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Resources for Teachers: Creating Writing Assignments

This page contains four specific areas:

Creating Effective Assignments

Checking the assignment, sequencing writing assignments, selecting an effective writing assignment format.

Research has shown that the more detailed a writing assignment is, the better the student papers are in response to that assignment. Instructors can often help students write more effective papers by giving students written instructions about that assignment. Explicit descriptions of assignments on the syllabus or on an “assignment sheet” tend to produce the best results. These instructions might make explicit the process or steps necessary to complete the assignment. Assignment sheets should detail:

• the kind of writing expected
• the scope of acceptable subject matter
• the length requirements
• formatting requirements
• documentation format
• the amount and type of research expected (if any)
• the writer’s role
• deadlines for the first draft and its revision

Providing questions or needed data in the assignment helps students get started. For instance, some questions can suggest a mode of organization to the students. Other questions might suggest a procedure to follow. The questions posed should require that students assert a thesis.

The following areas should help you create effective writing assignments.

Examining your goals for the assignment

• How exactly does this assignment fit with the objectives of your course?
• Should this assignment relate only to the class and the texts for the class, or should it also relate to the world beyond the classroom?
• What do you want the students to learn or experience from this writing assignment?
• Should this assignment be an individual or a collaborative effort?
• What do you want students to show you in this assignment? To demonstrate mastery of concepts or texts? To demonstrate logical and critical thinking? To develop an original idea? To learn and demonstrate the procedures, practices, and tools of your field of study?

Defining the writing task

• Is the assignment sequenced so that students: (1) write a draft, (2) receive feedback (from you, fellow students, or staff members at the Writing and Communication Center), and (3) then revise it? Such a procedure has been proven to accomplish at least two goals: it improves the student’s writing and it discourages plagiarism.
• Does the assignment include so many sub-questions that students will be confused about the major issue they should examine? Can you give more guidance about what the paper’s main focus should be? Can you reduce the number of sub-questions?
• What is the purpose of the assignment (e.g., review knowledge already learned, find additional information, synthesize research, examine a new hypothesis)? Making the purpose(s) of the assignment explicit helps students write the kind of paper you want.
• What is the required form (e.g., expository essay, lab report, memo, business report)?
• What mode is required for the assignment (e.g., description, narration, analysis, persuasion, a combination of two or more of these)?

Defining the audience for the paper

• Can you define a hypothetical audience to help students determine which concepts to define and explain? When students write only to the instructor, they may assume that little, if anything, requires explanation. Defining the whole class as the intended audience will clarify this issue for students.
• What is the probable attitude of the intended readers toward the topic itself? Toward the student writer’s thesis? Toward the student writer?
• What is the probable educational and economic background of the intended readers?

Defining the writer’s role

• Can you make explicit what persona you wish the students to assume? For example, a very effective role for student writers is that of a “professional in training” who uses the assumptions, the perspective, and the conceptual tools of the discipline.

Defining your evaluative criteria

1. If possible, explain the relative weight in grading assigned to the quality of writing and the assignment’s content:

• depth of coverage
• organization
• critical thinking
• original thinking
• use of research
• logical demonstration
• appropriate mode of structure and analysis (e.g., comparison, argument)
• correct use of sources
• grammar and mechanics
• professional tone
• correct use of course-specific concepts and terms.

Here’s a checklist for writing assignments:

• Have you used explicit command words in your instructions (e.g., “compare and contrast” and “explain” are more explicit than “explore” or “consider”)? The more explicit the command words, the better chance the students will write the type of paper you wish.
• Does the assignment suggest a topic, thesis, and format? Should it?
• Have you told students the kind of audience they are addressing — the level of knowledge they can assume the readers have and your particular preferences (e.g., “avoid slang, use the first-person sparingly”)?
• If the assignment has several stages of completion, have you made the various deadlines clear? Is your policy on due dates clear?
• Have you presented the assignment in a manageable form? For instance, a 5-page assignment sheet for a 1-page paper may overwhelm students. Similarly, a 1-sentence assignment for a 25-page paper may offer insufficient guidance.

There are several benefits of sequencing writing assignments:

• Sequencing provides a sense of coherence for the course.
• This approach helps students see progress and purpose in their work rather than seeing the writing assignments as separate exercises.
• It encourages complexity through sustained attention, revision, and consideration of multiple perspectives.
• If you have only one large paper due near the end of the course, you might create a sequence of smaller assignments leading up to and providing a foundation for that larger paper (e.g., proposal of the topic, an annotated bibliography, a progress report, a summary of the paper’s key argument, a first draft of the paper itself). This approach allows you to give students guidance and also discourages plagiarism.
• It mirrors the approach to written work in many professions.

The concept of sequencing writing assignments also allows for a wide range of options in creating the assignment. It is often beneficial to have students submit the components suggested below to your course’s STELLAR web site.

Use the writing process itself. In its simplest form, “sequencing an assignment” can mean establishing some sort of “official” check of the prewriting and drafting steps in the writing process. This step guarantees that students will not write the whole paper in one sitting and also gives students more time to let their ideas develop. This check might be something as informal as having students work on their prewriting or draft for a few minutes at the end of class. Or it might be something more formal such as collecting the prewriting and giving a few suggestions and comments.

Have students submit drafts. You might ask students to submit a first draft in order to receive your quick responses to its content, or have them submit written questions about the content and scope of their projects after they have completed their first draft.

Establish small groups. Set up small writing groups of three-five students from the class. Allow them to meet for a few minutes in class or have them arrange a meeting outside of class to comment constructively on each other’s drafts. The students do not need to be writing on the same topic.

Require consultations. Have students consult with someone in the Writing and Communication Center about their prewriting and/or drafts. The Center has yellow forms that we can give to students to inform you that such a visit was made.

