. Assignments, an application for your learning management system, gives educators a faster, simpler way to distribute, analyze, and grade student work - all while using the collaborative power of Google Workspace.
Turn in an assignment
Click the class Classwork.; Click the quiz View instructions.; Click the form and answer the questions. Click Submit. If the form is the only work for the assignment, the status of the assignment changes to Turned in.; If there's more work to do for the assignment, click Open assignment.; Turn in an assignment with an assigned doc
Create an assignment
Open the course. In the sidebar, click Assignments. Next to the assignment, click More Copy To. Under Select a Course, enter the name of the course click the course. (Optional) To copy the assignment to a specific module, under Select a module (optional), enter the name of the module click the module. Click Copy.
How do I create an online assignment?
Select Online Entry Options. Select the online entry options you want to allow for the assignment. You can select up to four options: Text Entry [1]: Students can submit their assignment directly in the Rich Content Editor. DocViewer annotations are not available for text entry submissions. Additionally, text entry submissions cannot be re ...
How To Assign Highly Effective Homework Your Students ...
5 Secrets Of Effective Homework Assignments. 1. Preparing for it. Homework should be a review or further practice of something learned in class so ensure that whatever homework you have assigned can be completed by students independently and with ease. To do this, conduct several comprehension tests and practice activities in class so that ...
How To Write The Best College Assignments
Dividing the work in different paragraphs is very important for this purpose. - Usage of 'you' and 'I' - According to the academic writing standards, the assignments should be written in an impersonal language, which means that the usage of 'you' and 'I' should be avoided. The only acceptable way of building your arguments ...
Creating and Adapting Assignments for Online Courses
Summary. 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.
How to write any assignment: Actionable tips for students
Writing assignments, or assignment writing, branches from the assignment topic without limiting task words or useful phrases. ‍. When working on an assignment task, make sure to follow assignment guidelines when writing paragraphs explaining your key components. ‍.
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 ...
How do I create assignments?
Step 2: Select which class you would like to make an assignment for. Step 3: On the left hand menu bar, click the "Assign" option below the "Assignments" section . Step 4: Click the checkbox on the right-hand side of the screen to select which content in the course you would like to assign to your students .
Creating Assignments
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.
The Ultimate Guide to Grading Student Work
Grading student work is more than just routine, despite what some students believe. The better students understand what instructors expect them to take away from the course, the more meaningful the grading structure will be. Meaningful grading strategies reflect effective assignments, which have distinct goals and evaluation criteria.
Create and Edit Assignments
Create an assignment. You can create assignments in content areas, learning modules, lesson plans, and folders. From the Assessments menu, select Assignment and provide the name, instructions, and the files students need. You can use the functions in the editor to format text and add files. You can also add files in the Assignment Files section.
How do I create and track Assignments?
3.8K. The Assignments feature allows Premium members to assign specific worksheets, games or exercises to their students.The student can complete the assignment digitally and submit it for you to review. The Assignments manager can be found under your Premium user ID in the top right-hand corner and selecting My Assignments.
How do I submit an online assignment?
Group assignments do not support the student annotation submission type. Open Assignments. In Course Navigation, click the Assignments link. Note: You can also access your Assignments through your user or course dashboard, the Syllabus, Gradebook, Calendar, or Modules.
College Assignment Heading: A Simple Guide for Formatting
Crafting an effective college assignment heading is key to making a strong first impression on professors. The title serves as the face of your paper and reflects your focus on precision and adherence to academic standards. ... For a majority of students, it seems like a real headache. It is quite difficult to write a smooth and complex work ...
10605
The class will include programming assignments, and a one-month short project chosen by the student. The project will be designed to compare the scalability of variant learning algorithms on datasets. An introductory course in machine learning, like 10-601 or 10-701, is a prerequisite or a co-requisite.

Google Classroom - Creating Assignments and Materials

Google Classroom: Creating Assignments and Materials

Creating assignments and materials

Creating an assignment

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Using Google Docs with assignments

Using topics

Tips for Writing an Assignment and Teaching It to Students

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5 tips on writing better university assignments

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1. Use all available sources of information

2. Take referencing seriously

3. Plan before you write

4. Choose the right words

5. Edit and proofread

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Creating and Adapting Assignments for Online Courses

In Practice

Align assignments to learning outcomes.

Provide authentic assessments.

Design for inclusivity and accessibility.

Design to promote academic integrity online.

Communicate detailed instructions and clarify expectations.

Promote interaction and collaboration.

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Get Ahead with Expert Assignments!

Typical assignment structure

Introduction

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