A key component of Writing Across the Curriculum is thinking about the design of the writing activities and assignments to be included in your course.   Writing assignments, formal and informal, should be geared to what you want students to learn – and to be able to do – by term's end.   It's worthwhile making a list of these goals, course- and discipline-specific as well as those related to writing and education overall.   Which of them can best be fulfilled in writing assignments, and what kinds of assignments should you use?   The payoff for planning your course around the strategic use of writing (and not just "coverage") is more engaged learning and better student writing on major projects. WAC practitioners commonly distinguish between two broad categories of writing, informal ("low - stakes") and formal.

For examples of assignments and rubrics organized by department, see Department Materials.

• Informal or "low-stakes" writing
• Formal assignments
• Sample writing assignments
• Checklists and rubrics

Informal or "low-stakes" writing

Informal or "low-stakes" writing is the kind that helps students discover what they know, think, and feel in relation to a topic or a segment of text. Whether done at home or in class, low-stakes writing is relatively brief, spontaneous, and generally (but not always) writer-centered. Low-stakes writing

• is not graded at the level of formal writing;
• can be done in a short amount of time;
• is not evaluated for grammar or mechanics;
• does not always require to be read or responded to by the instructor.

These informal activities

• help students discover, develop, and clarify their own thinking;
• encourage students to reflect on course material;
• can be used as a precursor to a longer assignment;
• can stimulate and focus class discussions;
• provide an instructor with insight into student learning.

Lurkers in class discussion often speak up (or can be called on) after they've had a chance to collect their thoughts on paper.   And thoughts-on-paper can also be a source of feedback for teachers – e.g., at the end of a session, students can record on an index card (signed or unsigned, as you will) what was confusing or unclear in that day's lecture or discussion; the instructor scans the cards to find out what needs to be clarified or reviewed at the beginning of the next session.  

Among typical low-stakes assignments are

• Focused freewrites (freewriting is the technique of writing, usually for a fixed amount of time, without taking the pen from the page or repairing mistakes): use freewriting at the beginning of class to probe a subject; during a class to refocus a lagging discussion or cool off a heated one, or to gauge understanding of a point or concept; at the end of class to sum up the key point of a lecture or (as above) a confusion.


• Journals : open-ended, semi-structured, double-entry, exam prep, contemporary issues related to your subject; reading logs.


• Creative writing : imagined interviews with, or letters to, authors; taking another person's role or perspective; dialogues to explore opposing viewpoints.


• E-writing : on-line chats on a reading or topic; discussion board entries; e-mail small-group discussions.


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Formal writing assignments

Formal assignments are the reader-centered kind most familiar in academic work: essays, lab reports, site observations, research papers, etc. Good work in these genres depends on well-structured, clearly worded, process-conscious topics that permit teacher and/or peer feedback at some point before final submission.   A successful formal assignment (a) takes a critical-thinking or problem-centered approach; (b) incorporates the student's experience (as does even the super-high-stakes CUNY Proficiency Exam); (c) "scaffolds" the complex tasks of gathering and composing information or ideas.

Give students a hard copy of the assignment

(Or spell it out on Blackboard—not just the chalkboard!) The students need to see the assignment in black and white, and so do tutors in the Learning Resource Center or the Writing Center if students go for help. A verbal assignment or one written briefly written on the chalkboard is not enough of an anchor for a formal assignment that comprises a substantial portion of the grade.

Take a problem-centered approach

A problem-posing assignment or activity centers on a question that prevents simple regurgitation of lecture or text.   (For a simple check on reading or basic comprehension of concepts, multiple-choice or short-answer tests are a better choice.)   Thus, if critical thinking is one of your pedagogical goals – as it is for most instructors – don't ask students simply to "discuss" or "compare and contrast "or "analyze"— terms that students often find opaque. The bare instruction "compare and contrast" for instance, promotes mechanical on-the-one-hand/ on-the-other-hand thinking; ask them to compare/contrast for a purpose (which of two strategies is the better one in X situation, and why? who has the better qualifications for Y job, and why?, etc.)    Set topics that require students to "process" the ideas and information, rather than merely record them.