Explore a subject in increasingly complex ways. A series of reading and writing assignments may be linked by the same subject matter or topic. Students encounter new perspectives and competing ideas with each new reading, and thus must evaluate and balance various views and adopt a position that considers the various points of view.

Change modes of discourse. In this approach, students’ assignments move from less complex to more complex modes of discourse (e.g., from expressive to analytic to argumentative; or from lab report to position paper to research article).

Change audiences. In this approach, students create drafts for different audiences, moving from personal to public (e.g., from self-reflection to an audience of peers to an audience of specialists). Each change would require different tasks and more extensive knowledge.

Change perspective through time. In this approach, students might write a statement of their understanding of a subject or issue at the beginning of a course and then return at the end of the semester to write an analysis of that original stance in the light of the experiences and knowledge gained in the course.

Use a natural sequence. A different approach to sequencing is to create a series of assignments culminating in a final writing project. In scientific and technical writing, for example, students could write a proposal requesting approval of a particular topic. The next assignment might be a progress report (or a series of progress reports), and the final assignment could be the report or document itself. For humanities and social science courses, students might write a proposal requesting approval of a particular topic, then hand in an annotated bibliography, and then a draft, and then the final version of the paper.

Have students submit sections. A variation of the previous approach is to have students submit various sections of their final document throughout the semester (e.g., their bibliography, review of the literature, methods section).

In addition to the standard essay and report formats, several other formats exist that might give students a different slant on the course material or allow them to use slightly different writing skills. Here are some suggestions:

Journals. Journals have become a popular format in recent years for courses that require some writing. In-class journal entries can spark discussions and reveal gaps in students’ understanding of the material. Having students write an in-class entry summarizing the material covered that day can aid the learning process and also reveal concepts that require more elaboration. Out-of-class entries involve short summaries or analyses of texts, or are a testing ground for ideas for student papers and reports. Although journals may seem to add a huge burden for instructors to correct, in fact many instructors either spot-check journals (looking at a few particular key entries) or grade them based on the number of entries completed. Journals are usually not graded for their prose style. STELLAR forums work well for out-of-class entries.

Letters. Students can define and defend a position on an issue in a letter written to someone in authority. They can also explain a concept or a process to someone in need of that particular information. They can write a letter to a friend explaining their concerns about an upcoming paper assignment or explaining their ideas for an upcoming paper assignment. If you wish to add a creative element to the writing assignment, you might have students adopt the persona of an important person discussed in your course (e.g., an historical figure) and write a letter explaining his/her actions, process, or theory to an interested person (e.g., “pretend that you are John Wilkes Booth and write a letter to the Congress justifying your assassination of Abraham Lincoln,” or “pretend you are Henry VIII writing to Thomas More explaining your break from the Catholic Church”).

Editorials . Students can define and defend a position on a controversial issue in the format of an editorial for the campus or local newspaper or for a national journal.

Cases . Students might create a case study particular to the course’s subject matter.

Position Papers . Students can define and defend a position, perhaps as a preliminary step in the creation of a formal research paper or essay.

Imitation of a Text . Students can create a new document “in the style of” a particular writer (e.g., “Create a government document the way Woody Allen might write it” or “Write your own ‘Modest Proposal’ about a modern issue”).

Instruction Manuals . Students write a step-by-step explanation of a process.

Dialogues . Students create a dialogue between two major figures studied in which they not only reveal those people’s theories or thoughts but also explore areas of possible disagreement (e.g., “Write a dialogue between Claude Monet and Jackson Pollock about the nature and uses of art”).

Collaborative projects . Students work together to create such works as reports, questions, and critiques.

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Course Design

Communicating assignment instructions.

Updated on August 29, 2024

Once you know what a particular assignment is assessing, you can focus on how to convey this information to your students. An assignment prompt can take many forms, including a narrative description, a checklist, and/or a rubric. 

Clear assignment instructions will help students understand the purpose of the assignment, the steps students will need to take to successfully complete it, and how the assignment will be graded. Lack of clarity in any of these components can lead to student confusion, which can result in them not knowing how to start, spending time on tasks that are not essential to the assignment, or a final product that does not meet your expectations and perhaps does not accurately represent their learning. Alternatively, when the assignment instructions are written with transparency and clarity in mind, students know what they are supposed to be learning and can better engage in intentional practice, study, and reflection that supports deep learning. This page draws on research into transparent assignment design to surface strategies for more clearly communicating assignment expectations. 

Just as the process of determining assignment-level learning goals is iterative, you may find yourself revising your assignment instructions every time you reuse them. When designing a new assignment, you may need to be a bit vaguer than you would like, since you still need to figure out exactly what you’re looking for. Some instructors find it helpful to create an internal fleshed out rubric they can use as they grade, and a briefer version of the assignment expectations for their students. Over time, as you have a better sense of how students perform on the assignment and what your expectations are, you can work towards having just one rubric that is both shared with students and used by you when you sit down to grade the final product.

Transparent Assignment Design

The research generated by the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) project has shown that increasing transparency of assignments can improve student learning, motivation, and persistence, particularly among traditionally underrepresented populations ( Winkelmes et al 2016 ). Below are questions to reflect on as you design an assignment and consider how to convey this information to your students.

What is the purpose of the assignment?

Students may not immediately understand how an assignment connects to the content they have been studying or the learning goals of the course. Or, they may know the content an assignment is assessing but not how they are expected to engage with that content. 

For example, if a student is learning new formulas, knowing whether they need to memorize the formulas, identify which formula to use in which situation, and/or explain when each formula should be used and its limitations will change how they study the material. Or, if you ask students to write an essay, you may want to clarify the kinds of evidence they should incorporate, including whether or not connecting course content to personal experiences is appropriate.

