school assignment design easy and beautiful

Creative Ways to Design Assignments for Student Success

There are many creative ways in which teachers can design assignments to support student success. We can do this while simultaneously not getting bogged down with the various obstructions that keep students from both completing and learning from the assignments. For me, assignments fall into two categories: those that are graded automatically, such as SmartBook® readings and quizzes in Connect®; and those that I need to grade by hand, such as writing assignments.  

For those of us teaching large, introductory classes, most of our assignments are graded automatically, which is great for our time management. But our students will ultimately deliver a plethora of colorful excuses as to why they were not completed and why extensions are warranted. How do we give them a little leeway to make the semester run more smoothly, so there are fewer worries about a reading that was missed or a quiz that went by too quickly? Here are a few tactics I use. 

Automatically graded assignments: 

Multiple assignment attempts  

• This eases the mental pressure of a timed assignment and covers computer mishaps or human error on the first attempt. 
• You can deduct points for every attempt taken if you are worried about students taking advantage. 

Automatically dropped assignments  

• Within a subset or set of assignments, automatically drop a few from grading. This can take care of all excuses for missing an assignment. 
• Additionally, you can give a little grade boost to those who complete all their assignments (over a certain grade). 

Due dates  

• Consider staggering due dates during the week instead of making them all due on Sunday night.  
• Set the due date for readings the night before you cover the material, so students are prepared.  

Requirements  

• If we want our students to read, then make a reading assignment a requirement of a quiz. 

The tactics above might be applied to written assignments, too. An easy way to bolster a student’s interest and investment in these longer assignments is to give them a choice. This could be in the topic, location of study, or presentation style. For example, if you want them to analyze the susceptibility of a beach to hurricane threat, why not let them choose the location? In this way, you will also be gaining a lot of new information for your own use. 

With a small amount of effort, we can design our classes, so students concentrate on learning the subject matter rather than the logistics of completing the assignments. 

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Free Cover Page templates

Create impressive cover pages for your assignments and projects online in just a click. choose from hundreds of free templates and customize them with edit.org..

Create impressive cover pages in a few minutes with Edit.org, and give your projects and assignments a professional and unique touch. A well-designed title page or project front page can positively impact your professor's opinion of your homework, which can improve your final grade!

Create a personalized report cover page

After writing the whole report, dissertation, or paper, which is the hardest part, you should now create a cover page that suits the rest of the project. Part of the grade for your work depends on the first impression of the teacher who corrects it.

We know not everyone is a professional designer, and that's why Edit.org wants to help you. Having a professional title page can give the impression you've put a great deal of time and effort into your assignment, as well as the impression you take the subject very seriously. Thanks to Edit.org, everyone can become a professional designer. This way, you'll only have to worry about doing a great job on your assignment.

On the editor, you will also find free resume templates  and other educational and professional designs.

Customize an essay cover page with Edit.org

• Go to formats on the home page and choose Cover pages.
• Choose the template that best suits the project.
• You can add your images or change the template background color.
• Add your report information and change the font type and colors if needed.
• Save and download it. The cover page is ready to make your work shine!

Free editable templates for title pages

As you can see, it's simple to create cover pages for schoolwork and it won’t take much time. We recommend using the same colors on the cover as the ones you used for your essay titles to create a cohesive design. It’s also crucial to add the name and logo of the institution for which you are doing the essay. A visually attractive project is likely to be graded very well, so taking care of the small details will make your work look professional.

On Edit.org, you can also reuse all your designs and adapt them to different projects. Thanks to the users' internal memory, you can access and edit old templates anytime and anywhere.

Take a look at other options we propose on the site. Edit.org helps design flyers, business cards, and other designs useful in the workplace. The platform was created so you don't need to have previous design knowledge to achieve a spectacular cover page! Start your cover page design now.

Create online Cover Pages for printing

You can enter our free graphic editor from your phone, tablet or computer. The process is 100% online, fun and intuitive. Just click on what you want to modify. Customize your cover page quickly and easily. You don't need any design skills. No Photoshop skills. Just choose a template from this article or from the final waterfall and customize it to your liking. Writing first and last names, numbers, additional information or texts will be as easy as writing in a Word document.

Free templates for assignment cover page design

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Free Front Page Design

Free Front Page Designs For Assignments And Projects [Download MS Word Templates]

A good front  page design  is important in a project because it makes a strong first impression. A well-designed cover page or front page can create a positive initial impression on the reader and set the tone for the rest of the project. It Conveys professionalism. A professional looking cover page demonstrates to the reader that the project has been completed with care and attention to detail.

