Designing Effective Writing Assignments

As all instructors know, shaping a writing assignment to get what you want from students is not easy. We've all had the experience of creating an assignment that we thought was perfect, only to see it produce less-than-sterling papers. On the other hand, we've all been surprised by excellent papers responding to what we thought were so-so assignments. Attention to a few details can even out this roller-coaster ride.

Whatever type of assignment you decide to make, spend some time in class preparing your students to do the work expected of them. For example, if you are assigning a book review, provide your class with several examples of good reviews to use as models. Discuss the particular features of these model reviews that make them effective pieces of writing. From this discussion students will better understand your expectations and grading criteria, and they will begin to learn how to critically evaluate a piece of writing—others' or their own.

If you will be requiring a long term paper or research paper, plan to lay out the assignment as a series of steps and devise several warm-up exercises that students can complete well before the final paper is due. In this way students can practice (and learn from their early mistakes) basic paper writing skills such as creating thesis statements, summarizing research, composing abstracts, and citing sources. Students also need writing activities that develop the cognitive skills necessary to produce a sustained piece of work: describing, analyzing, comparing, persuading, making recommendations, and drawing conclusions.

Here are a few general pointers for developing productive topics:

Try to ask only one question

Students are more likely to produce coherent, well-organized essays if you present them with only one question at a time. If you want to combine two or more questions in one assignment, explicity remind students to answer all the questions.

Use typography to distinguish subordinate points

Place the key question in a paragraph by itself. Place all points that students are to consider in answering the question in a separate paragraph.

Phrase your question using "how?" or "why?"

Questions that ask how or why give students a head start in developing a clear thesis.

In contrast, yes-no questions or who, what, where, and when questions tend to prompt list-like responses.

Clarify your terminology

Be sure, for example, that students understand what you mean by "analyze" or "conclude." Instructors often throw around such words when they really just mean "do something." On the other hand, sometimes we mean something very precise when we say "analyze," but our students don't know what we mean.

Test out the question by pretending to be a student

By sketching out a response to the question you can double-check its clarity, focus, and completeness. Your students should have to work to interpret the material they are studying—not the paper topic or exam question itself.

Specify any format requirements

Include instructions on length, reference form, presentation of charts and tables, and so on.

Remember that your best students will do well no matter what

It's the rest of your students who may sink or swim depending on how well the topic is written.

How to make essay topics more effective: some examples

The following before-and-after examples apply the preceding points to paper topics from a variety of fields.

From Political Science

In his discussion of presidential campaigns, White presents an analysis of the three basic social issues we discussed earlier in the course—the cold war, the decline of European influence, and the rise of the third world.

Compare White's analysis of each of these issues to those offered by other authors earlier in the course, identifying the basic points of agreement or disagreement in each case.

While it is clear what information this instructor expects the students to discuss, the question as posed might lead many students to produce a patchwork response (one paragraph on White and author A on the cold war; one paragraph on White and author A on the decline of the European influence; etc.). By revising the second paragraph of the assignment, the instructor could point students toward a more cohesive thesis and a more integrated form of organization:

How do White's analyses of these issues differ from the analyses offered by authors whose works you read earlier in the course?

From Astronomy

Write a paper on one of the following phenomena. You should attempt to discuss something of the history of the theories about this phenomenon, including the latest studies and conflicting interpretations. Be sure to cite at least three different sources.

Tectonic features throughout the solar system
The rings of Jupiter
The moon Io
The "tenth planet"

Here the phrases "attempt to discuss" and "something of the history" are confusingly tentative. The first paragraph of this assignment should be reworded.

Choose one of the following phenomena. Write a paper in which you discuss the history of theories about the phenomenon, including latest studies and conflicting interpretations.

In order to adquately cover the range of opinion and theory, you will need to work with a minimum of three sources. Be sure to cite them.

Well-designed assignment engage students more thoroughly and productively, and they produce better work. That in turn makes the work of the instructor more rewarding. It's a good deal all around.

Steve Tollefson is a Lecturer in the College Writing Programs and a recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award. He is the authors of the books GrammarGrams and GrammarGrams II.