Questions about assignment purpose:

• In what way(s) do you want students to engage with the course content? Consider the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy to help you answer this question.
• How is this assignment relevant to the larger goals of the course? Of the curriculum? Of your students? How can you motivate students by helping them recognize the alignment between the assignment and the relevant goals?

When deciding whether or not the purpose of the assignment is transparent, it is important to consider the title of the assignment, which can help convey what you are looking for. Calling an assignment a “book review” may prompt your students to provide a summary of a text, while calling it a “reading response” could encourage students to draw connections between a text and their own lives. Take a moment to check that the title of your assignment accurately communicates your expectations.

 What is the task the assignment demands of students?

Students may find it difficult to “unpack” an assignment into smaller components or know how to get started and the key steps towards completing an assignment successfully. Rather than just telling students to study for an exam or write a paper, a breakdown of the tasks can benefit even the students in an upper level course. The questions below ask you to unpack your assignment and use that information to help you discover potential challenging parts of an assignment and, therefore, moments when students might need some guidance  in order to do the work you most want them to engage through the assignment. 

Unpacking the task of the assignment gives you an opportunity to plan for students to have opportunities to practice and receive feedback on the task before they will have to do it in a high-stakes environment, like an exam or major paper. Having the assignment’s purpose in mind when articulating the task also gives you another chance to check for alignment. Do the tasks you are assigning to students correspond with the assignment’s purpose? 

Questions about the task of the assignment:

• What are the steps you imagine most students would need to take in order to complete the assignment?
• What steps are they likely to skip? What unnecessary detours might they take?
• What elements of the task are important for students to figure out for themselves? Where would students’ benefit from explicit guidance (e.g. so they don’t waste their time/energy on less essential components)?
• How will you scaffold the assignment, or break down the assignment into smaller component parts, to give students opportunities to practice necessary skills before submitting the assignment? (More information on scaffolding is available on our Providing Opportunities to Practice  page.)

What criteria will you use to evaluate the assignment?

The same assignment can be graded in numerous ways. Thus, explicitly telling students how they will be evaluated will clarify your expectations and impact how they prepare and what they submit. Students find it most helpful to know these criteria as they are getting started, and they will better understand them if they can practice assessing an example assignment. Sometimes, seeing a less proficient example of an assignment can clarify what not to do, especially if there are common pitfalls you want students to avoid.

For example, when grading a word problem, how much weight will you give to having a correct answer and how much to students showing the steps they took to get that answer? How much will you take off for a minor miscalculation? When grading an essay, what components will you be looking at more closely? How important are correct grammar and citation style?

Questions about evaluation criteria

• What evidence will you be looking for as you evaluate whether a student has successfully met the criteria?
• How will you communicate those criteria to students (a checklist, a rubric)?
• Will students be able to use those criteria to help them self-assess how well they’re meeting the assignment expectations? Could you build in opportunities for students to apply the criteria by providing feedback to their peers?
• Can you provide students with examples of good work, or examples of what not to do?

For more resources related to Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT), see the TILT Website . Here is an assignment template you are welcome to adapt for your own purposes and a checklist for designing transparent assignments if it is useful to you.

Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that they will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply —use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove their point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, they still have to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and they already know everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality they expect.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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CH 7 Assignment: Instructions

Your task is to write a set of instructions related to your major/discipline or career. Please choose something at which you are an expert (or nearly one) and something that most people would not know how to do. Consider your audience to be intelligent but likely unfamiliar with the process.

The main purpose of this assignment is to give you practice in writing instructions, one of the most common types of workplace technical writing. Whether working with office staff, technicians, managers, or executives, technical communicators are frequently called upon to write instructions, such as specific office procedures, training manuals, and safety protocols.

Feel free to look at the sample sets of instructions in this textbook as well as ones found online to help you pick a format and structure—but, of course, your instructions must be your own.

An important aspect of instructional writing is the use of graphics and design: good instructions contain visuals and are designed to be easy to read and understand. Therefore, another important aspect of this assignment is to improve your skills in the use of visuals in technical documents.

*NOTE: Visuals should work to illustrate the writing rather than replacing it; in other words, don’t instruct the reader to complete the step in Figure 1 without also explaining the step in writing.

Your instructions should include both of the following:

• A brief reflective memo :
• Briefly summarize your process of developing and researching your instructions.
• Briefly summarize your audience and purpose .
• Discuss how you assessed your audience’s needs before writing your instructions. What did they already know? What did you have to explain and why?
• Describe your formatting and visuals choices.
• A complete set of printed instructions, including:
• A clear introduction
• Caution, warning, safety notices
• Clear formatting with steps, sections, and subheadings
• Visuals where appropriate (*be sure to properly cite your visuals)
• A conclusion

Technical Writing at LBCC Copyright © 2020 by Will Fleming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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4 Tips for Writing Good Online Assignment Instructions

Audrey Wick is an English professor at Blinn College in central Texas.

Instructors in higher education classrooms want students to rise to their expectations. They also want students to be academically successful because effective completion of a college course is a win-win for both the student and the instructor.

To help students meet the challenges of their college-level assignments, instructors should take care to craft assignment instructions that are clear, concise, and attainable. As you get started, here’s what to consider:

Itemize the Minimum Assignment Requirements

There are many approaches to writing assignments, but don’t bury information. Front the most important requirements, especially those that are minimum standards for an assignment to be accepted. For instance, in a writing assignment, instructors may want to specify requirements, for example:

• 500 words minimum
• At least 2 sources
• Modern Language Association (MLA) style
• Due to digital dropbox in Blackboard by Thursday, September 24 at 5:00 p.m. (ET)

For an exam, instructors may include things like:

• 50 multiple-choice questions
• 60-minute time limit
• Closed-note/closed-book exam
• Proctored through Honorlock in the eCampus digital classroom
• Deadline = Wednesday, September 30 by 7:00 p.m. (ET)

Avoid acronyms, confusing abbreviations or other ambiguous information in directions. Identifying exact hourly deadlines and avoiding confusion of midnight versus midday 12:00 p.m. noon references may be necessary, especially if students are enrolled in the class from various time zones.