The cover page should clearly communicate the title, author(s), and date of the project, as well as any other important information that the reader needs to know.

A well-designed cover page should reflect the content and tone of the project, helping to build a connection between the reader and the project’s contents.

In short, the cover page is a crucial component of a project and can have a significant impact on how the project is perceived and received by the reader.

Front Page Design Template Samples

Benefits of using a good front page design on your project

• Establish a visual identity: A consistent and recognizable design on the cover page can help to establish a visual identity for the project and make it easier for the reader to identify it in the future.
• Differentiate the project: A unique and eye-catching cover page design can help to distinguish the project from others and make it stand out.
• Create a sense of unity: A well-designed cover page can provide a sense of unity to the entire project and reinforce the idea that all of the elements of the project are part of a cohesive whole.
• Provide context: The cover page design can provide context and information about the purpose, audience, and goals of the project, helping the reader to better understand and engage with the content.
• Improving organization: A well-designed cover page can help to organize the contents of the project and make it easier for the reader to navigate.
• Facilitating access: A clear and well-designed cover page can make it easier for the reader to access the contents of the project, and quickly find the information they are looking for.
• Enhancing accessibility: For projects that are shared electronically, a well-designed cover page can enhance accessibility for users with disabilities, such as those using screen readers.

Overall, a good cover page design is not just a cosmetic detail, but an important aspect of the project that can influence the reader’s perception and understanding of the content.

A well-designed front page can set the tone for the entire project and make it stand out from the rest. In this blog, we’ll take a look at some sample front page designs, best practices and tips to help you create a stunning front page design for your next project.

Front Page Designs Of Assignment

Front page designs for assignments [free ms word template download].

Creative Front Page Design For Assignment [Free MS Word Template Download]

MORE ASSIGNMENT TEMPLATES

Tips for Stunning Front Page Design Of Assignment

While it’s important to keep the front page design simple, that doesn’t mean it can’t be creative. You can still add a touch of personality to your design while making sure it’s organized and professional.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Use a unique font or color scheme
• Incorporate illustrations or graphics related to your project topic
• Experiment with different layout options

Science Project Front Page Design [Free MS Word Template Download]

When it comes to designing the front page for a science project, the design should reflect the topic and make the project stand out. You can include images or graphics related to the topic, and use a font that is easy to read.

Front Page Design For Physics Project

Front Page Design For Chemistry Project

Front Page Design Tips For Chemistry Project

To design a cover page for a Chemistry project, you could try the following design concept:

• Use a light blue or green gradient to represent the chemical elements in a test tube.
• Use a bold sans-serif font, such as Arial or Verdana, to write the title of the project in white or yellow. Make the title the focal point of the page.
• Use a smaller sans-serif font, also in white or yellow, to write a brief description of the project, such as “An investigation into the properties of chemical reactions.”
• Use a smaller sans-serif font in black to write your name, class, and date of submission, positioned in the bottom right or left corner of the page.
• Add the logo of your school or university in the top right or left corner of the page.
• Include a relevant image or illustration of a chemical reaction, periodic table, or other scientific concept to reinforce the subject of Chemistry.
• Consider adding a simple white border around the entire page to give it structure and definition.
• This design concept incorporates elements of the subject of Chemistry, while also keeping it simple, clean, and professional.

Front Page Design For Biology Project

Front Page Design Tips For Biology Project

For a biology project cover page, you can consider incorporating the following elements:

• Title: A descriptive and concise title that accurately reflects the content of the project.
• Author(s): The name(s) of the person(s) who completed the project, usually in a prominent position on the page.
• Date: The date the project was completed, which is typically included in the header or footer of the page.
• School or organization: The name of the school, institution, or organization that the project was completed for, if applicable.
• Relevant images or graphics: Images or graphics related to the biology topic being studied, such as diagrams, charts, or photos of specimens.
• Project description: A brief summary or description of the project, including the purpose, methodology, and key findings.
• Aesthetics: A clean and professional design with a color palette that reflects the biology topic being studied. For example, green and blue might be appropriate for an aquatic biology project, while warm oranges and yellows might be appropriate for a botany project.

It’s important to note that the specific requirements for a biology project cover page can vary based on the guidelines provided by the teacher or institution. However, these elements can serve as a starting point for creating a visually appealing and effective design for a biology project cover page.

Border Front Page Design For Project [Free MS Word Template Download]

Adding a border to your front page design can help make it look more polished and professional. You can choose a border that reflects the topic of your project, or use a simple border in a neutral color.