In a different mode, a problem-centered topic might ask students to argue one side of a controversial question (should legal aliens be allowed to vote? was it necessary to drop the A-bomb on Hiroshima to save American lives?), marshalling evidence from class texts or research, and taking into account major points on the opposing side.   Topics with a problematic or argumentative edge generate more engagement and critical thinking from students.   And such topics are useful in essay exams, journal entries, or small-group collaborations as well as in full formal essays.

Depending on the topic, you may find it useful to specify an audience different from the all-knowing teacher, e.g., someone younger or unfamiliar with the topic, a layperson, fellow students.   One WAC writer has suggested that the acronym RAFT be kept in mind when designing assignments: Role, Audience, Format, Task.   Build in these elements and students will be able to stay afloat!

Incorporate student experience

Students are especially inclined to engage with their studies if the work can be connected to knowledge or experience they bring to the classroom. Engagement and personal knowledge increase the clarity and depth of their writing. This can be a particularly friendly way to introduce writing at the beginning of the term.

For instance, a sociology instructor might ask students to apply a theory or concept to their own life or environment or to probe the validity of a text by comparison with their own experience.   A chemist could focus on the composition of everyday household products.   A professor in English could assign literature reflecting students' class, ethnic, or national backgrounds to help them make the important first connection to new ways of reading.   Students tend to write more fluently and extensively when on familiar ground, and linking up with their past or current experience can smooth the path to the new concepts and ideas they'll need to master in your course.  

Scaffold or "stage" complex assignments

Sometimes students are overwhelmed by the scope of an assignment or the number of elements they are asked to incorporate.  Scaffolding a major writing assignment – dividing a major project such as a research paper or term project into multiple steps and drafts, perhaps including some low-stakes writing activities – gives instructors a chance to define expectations and keep students on the right track.   Ultimately, "staging" produces better writing. In a nearly semester-long English 101 project, a teacher had students choose a current-events issue, clip and summarize newspaper articles for 7-8 weeks, then find two magazine pieces (hard copy or from the Internet), make a list of the controversial aspects of the issue, devise a leading argumentative question about it, respond to it themselves, then, finally, turn that question into the main idea of a paper which drew evidence from the articles newspaper and magazine articles. Along the way, she taught them how to use and document quotations and set up a Works Cited list.   Without this kind of scaffolding, it's possible the paper would have been a disaster even for the better-prepared students.

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Sample writing assignments

POL 100 (American Politics), Professor Ron Hayduk

Newspaper Article Analysis

This is the first of several news-analysis writing assignments.   All assignments must be typed, double space, maximum 2 pages (one page is fine)   The paper is due on ________________.   You will have a chance to rewrite it to improve it, if you wish.

Assignment
I have provided you with one news report and an excerpt from a debate between a Democrat and a Republican.   Your task is to

1. Briefly summarize the news article, and then the excerpt from the debate.
   
2. Explain how the article and debate relate to something you read in your
   textbook(s).
   
3. Provide your own opinion:   what is your position?   What insights or conclusions have you drawn from the readings?

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MAT 302 (Calculus II), Professor Barbara Lawrence
Ideas for short formal assignments, shared with
Writing Intensive preparation workshop, Spring 2001

1. Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz should/ should not share credit for developing the calculus.

2. Compare the Trapezoidal Rule to Simpson's Rule.

3. Explain to a friend who hasn't taken calculus how to find the area of an irregularly shaped region. Illustrate with real-world examples so that your friend will understand.

4. Find a problem from your major (Business, Engineering Science, Computer Science, Mathematics) in which calculus can be used to solve the problem.   Explain the concepts and show how to solve the problem.  

5. Compare the Disc and Shell methods for finding the volume of a solid of revolution.   Use examples and graphs to support your statements.