Do Not Overwhelm Students with “Don’ts”

It may be tempting to list items students should avoid—whether topic choices or style considerations or instructional pet peeves—in assignment directions. But listing too many “don’ts” can strike a note of discord with students who may otherwise be eager to please.

Try to find a balance of including what you want students to do, as well as what you want them to avoid, on the assignment directions. You can always direct them to other locations for more information to augment the directions, such as a list of policies on the course syllabus, examples students can use as models or even a rubric for grading to help students manage instructional expectations.

End with Positivity

Show students you’re rooting for their success . Adding a cheerful or encouraging message to the end of the assignment directions will remind students you want them to be successful. And, isn’t it always nice to see reassuring words? A few examples:

• “I look forward to seeing your projects!”
• “Have fun with this assignment—and be creative.”
• “This reflection essay is going to be a great way to end the week!”
• “Good luck as you work on this.”

Students, especially those first-semester college students and those returning after a hiatus, often appreciate that extra bit of encouragement.

Consider Additional Accessibility Concerns

If your institution has certain requirements for your student population related to online standards or digital accessibility, be sure to take those into account before publishing online assignment instructions.

Font styles, color choices and text effects (like bolding, underlining, CAPS, etc.) as well as the use of images and multimedia files can be problematic for some screen readers .

Additionally, certain adjustments may need to be made for compliance in the case of students who have special accommodations for the class. Be sure to visit with leadership and staff members at your institution if this is the case for you.

For more strategies for creating an effective online course, download our free ebook .

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Baruch College Writing Center

Understanding Assignment Instructions

This guide focuses on a key first step in any writing you’ll do for school: making sure you understand your professor’s assignment before you get started.

Read to determine the goal of an assignment

Focus on your professor’s verbs, understand the assignment’s goals.

Read the assignment prompt and try your best to answer the following questions. You can take notes on the assignment sheet itself, or start a new brainstorming document where you’ll being planning your essay.

• What is the main task of this assignment?
• Does the professor provide any background, definitions, or context for the assignment? If so, what?
• What verbs does the professor use?
• Are there specifications about which texts can be used?
• Are there specifications about organization, structure, or sequencing of information/paragraphs?
• Are there mechanics directives? (page length, font, etc.)
• When is this assignment due?
• What is this professor’s goal in giving this assignment? What are the specific skills this professor is valuing/asking students to demonstrate? What do they want to find out?

When you first read an assignment, highlight the verbs—this is what your professor is asking you to do.

“Summarize”

When a professor asks you to summarize , they are asking you to provide a brief, condensed explanation of a text’s main ideas, usually in order to answer a ‘what’ question (what is the plot of The Great Gatsby? ). Summary is often not an end in and of itself, but a necessary step and precursor to argument (though not always explicitly stated as such in prompts.)

Try to present the ideas of a reading in a condensed form, providing your reader only with information that will be necessary to understand your argument.

“Analyze”

When a professor asks you to analyze , they are asking you to break down the text or issue that you are examining into parts, usually in order to answer a ‘how’ or ‘why’ question about these specific parts (why does Fitzgerald use images of time so frequently in The Great Gatsby? )

Pay close attention to noticeable, intriguing, or puzzling patterns in the text. Select and summarize a pattern that seems significant, and pose ‘how’ or ‘why’ questions about it, which you will go on to answer in the form of an argument.

“Argue”

When a professor asks you to argue , they are asking you to take a stance on a certain issue and to explain why this is your stance (often in the form of a thesis.) Unless explicitly stated otherwise, most assignments are asking you to construct some form of argument, after having considered a text/issue/point of view.

Read, summarize, and analyze the issue. Take a stance and write a claim that explains your stance, the significance of your stance, and answers a how/why question. Back up this claim with the analysis of evidence.

“Compare”

When a professor asks you to compare/contrast , they are asking you to identify the significant similarities, and/or differences, between two items/texts.

Choose a theme to focus on and make a list of appearances of that theme in two texts. Circle similarities in both lists (or alternatively, differences.) Decide which similarities are significant/most interesting to you, and develop a thesis to explain this significance. Support this thesis with the presentation and analysis of evidence from each text.

“Describe”

When a professor asks you to describe , they are asking you to provide a detailed explanation about how/why something happened.

“Explain”

When a professor asks you to explain , they are asking you to clarify a topic by giving a detailed account of how and/or why it occurs.

After you’ve identified the key instructions in your assignment, reflect on the assignment goals. Once you understand what your professor wants you to demonstrate that you’ve learned, you’ll be ready to get to work.

Sometimes, your instructor will include these goals explicitly, but more often, you’ll need to understand what’s implied. For each example, we’ll share example instructional language and the implied assignment goals.

Draw on prior knowledge

Drawing on ideas in Steven Pinker’s How the Mind Works , examine how our mind and mental abilities have evolved.

Based on our readings, class lectures, and discussions on B.F. Skinner, how would you explain . . .

Implied assignment goals:

These instructions help you find a context for your writing. They draw on your prior knowledge from the course, and ask you to demonstrate knowledge of the key concepts you’ve learned.

Though you’re responding to other sources, you will likely still need to make your own argument/thesis!

Develop your original argument or thesis

In your paper, you should be engaged in original analysis, rather than a summary of our class discussions.

I am interested in seeing you think on the page.