Front Page Design For English Project [Free MS Word Template Download]

Front Page Design Tips For English Project

To design a cover page for an English project, you can consider the following steps:

• Choose a theme that aligns with the project topic and make it visually appealing.
• Add a title that clearly represents the project, it should be big and legible.
• Add your name, class, and date in a clear and concise manner.
• If required, include the name of your instructor and school/university.
• Add any relevant graphics, images, or logos that reinforce the theme of your project.
• Make sure to use a font that is easy to read and aesthetically pleasing.
• Consider adding a border or design element that ties everything together.

Note: The design should be professional and align with any guidelines provided by the instructor.

School Project Front Page Design

Floral Front Page Design For School Project

Whether or not it’s a good idea to use a floral front page design for a school project depends on the context of the project and the guidelines provided by the teacher or instructor. If the project is related to a subject such as art, design, or gardening, then a floral design may be appropriate. However, if the project is focused on a more technical or scientific subject, a more straightforward design may be more suitable. It’s important to consider the purpose and audience of the project and to ensure that the design effectively communicates the information you want to convey.

Cute Front Page Design For Project

Simple Front Page Designs For Project

Front Page Designs For Math Project

Front Page Designs For Music Project

Handmade Front Page Design For Project

Tips to make your handmade front page designs more appealing  .

A handmade cover page design can add a personal touch to your assignment and make it stand out. Here are some elements you could consider incorporating into your design:

• Hand-drawn illustrations or graphics: Use hand-drawn illustrations or graphics that are relevant to the subject matter of the assignment.
• Handwritten typography: Incorporate hand-written typography into your design to add a personal touch. Consider using a calligraphy pen or brush to create unique, hand-lettered text.
• Collage: Create a collage using different materials, such as paper, fabric, or photographs, to create a unique and visually interesting cover page design.
• Watercolor: Use watercolor to create a painted cover page design. Consider using colors that are consistent with the subject matter of the assignment.

By incorporating these elements, you can create a handmade cover page design that is both personal and professional. Keep in mind that a handmade design may take longer to create than a digital design, so be sure to allow enough time to complete it.

What are the best tools to create a beautiful Front Page Design for a project ?

There are many tools you can use to create a beautiful front page design for a project, including:

Here’s How You Can Create a Beautiful Front Page Design in MS Word:

• Choose a page size and orientation that suits your design. Go to Page Layout > Page Setup.
• Select a theme or color scheme. Go to Design > Colors.
• Add a header or footer for branding. Go to Insert > Header & Footer.
• Insert a title text box and customize its font, size, and color. Go to Insert > Text Box.
• Add an image to the background. Go to Insert > Picture.
• Add other design elements such as shapes, lines, or text boxes to create visual interest. Go to Insert > Shapes.
• Align and arrange elements as desired. Go to Home > Align.
• Apply styles to text, such as bold or italic, to make the page look more polished. Go to Home > Styles.
• Preview the page to check its appearance. Go to View > Print Layout.
• Save the document as a template to use as a starting point for future projects. Go to File > Save As > Word Template.

A good looking front page design for a school or assignment project or a science project is important because it reflects the attention and effort put into the project, and can impact the grade or evaluation received. A well-designed front page can also effectively convey the topic and purpose of the project, making it easier for the teacher or evaluator to understand and appreciate the content. A visually appealing and organized design can also make the project stand out, showing initiative and creativity, and can help the student effectively communicate their ideas and findings. In science projects, a clear and effective front page design can also help emphasize the significance and potential impact of the research. Ultimately, a good looking front page design can enhance the overall presentation and impact of the project.

What is the downloaded file format?

.doc (MS Word file extension)

How to edit the downloaded template?

Open it in MS Word and make changes according to your need.

What is the size of the template?

It is A4 size template.

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Designing Assignments for Learning

The rapid shift to remote teaching and learning meant that many instructors reimagined their assessment practices. Whether adapting existing assignments or creatively designing new opportunities for their students to learn, instructors focused on helping students make meaning and demonstrate their learning outside of the traditional, face-to-face classroom setting. This resource distills the elements of assignment design that are important to carry forward as we continue to seek better ways of assessing learning and build on our innovative assignment designs.

On this page:

Rethinking traditional tests, quizzes, and exams.

• Examples from the Columbia University Classroom
• Tips for Designing Assignments for Learning

Reflect On Your Assignment Design

Connect with the ctl.

