Transparent Assignment Design

What is Transparent Assignment Design? 

Transparent assignment design is the practice of constructing assignments that state the purpose, task, and criteria so that “the process of learning is more explicit for students” (Winklemes, 2019; Bose, Dalrymple & Shadle 2020). This is coupled with dedicated time to explain the assignment, and to give students a chance to interact with the expectations – for example – through reviewing sample assignments and/or evaluating sample assignments with the given criteria. A transparent assignment provides a clear understanding of the knowledge and skills students will gain from completing the assignment. Studies have shown that transparent assignments result in significant benefits to a student’s learning and overall academic performance.  

How do I create a Transparently Designed Assignment? 

Transparent design begins with explicitly stating the assignment’s purpose by communicating to students the knowledge and skills they will gain from completing the assignment.

Questions to ask yourself about the purpose of your assignment: 

  • What knowledge will students gain from this assignment? 
  • How is this knowledge applicable or relevant to students’ lives? 
  • How does the knowledge relate to the course learning objective or topics? 
  • What skills will students practice while doing the assignment? 
  • How can students apply these skills to other contexts outside the class? 
  • Why are these skills valuable? 

Next, explicitly state the assignment’s task by communicating the steps students will take to complete the assignment. 

Questions to ask yourself about the task:

  • Have I described each step explicitly? Are there any steps I left out or are implied? 
  • What problems might students encounter while doing the assignment? How can you help students avoid these problems? 
  • How can I provide students opportunities to get feedback on the assignment before it is due? 

Finally, explicitly state the assignment’s criteria by sharing (before the assignment is due) rubrics or checklists you will use to evaluate the students’ work.

Questions to ask yourself about the criteria:  

  • What is the best method for evaluating the assignment (rubric, checklist, etc.)? 
  • How can I provide students opportunities to evaluate their own work before the assignment is due? 

Show me an example of a Transparent Assignment Revision

The following sample of transparent design is an assignment from CTL’s faculty training course, Evidence-Based Practices for Teaching Online. In a nutshell, the assignment is to develop a Course Map for an online course that participants will teach in the future. The previous/existing prompt is listed first, and the updated version, after applying Transparent Assignment Design, follows.

Sample Transparent Assignment: Course Map

Previous/Existing Prompt

This assignment will be due at the close of Module 3. You have two weeks to complete it. By then, we'd like you to have course objectives, module objectives (for 4 modules, at least) and a start on the activities/materials you're thinking about including. Your course map will be a work in progress--turning in your course map does not mean your course will suddenly be set in stone. It is inevitable that you will continue to make changes/additions.

For the purposes of this course, we are asking you to complete at least 4 modules of your course map by the end of Module 3--more is always welcome.

A course map is a planning tool that can help you design your course on paper before actually building it. It's also a great resource for both you and your students, if you chose to share it with them, that shows how Course Objectives, Module Objectives, instructional materials, and activities/assessments are all aligned.

We have provided a blank version of our course map here, but it is a guide and example. As it is a document you'll be working with often, you should create something that works for you maintaining the content that is included in our course map. Save the document you use as we will be adding to it throughout the rest of the course. Work with your designer to help you as you practice this important task. Your facilitators will be glad to help, as well, if you have any questions.

 

Updated Assignment Prompt (after applying Transparent Assignment Design)

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to give instructors of all experience levels an opportunity to employ Backward Design in the development or redesign of an online course. This assignment is also a key component of your culminating course project, the Online Teaching Portfolio. Additionally, the process of mapping a course in this way can be applied to any future course you design or teach in any modality.

Skills

This assignment will help you practice or review the following skills:

  • How to map a course
  • How to write learning objectives
  • How to check alignment of your course and module objectives with your assessments, activities, and materials

Knowledge

This assignment will help you become familiar with, or review, the following content knowledge:

  • Backward Design
  • Bloom’s Taxonomy

Task

Create a course map with a minimum of four modules/weeks.

Add the module objectives, assessments, activities, materials and course objective alignment for each of the modules.

  • Step 1: Determine the learning objectives for your first module. What measurable and specific goal(s) do students need to meet in this module?
  • Step 2: Determine the assessments/deliverables for this module. How will students show you they’ve achieved the goal/objective?
  • Step 3: List the required and supplementary materials needed for the module. What resources and materials will students need to review in order to support their achievement of the learning goal/objective?
  • Step 4: Note the applicable course objectives. With which course objective(s) does/do these module objectives align?

Criteria for Success

To evaluate the course map, we will ask the following questions:

  • Does the course map include at least 4 modules worth of content?
  • Does the course map include course and module learning objectives, assessments and materials?

Note: sample course maps are provided to participants.

Alright, Let Me Try! 

Grab an assignment you’ve already developed and revise it to explicitly include the purpose, task, and criteria. When instructors revise just two assignments using Transparent Assignment Design over the course of a semester, it has been shown to have an impact on student retention and outcomes (see Winkelmes, et.al, 2019).

If you’d like to discuss your revision or work through the process with an instructional designer (ID), visit our virtual Open Labs to meet 1:1 with an ID.

References 

Bose, D., Dalrymple, S., & Shadle, S. (2020). "A Renewed Case for Student Success: Using Transparency in Assignment Design when Teaching Remotely." https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/course-design-ideas/a-renewed-case-for-student-success-using-transparency-in-assignment-design-when-teaching-remotely/  

Howard, T. O., Winkelmes, M.-A., & Shegog, M. (2020). Transparency Teaching in the Virtual Classroom: Assessing the Opportunities and Challenges of Integrating Transparency Teaching Methods with Online Learning. Journal of Political Science Education, 16(2), 198–211. 

Winkelmes, M.-A., Boye, A., & Tapp, S. (2019). Transparent Design in Higher Education Teaching and Leadership : A Guide to Implementing the Transparency Framework Institution-Wide to Improve Learning and Retention: Vol. First edition. Stylus Publishing. 

Winkelmes, M.-A., Bernacki, M., Butler, J., Zochowski, M., Golanics, J., & Weavil, K. H. (2016). A Teaching Intervention that Increases Underserved College Students’ Success. Peer Review, 18(1/2), 31–36.