May 2017 Assignment Design Workshops: Open for Registration

The Office of Assessment of Teaching and Learning (ATL) is pleased to offer two assignment design workshops this May, designed to assist instructors in designing and refining assignments to more effectively foster and assess student learning, while increasing possibilities for student success. Developing powerful, clear assignments is one of the most consequential intellectual tasks that faculty undertake in their work as educators. Assignments impact student learning, yet that work is often private and unavailable for collegial exchange and knowledge building. 

Designing Effective Capstone Assignments: Strengthening Learning, Improving Success — May 12, 2017

This interactive workshop will focus on one of the most important challenges in undergraduate education today: providing students with opportunities to connect and integrate the various elements of their learning. This means making connections across courses, within the major and/or between general education and the major, connecting academic coursework and work, citizenship, and personal life.

The workshop is especially intended for faculty who have taught a capstone course — or similar culminating experience course for seniors — and are interested in refining the assignment. Each participant will share a capstone assignment of their choice in a collaborative small group workshop setting, and leave with ideas about how to refine their assignment. All capstone instructors are welcome to attend this workshop — a one-day version of the popular two-day culminating assignment design workshop with Dr. Pat Hutchings offered in May 2016.

Transparent Teaching and Learning: Clearer Assignments Promote Better Student Work — May 16, 2017

A well-designed and transparent assignment can promote student learning by clarifying the purpose of the assignment for students, by decoding the tasks required to complete the assignment successfully, and specifying criteria for evaluation.

In this half-day workshop, faculty will be introduced to the principles of transparent assignment design. Participants will explore common impediments to strong student performance on key assignments. In a collaborative workshop setting, faculty will share assignments in small groups and incorporate transparency principles into the design of their own assignments. Faculty will leave with improved assignments that better promote learning by all students. Open to all faculty and instructors at WSU. Teams welcome, as are Teaching Assistants with supervising/coordinating instructors.

For additional information please contact ATL.