Propose an original hypothesis in the area of psychology

While your essay can build on arguments by other authors, it should ultimately diverge in some way from what others have said. Your professor values how you think about the subject and what new ideas you bring to the discussion.

Support your argument with specific, focused examples

In the film Citizen Kane , analyze how settings, sound, framing, camera angles, and other technical devices emphasize Kane’s isolation. Your project will address racism and its legacy in the U.S. You may want to consider economic implications, social or psychological implications, political implications etc.

The professor’s list includes some , but not all, of the possibilities for your writing. With “other technical devices,” she would ideally like you to brainstorm other areas not mentioned here, and then narrow your focus from among the choices. As you write, focus on how questions rather than what .

Form connections between key terms

Make sure to define any key terms/concepts you introduce from Pinker’s text, before making your case.

You might begin by coming up with a definition of adulthood based on Critical Reading Question 2 on pg. 198.

Your professor will look for your ability to connect key terms to the larger discussion that will follow in your paper, in addition to clarifying relevant definitions.

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• Implementing Writing in Your Course

How to Design Successful Writing Assignments

As writing instructors ourselves, we are all too familiar with the many difficulties that come with assigning writing. It’s difficult to create meaningful assignments that help students learn what you want them to learn. And despite all the labor we put into it, students can still express frustration and confusion over writing assignments. It is tempting to ask, “Why bother?”

However, while thoughtful writing instruction tied to learning outcomes takes time to implement, that initial effort can lead to a huge time savings over the long run. Some writing you do not even need to grade! Once you know some of the key components of writing assignment design, you will be able to create a collection of high-value teaching materials that you can adapt for years to come. Also, your students will learn more, and will be better equipped to handle complexity. With regular writing practice and targeted feedback, over time they will become more authoritative participants and contributors in your field.

Designing successful writing assignments involves some or all of the following six strategies:

• Explicitly State Assignment Goals
• Tie Assignment Goals to Course Goals
• Create Antiracist Writing Assignments
• Offer Clear Instructions for Completion
• Clarify Expectations About Genre, Audience, and Formatting
• Provide Examples of the Kinds of Writing You Assign
• Asses Your Own Work

1. Explicitly State Assignment Goals

Are students “writing to learn” key course concepts from course materials or “learning to write” a new and specific form of communication in the class, such as a lab report or business memo? Or do you want your assignment to do some of both? Try to be as specific as possible when thinking about the assignment’s purpose. We encourage you to even jot down some of your desired outcomes. Being detailed about what you want students to gain from completing the assignment will help you create clear instructions for the assignment.

The example below is a strong example of a “writing to learn” assignment. In this assignment the instructor uses words such as "read," “explore,” “shape,” and “reflect” to clearly indicate that the act of composing in this assignment is more about attaining knowledge than it is about the creation of a final product. 

From a prompt for a personal narrative in a science writing course: 

All scientists have intellectual, cultural, and linguistic histories. For the sake of “neutrality” and “objectivity,” apprentices are often trained to separate themselves from these histories, especially when it comes to conducting and communicating research. This assignment asks you to read examples of scientists’ memoirs in various genres and then you will compose your own narrative in the mode of your choice, exploring how your identities, investments, and intellectual interests have shaped your science training and your trajectory as a scientist. This assignment serves as a form of reflection, orientation to/within a scientific field, and even as a professional credential (if desirable).

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2. Tie Assignment Goals to Course Goals

While you know why you are assigning a particular writing assignment, your students may not. Being clear about how completing the writing assignment will help your students learn can help create expectations and motivation for students. Without a clear understanding of how a writing assignment will help them learn, students may feel that they are being assigned useless "busywork."

Example 1 :

The example below is drawn from the final paper assignment for a course called “Imagining and Dreaming: Indigenous Futures,” taught by Lydia Heberling. In this assignment, the instructor not only clearly shows students how the assignment aligns with the course content, but it also reminds students how the third section of the course builds upon content learned in earlier units.

Throughout the quarter we have examined various writing practices that affirm the ongoing existence of American Indian peoples in spite of settler colonial attempts to remove, erase, and eradicate them. In our first sequence, we reflected on the relationship between place and identity and learned from Momaday that the land possesses stories from the past that can be accessed through interaction with and memories of those places.

In our second sequence, we examined a contemporary activist moment to deepen our understanding of the ongoing relational formations between Indigenous peoples and how those relations revitalize cultures from the brink of extinction. In learning about how various tribes worked together to protect a valuable natural resource by employing media and storytelling practices to garner support and attention, we learned that regardless of the outcome, activist moments like Standing Rock demonstrate a strong trans-Indigenous community that continues to survive in spite of ongoing settler colonial tactics of dispossession and erasure.

In this third, and last sequence, we are focusing on imagining, or dreaming about, vibrant Indigenous futures. Athabascan poet and scholar (and UW professor) Dian Million defines dreaming the following way [. . .]

Your task i n this next assignment is to return to the place you described in Paper 1, imagine what that place looks like 100 years from now. . .

Example 2 :

Here’s a second example of a writing assignment, created by Jen Malone for a course on writing in environmental science, which clearly demonstrates to students how the writing assignment both builds on previous course content and how it will help students cultivate research skills that they will be able to use in future writing assignments.

Thus far in this class, we’ve written an Op-Ed about ecotourism, and we will be moving into writing a short research paper on the topic of your choice later on in the quarter. But first, we’re going to do something a bit different.

Learning to research well is largely about practice—both in terms of growing accustomed to search engines (particularly scholarly ones) and library databases, and in terms of learning to plug different versions of your research terms into these search engines/databases until you find useful sources. Using research well is largely about figuring out how to analyze your sources--particularly in combination with one another, as a body of research. In order to practice both of these skills (which will totally help us to prepare for Paper #3, later on in the quarter), for Paper #2 we will. . .

