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GSI Teaching & Resource Center
University of California, Berkeley

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Designing Assignments

As a GSI, you may or may not have input into the course assignments. Some faculty prefer to design the course assignments themselves, others ask for substantial input from GSIs. Course assignments can be very particular; they depend on the content and objectives of the course, the teaching methods and style of the instructor, the level and background of the students, and the given discipline.

However, there are questions to take into account if you are designing assignments:

1. What do you want the students to learn? What are the goals and objectives of the course? How does the assignment contribute to those goals and objectives? What skills to you want students to employ: to solve, to argue, to create, to analyze, to explain, to demonstrate, to apply, etc.?
2. How well focused is the assignment? Are the instructions clear and concise? Does the assignment give the students a clearly defined, unambiguous task?
3. How long is the assignment going to be? Do you want students to engage in research that goes beyond the course content or do you want them to stick to the course materials? What should the assignment format be? When will the assignment be due and how long will you need to grade it? When will the assignment be returned to students?
4. Will you allow students to rewrite the assignment if necessary?
5. Can this assignment be realistically completed given the knowledge, ability, and time constraints of the students? Is it clearly related to the course content? Are the research materials needed to complete the assignment available in sufficient quantity?
6. Is it possible for you to grade this assignment effectively, given your workload and other commitments?
7. How is this assignment going to contribute to the student's final course grade?

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Effective Grading Links:

• Introduction
• Designing Assignments
• Establishing Standards and Criteria
• Assigning Grades
• The Grading Process
• Efficient Grading
• Writing Comments
• Example Papers
  • Paper 1
  • Paper 2
  • Paper 3
• Returning Graded Papers

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Teaching Resources Links:

• Creating Ground Rules for Discussion Sections
• Using Group Work in Discussion Sections
• Strategies for Variety in the Classroom
• Developing Critical Reading Skills
• How to Teach Lab Sections
• Award-winning Teaching Ideas (Teaching Effectiveness Award Essays)
• Theories of Learning
• Dealing with and Preventing Academic Dishonesty
• Grading Students' Written Work
• Understanding & Using Instructional Technology
• Five Ways to Improve Your Teaching
• How to Write a Letter of Recommendation
• Campus Resources
• FAQs

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