• Resources and References

Cite this resource: Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning (2021). Designing Assignments for Learning. Columbia University. Retrieved [today’s date] from https://ctl.columbia.edu/resources-and-technology/teaching-with-technology/teaching-online/designing-assignments/

Traditional assessments tend to reveal whether students can recognize, recall, or replicate what was learned out of context, and tend to focus on students providing correct responses (Wiggins, 1990). In contrast, authentic assignments, which are course assessments, engage students in higher order thinking, as they grapple with real or simulated challenges that help them prepare for their professional lives, and draw on the course knowledge learned and the skills acquired to create justifiable answers, performances or products (Wiggins, 1990). An authentic assessment provides opportunities for students to practice, consult resources, learn from feedback, and refine their performances and products accordingly (Wiggins 1990, 1998, 2014). 

Authentic assignments ask students to “do” the subject with an audience in mind and apply their learning in a new situation. Examples of authentic assignments include asking students to: 

• Write for a real audience (e.g., a memo, a policy brief, letter to the editor, a grant proposal, reports, building a website) and/or publication;
• Solve problem sets that have real world application; 
• Design projects that address a real world problem; 
• Engage in a community-partnered research project;
• Create an exhibit, performance, or conference presentation ;
• Compile and reflect on their work through a portfolio/e-portfolio.

Noteworthy elements of authentic designs are that instructors scaffold the assignment, and play an active role in preparing students for the tasks assigned, while students are intentionally asked to reflect on the process and product of their work thus building their metacognitive skills (Herrington and Oliver, 2000; Ashford-Rowe, Herrington and Brown, 2013; Frey, Schmitt, and Allen, 2012). 

It’s worth noting here that authentic assessments can initially be time consuming to design, implement, and grade. They are critiqued for being challenging to use across course contexts and for grading reliability issues (Maclellan, 2004). Despite these challenges, authentic assessments are recognized as beneficial to student learning (Svinicki, 2004) as they are learner-centered (Weimer, 2013), promote academic integrity (McLaughlin, L. and Ricevuto, 2021; Sotiriadou et al., 2019; Schroeder, 2021) and motivate students to learn (Ambrose et al., 2010). The Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning is always available to consult with faculty who are considering authentic assessment designs and to discuss challenges and affordances.   

Examples from the Columbia University Classroom 

Columbia instructors have experimented with alternative ways of assessing student learning from oral exams to technology-enhanced assignments. Below are a few examples of authentic assignments in various teaching contexts across Columbia University. 

• E-portfolios: Statia Cook shares her experiences with an ePorfolio assignment in her co-taught Frontiers of Science course (a submission to the Voices of Hybrid and Online Teaching and Learning initiative); CUIMC use of ePortfolios ;
• Case studies: Columbia instructors have engaged their students in authentic ways through case studies drawing on the Case Consortium at Columbia University. Read and watch a faculty spotlight to learn how Professor Mary Ann Price uses the case method to place pre-med students in real-life scenarios;
• Simulations: students at CUIMC engage in simulations to develop their professional skills in The Mary & Michael Jaharis Simulation Center in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Helene Fuld Health Trust Simulation Center in the Columbia School of Nursing; 
• Experiential learning: instructors have drawn on New York City as a learning laboratory such as Barnard’s NYC as Lab webpage which highlights courses that engage students in NYC;
• Design projects that address real world problems: Yevgeniy Yesilevskiy on the Engineering design projects completed using lab kits during remote learning. Watch Dr. Yesilevskiy talk about his teaching and read the Columbia News article . 
• Writing assignments: Lia Marshall and her teaching associate Aparna Balasundaram reflect on their “non-disposable or renewable assignments” to prepare social work students for their professional lives as they write for a real audience; and Hannah Weaver spoke about a sandbox assignment used in her Core Literature Humanities course at the 2021 Celebration of Teaching and Learning Symposium . Watch Dr. Weaver share her experiences.  

​Tips for Designing Assignments for Learning

While designing an effective authentic assignment may seem like a daunting task, the following tips can be used as a starting point. See the Resources section for frameworks and tools that may be useful in this effort.  

Align the assignment with your course learning objectives 

Identify the kind of thinking that is important in your course, the knowledge students will apply, and the skills they will practice using through the assignment. What kind of thinking will students be asked to do for the assignment? What will students learn by completing this assignment? How will the assignment help students achieve the desired course learning outcomes? For more information on course learning objectives, see the CTL’s Course Design Essentials self-paced course and watch the video on Articulating Learning Objectives .  