3. Create Antiracist Writing Assignments

Antiracist writing instruction is usually discussed in relation to assessment, but it should be considered earlier than that, during assignment creation (just as it should be considered as key elements of curriculum and class culture). Antiracist writing assignment design can be pursued in two ways: through the subject matter, or content, of the writing assignments; and through your values around language use. Some brief suggestions for each follow.

Promoting antiracist subject matter in writing assignments:

Take a step back and discuss knowledge frameworks in your course and in your field. Every discipline has knowledge traditions and methods that can be problematic. How did these traditions come to be? Who do they serve, and who do they harm?

Avoid reductionist binaries when discussing complex questions. For example, framing a question like "What are the pros and cons of conducting medical research without subjects' knowledge or consent?" may lead students to consider both sides as having equal moral weight. A more specific (so a particular context can be considered) and open-ended (so students are not led to one or the other answer) question might work better. For example, "What are some of the ethical considerations of conducting flu vaccine clinical trials without participants' consent?"

Give students opportunities to explore their own identities in relation to the course content. Drawing personal connections not only helps foster deeper learning, but it can also cultivate a student’s sense of belonging in the field. It may also help you see how your field might serve some but not others. 

Encourage students to engage academic and non-academic source material. Have discussions about what “counts” as authoritative information in your field, and why.

Promoting linguistic justice in writing assignments: 

As this site from Wesleyan College recommends, “Centralize rhetorical situations and writing contexts rather than language standards in your writing classroom.” If you show that all language use (content, structure, syntax, vocabulary, style) is based on authorial choices made in particular contexts and for particular audiences, then you can help bust the myth of the universal standard of “academic English.”

Encourage students to use their own linguistic traditions whenever possible. For example, let students freewrite in a native language or dialect. Encourage them to draw connections between their own language backgrounds and the disciplinary discourse you are teaching. This is called translanguaging, and it can be a powerful tool for learning.

Avoid penalizing language use. If there is a certain style or vocabulary you want students to use, be explicit about why discourse is used that way, and how it conveys discipline-specific knowledge.

Further reading: 10 Ways to Tackle Linguistic Bias in Our Classrooms (Inside HigherEd)

4. Offer Clear Instructions for Completion

Investigative or writing techniques that seem obvious to you—such as making an argument, analyzing, evaluating—might mean something different to students from outside your specific discipline. Being clear about what you mean when you use certain terms can help students navigate an assignment more successfully. While it might feel clunky or obvious, including this information in an assignment will help steer your students in the right direction and minimize miscommunication.

In the following excerpt from a prompt for a writing-in-history course taught by Sumyat Thu, the instructor asks students to use research in their papers, and then clearly describes, and supports with examples from the class and library resources, what counts as appropriate source material.

This essay is based on research. Students are expected to use primary sources and secondary works in developing their essays. We do not frown on the use of on-line resources ; indeed, some very good reference works ( identified on the history librarian Ms. Mudrock's research guide) are available as on-line books, and the library has e-book versions of Paul Spickard's  Almost All Aliens . Nonetheless, we strongly urge students to utilize the very rich materials available in the UW Libraries, particularly scholarly books and articles. The UW Libraries' on-line catalog can be explored with keyword searches, and such indexes as America: History and Life (again, see Ms. Mudrock’s website) are very helpful as well.

In this second example, again by Jen Malone, we see how the instructor not only indicates what chronological steps students must take to complete the assignment, but also how she includes thorough and clear instructions for how students can complete each step.

So, the first step you’ll need to take will be to choose a topic . You may wish to choose the same topic you’ll be using for your research paper in ENVIR 100 (if you’ve chosen that option—if so, please follow any instructions they’ve given you for choosing a topic for that), or something related to environmental science that simply interests you, or a topic from the following list of suggestions:

• GMOs (particularly with regards to the ecosystem and/or biodiversity),
• The environmental impact of meat production
• Bees and Colony Collapse Disorder

The second step you’ll need to take will be to do the research —you’ll need to find some sources (via library search engines, Google scholar, etc.). Keep some notes or a log of this process, since you’ll have to talk about how this went for you in your final report. Then you’ll need to read/skim the sources you’ve selected, and then you’ll need to create an annotated bibliography in which you list and briefly summarize those sources. An annotated bibliography is a particularly handy step when performing research, or when writing a paper that involves research. Basically, it is a list of the sources you intend to use for your paper (like a Works Cited page, you may use either MLA or APA format), but with the addition of a substantial paragraph (or two, if you wish) beneath each entry in which you summarize, and often evaluate, the source. This will help you to consider the sources you find as a body of research, and this makes using sources easier because you’ll have these initial notes handy as you write your report.

After you find and skim through your sources, the third step you’ll need to take will be to write the report .

• In the first section of the report, you’ll want to talk about your research process (What was this like? What was easy for you and what was difficult? What did you learn? What search terms did you use? How did those terms change?).
• In the second section of the report, you’ll want to talk about the body of research as a whole (How would you describe the issues/terms/debates surrounding the topic? What did you find? What do these sources indicate—both in terms of conclusions drawn and questions raised? How do these sources fit together and/or differ? What did you find most interesting?)
• In the third section of the report, you’ll want to take a moment to consider how this body of research fits it with what you’re learning in ENVIR 100 and where you might take the topic in a future paper (How do you see what you found regarding this topic as relating to what has been discussed in class thus far? What are the stakes of this topic and for whom? What aspects of this topic do we seem to know little about? What are the questions you still have about this topic? And, finally, now that you’ve read through this body of research, if you were going to write a paper on this topic, what might your basic argument be?). We’ll discuss this all in more detail next week, after you’ve compiled your sources.

