Transparent Assignments

Transparent assignment design is an equity strategy. The goal is to frame assignments in such a manner that all students can begin their work at the same starting point, with a shared understanding of what good work should look like. Research indicates that incorporating elements of transparent assignment design, such as clearly communicating the purpose, task and criteria, into student assignments can demonstrably enhance students’ success, in multiple ways, with a medium to large magnitude of effect. The effect is particularly strong for students from systemically non-dominant populations.

Transparent assignments specifically outline for students three important aspects of the assignment (Winkelmes, 2017):

Purpose: The purpose specifies the skills students will practice and the knowledge they will gain, and the long-term relevance of these to the students in their lives or their disciplines

Task: What specific steps will the student follow, from the first step all the way through until they are ready to turn in the assignment

Criteria: What excellence looks like – giving students an opportunity to evaluate real-world work samples by applying a checklist or rubric

Tools and templates

A list of resources, tools, and templates designed to guide faculty in designing transparent assignments

Transparent Assignment Template – a template that can be used as a guide for developing transparent assignments

Checklist for Designing a Transparent Assignment – a self-guided checklist for developing and revising transparent assignments

SBCTC Example Assignments (More and Less Transparent) – a collection of before and after samples of assignments, across multiple disciplines from Washington State Community Colleges

UNLV Example Assignments (More and Less Transparent) – a collection of before and after samples of assignments, across multiple disciplines from UNLV

TILT Higher Ed Examples and Resources – a complete set of resources from Dr. Winkelmes including sample assignments pre/post TILTing, PowerPoints, Videos, and other resources

Assignments from SBCTC Colleges – a collection of assignments from SBCTC colleges, pre- and post-TILTing.  Requires Highline credentials for Google log-in

Professional development opportunities

There are no upcoming events at this time.

Additional resources and scholarship

Ridiculously Simple and Very Successful: How faculty in Virginia are making assignments more transparent and equitable (AAC&U Liberal Education)
One Easy Way Faculty Can Improve Student Success (Academic Impressions)

Reference

Winkelmes, M. (2017, March 3). Using transparent assignments to increase students’ success [Video file]. Keynote workshop, 13th Annual Advancing Teaching and Learning Conference, Texas Tech University. https://mediacast.ttu.edu/Mediasite/Play/b12b5e876efb42439af4e5f1471064dc1d