Identify an authentic meaning-making task

For meaning-making to occur, students need to understand the relevance of the assignment to the course and beyond (Ambrose et al., 2010). To Bean (2011) a “meaning-making” or “meaning-constructing” task has two dimensions: 1) it presents students with an authentic disciplinary problem or asks students to formulate their own problems, both of which engage them in active critical thinking, and 2) the problem is placed in “a context that gives students a role or purpose, a targeted audience, and a genre.” (Bean, 2011: 97-98). 

An authentic task gives students a realistic challenge to grapple with, a role to take on that allows them to “rehearse for the complex ambiguities” of life, provides resources and supports to draw on, and requires students to justify their work and the process they used to inform their solution (Wiggins, 1990). Note that if students find an assignment interesting or relevant, they will see value in completing it. 

Consider the kind of activities in the real world that use the knowledge and skills that are the focus of your course. How is this knowledge and these skills applied to answer real-world questions to solve real-world problems? (Herrington et al., 2010: 22). What do professionals or academics in your discipline do on a regular basis? What does it mean to think like a biologist, statistician, historian, social scientist? How might your assignment ask students to draw on current events, issues, or problems that relate to the course and are of interest to them? How might your assignment tap into student motivation and engage them in the kinds of thinking they can apply to better understand the world around them? (Ambrose et al., 2010). 

Determine the evaluation criteria and create a rubric

To ensure equitable and consistent grading of assignments across students, make transparent the criteria you will use to evaluate student work. The criteria should focus on the knowledge and skills that are central to the assignment. Build on the criteria identified, create a rubric that makes explicit the expectations of deliverables and share this rubric with your students so they can use it as they work on the assignment. For more information on rubrics, see the CTL’s resource Incorporating Rubrics into Your Grading and Feedback Practices , and explore the Association of American Colleges & Universities VALUE Rubrics (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education). 

Build in metacognition

Ask students to reflect on what and how they learned from the assignment. Help students uncover personal relevance of the assignment, find intrinsic value in their work, and deepen their motivation by asking them to reflect on their process and their assignment deliverable. Sample prompts might include: what did you learn from this assignment? How might you draw on the knowledge and skills you used on this assignment in the future? See Ambrose et al., 2010 for more strategies that support motivation and the CTL’s resource on Metacognition ). 

Provide students with opportunities to practice

Design your assignment to be a learning experience and prepare students for success on the assignment. If students can reasonably expect to be successful on an assignment when they put in the required effort ,with the support and guidance of the instructor, they are more likely to engage in the behaviors necessary for learning (Ambrose et al., 2010). Ensure student success by actively teaching the knowledge and skills of the course (e.g., how to problem solve, how to write for a particular audience), modeling the desired thinking, and creating learning activities that build up to a graded assignment. Provide opportunities for students to practice using the knowledge and skills they will need for the assignment, whether through low-stakes in-class activities or homework activities that include opportunities to receive and incorporate formative feedback. For more information on providing feedback, see the CTL resource Feedback for Learning . 

Communicate about the assignment 

Share the purpose, task, audience, expectations, and criteria for the assignment. Students may have expectations about assessments and how they will be graded that is informed by their prior experiences completing high-stakes assessments, so be transparent. Tell your students why you are asking them to do this assignment, what skills they will be using, how it aligns with the course learning outcomes, and why it is relevant to their learning and their professional lives (i.e., how practitioners / professionals use the knowledge and skills in your course in real world contexts and for what purposes). Finally, verify that students understand what they need to do to complete the assignment. This can be done by asking students to respond to poll questions about different parts of the assignment, a “scavenger hunt” of the assignment instructions–giving students questions to answer about the assignment and having them work in small groups to answer the questions, or by having students share back what they think is expected of them.

Plan to iterate and to keep the focus on learning 

Draw on multiple sources of data to help make decisions about what changes are needed to the assignment, the assignment instructions, and/or rubric to ensure that it contributes to student learning. Explore assignment performance data. As Deandra Little reminds us: “a really good assignment, which is a really good assessment, also teaches you something or tells the instructor something. As much as it tells you what students are learning, it’s also telling you what they aren’t learning.” ( Teaching in Higher Ed podcast episode 337 ). Assignment bottlenecks–where students get stuck or struggle–can be good indicators that students need further support or opportunities to practice prior to completing an assignment. This awareness can inform teaching decisions. 