Note: the second example may be a lot longer of a writing prompt than many of us are used to. This is not a bad thing. In fact, students tend to really appreciate such clear instruction and it reduces the amount of time you will spend clarifying confusion about what is expected. Also, instructions like these can be easily re-purposed for other, similar assignments in the future so you will not have to reinvent the wheel each time.

5. Clarify Expectations About Genre, Audience, and Formatting

Students will approach your writing assignment with varying knowledge and experience. Unless you have already instructed students explicitly in class about the knowledge and skills needed to complete a writing assignment, you cannot assume that students will already possess that knowledge. While clear, explicit prompts are essential, we also strongly urge you to discuss in class the genre you are assigning as well. Offer examples, both from professionals in the field, and from former students. The more exposure students have to the kinds of writing you want to see, the the more inclusive and accessible your assignments will be. We know of a history TA who said that one of her students, an engineering major, wasn't clear on the nature of a historiography, so he turned in his paper formatted like a technical report! This is an understandable mistake for a student to make, and providing examples can prevent mistakes like this from happening in your own classroom.

Below are two examples of how instructors communicate their expectations about genre, audience, and formatting to students. The first example is less helpful for students because it leaves key parts of the instructor’s expectations vague. (What is the writing assignment’s audience? What citation style does the instructor prefer? Is the works cited page part of the assignment or not?) The second example provides more detail for students.

Example 1: Paper must be 4-5 pages double spaced and must include a works cited page.

Example 2 : T he business memo should be fo rmatted according to the parameters we have discussed: no more than two pages long , typed, single-spaced with one space between paragraphs , with standard margins, in Times New Roman font (12 point), written for an audience of industry professionals.

6. Provide Examples of the Kinds of Writing You Assign

Studies have shown that examples can be a powerful learning tool in writing instruction. We recommend that instructors distribute examples of both successful and unsuccessful student writing to their students and explain why the examples are successful or unsuccessful.

Ask students who have submitted successful assignments if you can borrow their work as examples for future classes. Be sure to remove students’ identifying information from the assignments before they are given to future students.

If you do not have examples of unsuccessful writing (remember, sharing even anonymized student writing without the author's consent would be unethical), you can alternatively create a list of common pitfalls and mistakes to avoid when completing the writing assignment. Distribute the list to your students. Be sure to ground these pitfalls in terms of higher order issues specific to this genre, rather than just distributing a one-size-fits-all personal list of writing pet peeves.

Ask students which examples help them learn the genre, and which do not. Over time your students will help you curate a really great collection of samples.

Create occasional reading assignments where you ask students to find and analyze examples of writing by professionals in the field. What makes them effective or ineffective examples of the genre? What are some of the text's defining characteristics? These kinds of analyses can really help students improve their own writing.

7. Assess Your Own Work

Assessment is not just for student writing: it’s also important to assess the efficacy of the assignments you create. If student work is disappointing or students have struggled with an assignment, it most likely a result of ineffective assignment design. Please remember: everyone , even seasoned writing instructors, has assignments that do not go well initially. That is normal and ok!

We recommend that you engage in self-reflection as to why your assignment did not turn out well, and make tweaks to the assignment and/or grading criteria as needed. Here are some questions to ask yourself to reflect on your writing assignments.

Did many students turn in work which did not meet your expectations? In what specific ways did they fall short?

Did many students struggle with the assignment or a particular piece of the assignment? Where, exactly, did they struggle and how do you know?

Were many students surprised or dissatisfied by their grades on the assignment? Why do you think this happened?

Strategies for understanding what went wrong

Ask your students, either in class, on Canvas, or in a survey like a Google Form, to debrief the assignment. What was easy for them about the assignment? What did they learn from it? What was challenging? What was unclear?

Take writing assignments to writing centers such as OWRC or CLUE to get student feedback on updated or streamlined assignments. Student writing tutors can be a great resource-- they've seen hundreds of writing assignments!

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Writing Tips 101: Understanding Assignment Instructions

October 31st, 2017 by Kellie Nappa

As the Student Writing Specialist for JWU Online, professors often tell me that their students struggle with understanding assignment instructions.

Here’s how to tackle the sometimes frustrating process of following complex or lengthy directions.

1. Read all assignment instructions carefully as soon as you receive them.

This will save you time and stress later on! If there is something you do not understand, be sure to reach out to your instructor as soon as you are able, as this is when their feedback will be most useful.

2. Circle or highlight all portions of the assignment that you absolutely must know in advance.

This includes due dates, length, source requirements, and formatting (APA, MLA, font type, etc.).

3. Be sure to highlight key vocabulary in both the overview and the actual task.

This includes these directives: argue, criticize, define, evaluate, reflect on, compare and contrast, and summarize. The five “reporter’s questions” (how, what, when, where, and why) will help guide your attention to specific information and tell you what kind of tasks/s your instructor expects you to perform.

4. Be sure to also note all other course-specific terms.

If you are unsure of their meaning, check them against a reliable dictionary. Course-specific terms might include “corporate culture,” “autocratic behaviors,” and “mixed-methods study.”

5. Think about how you will address the assignment.

Look closely at your instructor’s comments about writing expectations (i.e., “be concise,” “write effectively,” or “argue furiously”). Remember that instructions always contain clues as to how you should approach them; these clues may appear in questions, bulleted information, or in the wording of the prompt itself. Think about every idea and number them – that way, you will be sure to address each.

A good rule of thumb for starting out (i.e., during the drafting process): Restate the question being asked, or begin your introduction with, “The purpose of this research study is to…”

Once you have begun, keep the following questions in mind. What is the purpose of this assignment? Why did my instructor ask me to perform this particular task? (To provide information? To construct an original argument based on current research? To form a counterargument to the research?) Who is my audience? What are their needs and expectations? What resources do I need? How many sources are required? What kind of writing style is acceptable?

