Why assignments?

Reinforcing the centrality to student learning of good assignment design, the Degree Qualifications Profile project and the National Institute on Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) have established a searchable, peer-reviewed Assignment Library. 

Making assignments transparent

The Transparency in Learning and Teaching Initiative, led by Dr. Mary-Ann Winkelmes at University of Nevada-Las Vegas, is an evidence-based approach to implementing transparent instructional practices, including assignment design, aimed at increasing the success of students from groups historically underserved by higher education. The transparency template is widely used by faculty to make their assignments more transparent for students

Collaborative Strategies for Sharing Assignments

Thanks to the work of NILOA, campuses across the US are experimenting with structured assignment charrettes as a strategy for strengthening assignment design and sharing expectations for student learning across departments, divisions, and even institutes. Catalyzing Assignment Design on Your Campus (PDF) reports on promising practices.

Designing integrative & interdisciplinary assignments

Because integrative and interdisciplinary learning are key outcomes for many learning community programs, regardless of structure and contexts, the Washington Center designed a heuristic for integrated learning (PDF). Widely used and widely adapted, the heuristic walks teaching teams through a condensed process of effectively designing an assignment.