Designing Effective Research Assignments:
General Guidelines & Examples
Assignments
- Assign relevant, content-based research assignments that focus on problem solving and analysis. Avoid “scavenger-hunt” assignments.
- Clearly define the task and steps required to complete it.
- Suggest specific online library databases to use (e.g. “Academic Search Premier,” “netLibrary,” “Lexis-Nexis Academic”)
- Indicate the number and type of resources required.
- Number of sources: indicate a minimum or a range of sources required, as appropriate
- Types of sources (e.g., journal, magazine or newspaper articles, books, statistics, web pages, multimedia)
Preparing Students
- Discuss students’ topics with them. Make sure the topics they choose are neither too broad nor too narrow.
- Make sure students know how to use appropriate online and print resources. Talk to a CMC librarian. Invite a librarian to do a presentation for your students
Grade
- Grade research assignments and allocate a percentage of students' final grades.
Sample Assignments
|