Triangulate the performance data by collecting student feedback, and noting your own reflections about what worked well and what did not. Revise the assignment instructions, rubric, and teaching practices accordingly. Consider how you might better align your assignment with your course objectives and/or provide more opportunities for students to practice using the knowledge and skills that they will rely on for the assignment. Additionally, keep in mind societal, disciplinary, and technological changes as you tweak your assignments for future use. 

Now is a great time to reflect on your practices and experiences with assignment design and think critically about your approach. Take a closer look at an existing assignment. Questions to consider include: What is this assignment meant to do? What purpose does it serve? Why do you ask students to do this assignment? How are they prepared to complete the assignment? Does the assignment assess the kind of learning that you really want? What would help students learn from this assignment? 

Using the tips in the previous section: How can the assignment be tweaked to be more authentic and meaningful to students? 

As you plan forward for post-pandemic teaching and reflect on your practices and reimagine your course design, you may find the following CTL resources helpful: Reflecting On Your Experiences with Remote Teaching , Transition to In-Person Teaching , and Course Design Support .

The Columbia Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is here to help!

For assistance with assignment design, rubric design, or any other teaching and learning need, please request a consultation by emailing [email protected] . 

Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework for assignments. The TILT Examples and Resources page ( https://tilthighered.com/tiltexamplesandresources ) includes example assignments from across disciplines, as well as a transparent assignment template and a checklist for designing transparent assignments . Each emphasizes the importance of articulating to students the purpose of the assignment or activity, the what and how of the task, and specifying the criteria that will be used to assess students. 

Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) offers VALUE ADD (Assignment Design and Diagnostic) tools ( https://www.aacu.org/value-add-tools ) to help with the creation of clear and effective assignments that align with the desired learning outcomes and associated VALUE rubrics (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education). VALUE ADD encourages instructors to explicitly state assignment information such as the purpose of the assignment, what skills students will be using, how it aligns with course learning outcomes, the assignment type, the audience and context for the assignment, clear evaluation criteria, desired formatting, and expectations for completion whether individual or in a group.

Villarroel et al. (2017) propose a blueprint for building authentic assessments which includes four steps: 1) consider the workplace context, 2) design the authentic assessment; 3) learn and apply standards for judgement; and 4) give feedback. 

References 

Ambrose, S. A., Bridges, M. W., & DiPietro, M. (2010). Chapter 3: What Factors Motivate Students to Learn? In How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching . Jossey-Bass. 

Ashford-Rowe, K., Herrington, J., and Brown, C. (2013). Establishing the critical elements that determine authentic assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 39(2), 205-222, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2013.819566 .  

Bean, J.C. (2011). Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom . Second Edition. Jossey-Bass. 

Frey, B. B, Schmitt, V. L., and Allen, J. P. (2012). Defining Authentic Classroom Assessment. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation. 17(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.7275/sxbs-0829  

Herrington, J., Reeves, T. C., and Oliver, R. (2010). A Guide to Authentic e-Learning . Routledge. 

Herrington, J. and Oliver, R. (2000). An instructional design framework for authentic learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 48(3), 23-48. 

Litchfield, B. C. and Dempsey, J. V. (2015). Authentic Assessment of Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. 142 (Summer 2015), 65-80. 

Maclellan, E. (2004). How convincing is alternative assessment for use in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 29(3), June 2004. DOI: 10.1080/0260293042000188267

McLaughlin, L. and Ricevuto, J. (2021). Assessments in a Virtual Environment: You Won’t Need that Lockdown Browser! Faculty Focus. June 2, 2021. 

Mueller, J. (2005). The Authentic Assessment Toolbox: Enhancing Student Learning through Online Faculty Development . MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. 1(1). July 2005. Mueller’s Authentic Assessment Toolbox is available online. 

Schroeder, R. (2021). Vaccinate Against Cheating With Authentic Assessment . Inside Higher Ed. (February 26, 2021).  

Sotiriadou, P., Logan, D., Daly, A., and Guest, R. (2019). The role of authentic assessment to preserve academic integrity and promote skills development and employability. Studies in Higher Education. 45(111), 2132-2148. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1582015    

Stachowiak, B. (Host). (November 25, 2020). Authentic Assignments with Deandra Little. (Episode 337). In Teaching in Higher Ed . https://teachinginhighered.com/podcast/authentic-assignments/  

Svinicki, M. D. (2004). Authentic Assessment: Testing in Reality. New Directions for Teaching and Learning. 100 (Winter 2004): 23-29. 

