How to Understand & Plan Assignments

ana.lacerda@mail.utoronto.ca — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 22:19:46 +0000

How to Understand & Plan Assignments ana.lacerda@ma… Tue, 04/02/2024 - 18:19

Skills Categories:

Skills Keywords:

Annotated bibliographies, Literature reviews, Proposals, Time management

This Resource Page will help you:

Understand the purpose of assignments at 91�� and how assignments support your learning
Navigate the process of understanding assignment instructions
Learn strategies for making plans for your assignments

Roadmap presenting the fours steps to prepare a literature review or an academic paper and indicating you are currently in step 1, part 1, understanding and planning the assignment.

Purposes of Assignments

You may ask: “Why are assignments so common at 91�� instead of exams? Why do most 91�� instructors use assignments to grade students?”

Assignments reflect the advanced nature of graduate studies, as shown in the three boxes below.

Active and Deep Learning

Assignments call for a higher level of thinking and deeper understanding of a topic. Assignments require and enable you to

think deeply and critically about the material
question and apply complex concepts, rather than just absorbing information
use what you learn in creative and original ways
find information and sources that support your ideas

Independent Learning

Assignments are projects that you initiate. Since it’s your project, you can (and should!) see assignments as opportunities to

explore topics and issues that are interesting and relevant to you (e.g., for professional, academic, or personal purposes)
manage your own time and balance your studies and life.

Develop Academic Skills

Assignments are not just assessment tools or products. Each assignment is a process. As you go through the assignment preparation phases, you practice and improve your academic skills, such as:

Research skills
Critical Thinking
Reading Skills
Academic communication skills (e.g., writing and presenting orally)

Understand Assignment Instructions

Step 1: Read the instructions

Read the assignment instructions thoroughly as soon as you receive them. Take notes of important information and possible questions.

Step 2: Determine the assignment type & purpose

Type

Do you need to produce an annotated bibliography, a reflection, a literature review, a presentation, etc.?
Do you know the structure of that specific assignment type?
If you are unclear (e.g., you don’t know what sections a literature review should include), start by familiarizing yourself with the features of the assignment type in question.

Purpose

What do you need to do in the task?

Are you being asked to compare? to analyze? to reflect? to review the literature?
Familiarize yourself with the grading rubric (if available). Grading rubrics give clues that help you identify ways of structuring your text or determine the content you need to include. If a grading rubric is not available, ask your instructor to clarify their expectations and criteria.

Example of Grading Rubric

Step 3: Check the technical details

The following requirements are usually specified in the assignment instructions. If you cannot find the information, you should ask your instructor for guidance.

Page length and word count: this detail helps you determine the depth you need to go into. For example

Do you need to limit your assignment to 2 pages? You might want to focus on one key point and support it with clear evidence.
Is it a 10+ page paper? Include more sources, develop a more complex argument or provide more perspectives.
Due date: this element is important to manage your time strategically and see how your assignment preparation plan fits with your other courses and deadlines.
Required sources
Is there a minimum number of references you need to include?
What type of sources should you consult?

Many assignments require you to find scholarly/peer-reviewed articles Depending on the topic and purpose, you might also need to check primary sources, curriculum or policy documents, practitioner-oriented sources. There may also be restrictions or limitations on non-academic sources (e.g., general websites or information sources).

The example below shows how a student followed Steps 1 to 3 by writing notes about their assignment instructions:

Assignment Instructions (sample with student notes) (675.79 KB, PDF)

This is a set of instructions for a final paper with notes written by an 91�� student. The notes show you the process of understanding and planning the assignment on the student’s part.

Make a Plan

Once you know the assignment deadline, plan your schedule by starting from the final deadline and working backwards.
Break the assignment down into steps & sub steps: researching, pre-writing, drafting, getting feedback, editing / re-writing, proofreading. Note: these steps are often iterative, and you might need to go back and forth between them.
Assign internal deadlines: how long will it take you to complete each sub-step?

Useful Tools for Planning:

Assignment Planner to help you make a day-by-day plan.

Assignment Plan (template) (20.04 KB, Word)

Download this template and use it when planning your work for an assignment.

Our Tips

1. Ask yourself questions as you approach each step of your assignment:

What do I need to do for a particular task (e.g. outlining the structure, researching, drafting, etc.)?
Do I know how do it?
If yes: what are the steps specific to this task?
If no: how can I find out? -- do some research and ask for help.
Can I break it down into smaller steps?
How long will each step take me?
What should my internal deadline be for this step?

2. Manage your time wisely.

3. When making your plan, consider your other responsibilities and how much time you will actually have to dedicate to this assignment. (Sometimes we need to multitask)

4. Don't leave the assignment preparation to the last minute!

5. Get support from your instructor and/or OSSC advisors if you need. Bring questions related to the assignment proposed as well as to your ideas on how to do the assignment. When you define a topic, ask about the appropriateness and feasibility of said topic.

Time management

How to Understand & Plan Assignments

Table of Contents

This Resource Page will help you:

Purposes of Assignments

Active and Deep Learning

Independent Learning

Develop Academic Skills

Understand Assignment Instructions

Make a Plan

Useful Tools for Planning:

Our Tips

Help & Additional Resources

Related Resource Pages on ASH

Additional Resources

On Campus Services