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CRT 100 (Critical Thinking), Professor Sharona Levy
Take-home final, 40 points

Your best friend (or your best friend's wife) is pregnant.   She/he tells you that amniocentesis has revealed that the baby she is carrying is anencephalic.   After explaining the condition, the doctor has advised an abortion.   Confused and torn about what to do, your friend (or friend's wife) has come to you for advice.   Construct a convincing argument to support your position on this issue.   Be sure to take into account at least one argument from the opposing side.   Remember, you are trying to convince your friend that your opinion is the right one.

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ACC 122 Accounting Principles I, Professor Sidney Askew
Writing Assignment # 1
(Assigned five days before it was due).

Issue :
Countless rumors have circulated throughout the office claiming that your accounting staff does not know the difference between an asset and an expense.

The new supervisor you recently hired to train the accounting staff insisted that he provided clear instructions to all staff members.   He said, "I told them if we buy a car, boat, stocks or whatever, record the purchase as an expense since this approach is easiest.   We will fix any problems at a later date".

Assignment :

In a memo to your staff, define and explain the difference between an asset and an expense. Provide at least three examples of each.   Also, state whether the supervisor's statement was correct.   Support your answer.

Late assignments are not accepted.   If unable to attend class, fax or e-mail your memo
to me.

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CHE 230, Organic Chemistry I, Professor Brahmadeo Dewprashad

Respond to the following letter:

Dear Organic Chemistry Student:

I take an aspirin tablet daily, as I heard that it has many beneficial health effects (such as reducing the risk of a stroke and/or heart attack).   I usually buy large supplies, since it is most cost effective.   However, I have noticed that even before the printed expiry date, the tablets have an increasingly strong smell of vinegar.  They cannot be contaminated with vinegar beause I store them in a medicine cabinet in my bathroom.   Is the smell an indication that the tablets have "gone off" and should be discarded?

I also use Paracetamol® (not daily, only when I have a headache).   I have not noticed the same change in smell although these tablets are stored in the same place as the aspirin. Should I switch to Parcetamol® or should I buy a different brand of aspirin, probably one manufactured by a pharmaceutical company with a recognizable name?

                                                                                    Yours truly,

                                                                                    MedCurious

Before responding, it is suggested that you find out the following:

1. What are the chemical names of the active ingredients of aspirin and Paracetamol® tablets?
2. What are the chemical structures of the active ingredients?
3. What functional groups are present and what bonds are likely to break easily?
4. Under what conditions would these bonds break and what can be done to prevent such breakage?
5. What will be the likely decomposition products?
6. What are the modes of action of the active ingredients?
7. Would the decomposition products be as efficacious?

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Checklists and rubrics

Students write better when they understand clearly what is expected of them.    Terms like summarize, analyze, debate, compare and contrast, discuss, etc., are commonplaces for teachers but may be opaque for students. Let students know what you mean by such terms as well as what else you are looking for in their performance.   A checklist , distributed either with the assignment or at some point before the final version is due, can help students meet your expectations, large and small.   It will also make clear to them how the assignment will be graded.  

When you evaluate students' formal writing, you may want to use a grading rubric , a form that allows you to give detailed responses in an efficient, time-saving way, while also making clear the importance you place on various aspects of writing, from format and mechanics to elaborated argument and style. Note: make the rubric fairly easy to use when grading or you will defeat its time-saving potential. Experience will show you the best design for your purposes.

Here are thumbnails of a few checklists and rubrics – including a checklist for peer review – devised by BMCC teachers. Click on them for the full view. Click the "back" button to return to this page.

Grading Criteria Checklist


Checklist for a Final Paper
in Economics

Economics: Final Paper
Evaluation Rubric


Critical Thinking:
Midterm Essay on Rashomon
Evaluation Rubric


Critical Thinking:
Final Paper on Pleasantville
Evaluation Rubric

Business Management
Term Paper Evaluation


Psychology 100 Checklist
for Peer Partner Review

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