Villarroel, V., Bloxham, S, Bruna, D., Bruna, C., and Herrera-Seda, C. (2017). Authentic assessment: creating a blueprint for course design. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 43(5), 840-854. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1412396    

Weimer, M. (2013). Learner-Centered Teaching: Five Key Changes to Practice . Second Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 

Wiggins, G. (2014). Authenticity in assessment, (re-)defined and explained. Retrieved from https://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/authenticity-in-assessment-re-defined-and-explained/

Wiggins, G. (1998). Teaching to the (Authentic) Test. Educational Leadership . April 1989. 41-47. 

Wiggins, Grant (1990). The Case for Authentic Assessment . Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation , 2(2). 

Wondering how AI tools might play a role in your course assignments?

See the CTL’s resource “Considerations for AI Tools in the Classroom.”

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Designing Engaging Assignments

Three tips for coming up with work that sparks real engagement in your students.

As I contemplated the writing assignment for our required reading of The Odyssey , I was filled with dread at the thought of reading 120 uninspired essays in which my ninth graders would dutifully recount details from the epic. Essay grading is tedious work, and I’m convinced that the hours we spend grading papers are the least effective way to positively impact students.

So I considered a framing question from the first edition of Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe’s Understanding by Design : “To what extent does the idea, topic, or process represent a ‘big idea’ having enduring value beyond the classroom?”

I decided that the enduring value students should get from the assignment was not directly about The Odyssey at all—I wanted them to recognize how the literary archetypes we had studied in connection with the epic are found in other stories. From there, I wanted them to realize that understanding how archetypes work could help them form a deeper appreciation of the people around them.

I challenged myself with the questions: “How do I design a meaningful assignment around this big idea that engages students?” and “How do I get kids to understand the value of the work we do?”

Designing an Engaging Assignment

1. Provide choices: According to teacher and blogger  Larry Ferlazzo , “Teachers in the real world recognize that although personalization has the potential to improve learning, our first job in applying any approach is to engage students in the learning process.... It’s about helping students find their spark and make their own fire.” 

In order to ignite students’ interest, I asked them to identify a familiar archetype from a book, movie, or television show of their choice. They would then determine how the character breaks the archetypal mold, and write a response to analyze and explain their findings.

The students were initially skeptical and asked questions like, “So we’re just doing this to brainstorm, and then we’re writing our papers about The Odyssey , right?” I had to work to convince them that they really could write the whole paper about a story of their choosing.

The students’ ability to make their own choices generated an explosion of ideas. A few of my Harry Potter aficionados stopped in excitedly at lunch to share their insights, and there were heated discussions about the myriad ways in which Harry Potter breaks the mold of the hero archetype: “He can’t make a rational decision, so Hermione has to tell him what to do!”

A student who used to love The Magic School Bus series questioned Miss Frizzle’s role as a “teacher as a heroic figure”: “Doesn’t she actually repeatedly risk students’ lives?”

When we paid closer attention to television and films, students noticed a high school chemistry teacher who cooked meth, and how Superman, in the movie Man of Steel , was bullied as a child and felt isolated as he tried to suppress his powers.

2. Offer a challenge: Students persevere when an assignment is not only interesting, but intellectually demanding. When John Hattie lists factors that relate to student achievement, he indicates the importance of ensuring that each assignment has the optimal level of challenge—not too hard, not too easy—because “the effect size of this so-called ‘ Goldilocks ’ level of challenge... nearly doubles the speed of learning.”

Our study of archetypes introduced students to a concept they hadn’t before considered. They were generally able to identify a character’s archetype, but struggled to articulate the specific ways their character broke the mold.

One student was perplexed by the conflicting realities about Betty Cooper, the “good girl” from the series Riverdale . She ultimately realized that despite Betty’s good intentions, her impulsive and often careless behavior reveals that she is much more complex than her blond hair and seemingly perfect exterior lead viewers to expect.

3. Tell them why: According to best-selling author Daniel Pink , “research has shown that people do better at a task—whether that task is spelling, hitting a curveball, or playing the viola—if they know why they’re doing it in the first place. School is often all about how—here’s how you do a quadratic equation, here’s how you write a five-paragraph essay, here’s how you do a paper chromatography experiment in chemistry. The fact is, we often give short shrift to why.”

I explained to students that people, like archetypal characters, are complex. One purpose of studying archetypes is to remind us that our tendency to generalize and stereotype is often incorrect. We may think, “Oh, that person is a jock—he couldn’t possibly be good at math” or “She’s so pretty and popular—life must be so easy for her.”

