Aligning Writing Assignments with Learning Outcomes

Designing Effective Writing Assignments Series: Topic Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Designing Effective Writing Assignments Series
Part 2:
Aligning Writing Assignments with Learning Outcomes

Overview

Consciously aligning the goals and objectives of your writing assignments with the larger learning outcomes of your class can be an effective way to add meaning and importance to the writing you are asking your students to engage in. Research has shown that when instructors think critically about designing writing assignments that will help students achieve course goals, students tend to find these assignments help to improve their understanding of course material (Bean, 2011). 

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Principles of backward design

As you begin the process of designing writing assignments, it is beneficial to “zoom out” and follow some principles of backward design to ensure your writing assignments align with your learning outcomes and prepare students to meet those outcomes. 

  • Articulate your course learning outcomes. When doing so, try to take into consideration the role your course plays in students’ broader learning trajectories and development, such as the role of your course in major or general education requirements. 
  • Consider what students will need to be able to do to demonstrate the learning outcomes. How could students show that they’ve achieved the learning outcome. What would attainment look like? In particular, consider the types of writing assignments that would provide opportunities for students to demonstrate the outcome. 
  • Align your grading criteria with the learning outcomes. Design rubrics (or modify existing ones) to actively align your grading criteria for the writing assignment to your course learning outcomes. 
  • Outline the main units of your course. Make a list of the main units of your course, including the content and thinking skills that make up each unit, and how each unit supports students toward articulating the learning outcomes and grading criteria. 
  • Sequence your writing assignments. Build writing assignments into the scaffolding of your course units. Assignments should provide students with opportunities to demonstrate the learning outcomes. Consider assigning a sequence of writing projects that build on each other as the course progresses. 
  • Design authentic and meaningful assignments. “Authentic” writing projects ask students to practice the types writing and thinking professionals in their discipline actually engage in (Anderson, Hoffman, & Little, 2014). Meaningful writing assignments provide opportunities for students to practice choice, engage with peers and the instructor, and connect the assignment to their experiences, identities, interests, or aspirations (Lerner et al., 2017).  
  • Develop a transparent assignment sheet. Include the purpose of the assignment, how it supports students toward the learning outcomes, the process or steps students will need to take to complete the assignment, and the grading criteria against which their work will be evaluated. 

 

Winkelmes et al. (2016) found that providing greater transparency on assignments significantly improved academic outcomes for first-generation, low-income, transfer, and underrepresented students. See Winkelmes et al. Transparent Assignment Template 

  • Citation
  • Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE). (2024). Designing Effective Writing Assignments Series: Just-in-Time Teaching Resources. https://cee.ucdavis.edu/JITT
  • References
  • Anderson, P., Hoffman, M., & Little, D. (2014, June). How to create “authentic” (scenario) writing assignments. Handout from a pre-conference workshop presented at the International Writing Across the Curriculum Conference, Minneapolis, MN. http://z.umn.edu/nov12wow

    Bean, J. C. (2011). Engaging ideas: The professor’s guide to integrating writing, critical thinking, and active learning in the classroom (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.

    Lerner, N., Geller, A. E., & Eodice, M. (2017). The meaningful writing project: Learning, teaching and writing in higher education. Utah State University Press.

    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.