Noticing how superheroes suffer with feelings of isolation and so-called good girls really aren’t so perfect after all reinforces the fact that we cheat ourselves and others when we label people based on appearances and false assumptions. My students know that we studied literary archetypes to gain a deeper understanding of why we must not judge people based on appearances.

Preparing Students for the Real World

Classroom assignments should provide students with the opportunity to make informed choices, struggle through challenging tasks, and draw their own conclusions so they can transfer these essential skills to their lives outside of school. We can foster our students’ independence in these areas by designing assignments that matter.

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How to Decorate a Project File

Last Updated: February 9, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Sophia Latorre . Sophia Latorre is a Content Manager on the wikiHow team. Before joining wikiHow, Sophia worked as a technical editor and was published in six International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Annual Reports. Now, she writes, edits, and reviews articles for the wikiHow Content Team, working to make the content as helpful as possible for readers worldwide. Sophia holds a BA in English from Colorado State University. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 104,252 times. Learn more...

If you have to turn in a project file at school, you may be wondering how to decorate the cover. Don’t worry, there are lots of ideas and techniques you can use to create a personalized file, no matter what kind of project it is.

Things You Should Know

• Make sure your project file matches the theme of the project and class subject.
• Try designing an outdoor scene for a nature-themed project, using geometric shapes for a math project, or creating a map for a geography project.
• You can use ribbon, stencils , stickers, and glitter to decorate your project file.

Coming up with Ideas and a Layout

• For instance, your teacher may not allow clipart or printed images on the file.

• For instance, if your project is about marine life, you could make the project file blue and decorate it with pictures of coral and fish.
• Alternatively, if your project is about a specific book, you could draw pictures of the characters or sketch a scene from the story.

• You can use a ruler to figure out how much space you’ll use for each element as well as to help you center text or pictures.
• You don’t need to add tons of details; simply map out a quick sketch with text boxes, stick figures, and the like.

• Aim to leave at least a quarter of the page blank.
• If you decide to add text or a title, leave room around it so it’s easy to read.

Designing the File by Subject

• For instance, if you’re depicting a bug’s habitat, use a green marker to draw grass of varying lengths “growing” up from the bottom of the page. Add layers of dirt in addition to worms, insects, and plants to fill out the project file.

• Alternatively, you could create a border using the number sequence for Pi.

• If you want to add symbols, choose ones that are central to the story, such as an albatross and ship for “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
• If you use letters to decorate the file, be sure to vary the order and use every letter of the alphabet. Use a variety of colors to make the cover more interesting. [3] X Research source

Adding Decorations

• You can use white school glue, a glue stick, or rubber cement.

• Cut the ribbon or tape into four pieces—two that match the length of the file and two that match the width of it.
• Stick the washi tape to the edges of each side, or use glue dots to attach the ribbon.

• Ideas for the border design include swirls, shapes, letters, and flowers.

• You could also print out the text on a separate sheet of paper, cut it out, and glue it to the file.
• Alternatively, if you have nice handwriting , you can write the title or text by hand. You may want to use bubble letters or another technique to make the text stand out.

• For instance, if you are doing the project for a chemistry class, add pictures of test tubes and beakers.

• For example, if your project file is decorated with a tree, cut leaves or flowers out of construction paper and glue them to the branches.

• You could also cut out a piece of shiny paper that’s smaller than the project file by about 3 inches (7.6 cm) on each side. Glue it to the center of the file to make it stand out from the background.

Expert Q&A

Things you’ll need.

• Construction or scrapbook paper
• White school glue, glue dots, a glue stick, or rubber cement
• Ribbon or washi tape
• Pencils, pens, or markers
• Stickers or stencils

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.ganjing.com/video/1fb58rubb8g6blSDaDX65b7Nk1bq1c
• ↑ https://youtu.be/z-BkrmjcYQ4?t=24
• ↑ https://youtu.be/z-BkrmjcYQ4?t=164
• ↑ https://youtu.be/NO-YDYU4nTc?t=21
• ↑ https://sciencing.com/decorate-school-project-6197195.html
• ↑ https://youtu.be/1x55CkeIVqk?t=204

About This Article

Before you decorate a project file, take some time to outline your ideas so you don’t make mistakes. Pick a design or theme that matches the project, such as a nature scene for an environmental project. Add a border around the edge if you want, either in a solid color or a fun design. Use letter stickers or stencils to add the title of the project or other text to the file. Add extra detail with cutouts or pictures, and you’re done! If you want to learn how to pick your decorations based on the subject of the project, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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