I hope these guidelines will serve you well when it comes time to address your next assignment!

For even more tips and strategies, please visit my Student Writing Support website .

To learn more about the Johnson & Wales University College of Online Education and how one of our degree programs can help further your career, complete the “Request Info” form on this page or call 855-JWU-1881 or email [email protected] .

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Writing Across the Curriculum

Sample assignments.

This page provides two downloadable documents: a set of Low Stakes writing assignments, and guidelines for High Stakes writing assignments. The documents are available in .docx copies to allow for revision and customization. You’re welcome to take what you need, please keep the Augsburg logo intact (other downloadable logos are available here ).

Click HERE to download a full set of sample Low Stakes assignment prompts.

Click HERE to download a set of sample High Stakes assignment guidelines.

You can learn more about the benefits of differentiating between low and high stakes assignments in Peter Elbow’s (1997) essay, “High stakes and low stakes in assigning and responding to writing” from Writing to Learn: Strategies for Assigning and Responding to Writing across the Discipline: New Directions for Teaching and Learning.

LOW STAKES WRITING

 low stakes writing is:.

• Free writing in response to a simple prompt
• A simple, informal way to integrate writing in the classroom
• “Low effort, high impact”
• Easy to incorporate at the beginning or end of class
• Low-stress, and typically involves little to no grading

Low stakes writing helps:

• Describe, apply, and retain information
• Explore and personalize ideas
• Focus thoughts and questions
• Demonstrate the value of writing as a part of the learning process
• Informally engage each student in the classroom
• Improve high-stakes writing
• Efficiently assess student learning

A brief sample of low stakes prompts:

• What do you already know about this topic that can guide your learning?
• What have you learned from similar assignments that can help you succeed on this one?
• Summarize today’s lecture in one sentence.
• What do you feel like you learned today, and what lingering question do you have?
• Write an email to a friend who has been absent for a week and explain what they’ve missed. Aim to be comprehensive rather than writing a list.

HIGH STAKES WRITING

High stakes writing assignments:.

• Correspond to writing conventions in the discipline/genre
• Are typically formal and academic in style
• Develop over time through drafting and sequencing/scaffolding
• Require conducting effective research
• Depend on effective, close reading
• Synthesize complex information
• Are more sophisticated in thought and prose

Basic Guidelines

• Regard writing as a process rather than a product
• Clearly connect the assignment to course learning objectives
• Provide students with a clear assignment prompt detailing expectations
• Provide students with a rationale for those expectations
• Articulate the audience for the writer (Experts? A publication? You?)
• Use assignment sequencing/scaffolding (suggestions below and here )
• Include opportunities for feedback and related revision
• Provide effective feedback on drafts (suggestions here and here )
• Review suggested rubric options here
• Weight the assignment accordingly, usually assigning significant value in the overall course grading system
• Assign value (i.e. a grade or other form of credit) to reading assignments

High stakes writing helps to:

• Familiarize students with disciplinarity and writing in a genre
• Describe, apply, and retain complex disciplinary information
• Develop more advanced writing, thinking, learning, and process skills
• Develop self-assessment and revision skills
• Focus on developing depth rather than breadth
• Improve higher order learning/thinking
• Thoroughly assess student learning and content mastery
• Teach students to handle competing information and develop thesis
• Make use of in-class peer review activities to help crowd-source feedback
• Provide examples of previous work from students (with their permission) along with the original assignment description
• Focus on minimal comments in the margins and identify 1-3 strategies for improvement at the end of a draft
• Identify common strengths/weaknesses of the class and discuss those with the class as a whole
• Identify successful examples of student work in class for discussion
• Cover common mistakes in the original assignment description or when discussing the assignment, use low-stakes writing to reiterate the points
• If you don’t have time to teach a writing topic, such as citation style, link students to effective guides

Key high stakes writing resources:

• These writing guides are written for a student audience, they overview conventions of writing and conducting research in various academic disciplines across both the Sciences and Humanities.
• Search topically through hundreds of undergraduate and graduate courses by discipline or topic and access course syllabi, readings, and assignment documents.
• This webpage provides guides to some of the best online resources for helping instructors incorporate writing curriculum into their classrooms. Links address topics such as developing learning objectives, designing assignments, approaches to assessment, writing instruction handouts, and tutorials on references and citation.

Click HERE to download a more detailed set of sample High Stakes assignment guidelines.

Designing Writing Assignments

Designing Writing Assignments designing-assignments

As you think about creating writing assignments, use these five principles:

• Tie the writing task to specific pedagogical goals.
• Note rhetorical aspects of the task, i.e., audience, purpose, writing situation.
• Make all elements of the task clear.
• Include grading criteria on the assignment sheet.
• Break down the task into manageable steps.

You'll find discussions of these principles in the following sections of this guide.

Writing Should Meet Teaching Goals

Working backwards from goals, guidelines for writing assignments, resource: checksheets, resources: sample assignments.

• Citation Information

To guarantee that writing tasks tie directly to the teaching goals for your class, ask yourself questions such as the following:

• What specific course objectives will the writing assignment meet?
• Will informal or formal writing better meet my teaching goals?
• Will students be writing to learn course material, to master writing conventions in this discipline, or both?
• Does the assignment make sense?

Although it might seem awkward at first, working backwards from what you hope the final papers will look like often produces the best assignment sheets. We recommend jotting down several points that will help you with this step in writing your assignments:

• Why should students write in your class? State your goals for the final product as clearly and concretely as possible.
• Determine what writing products will meet these goals and fit your teaching style/preferences.
• Note specific skills that will contribute to the final product.
• Sequence activities (reading, researching, writing) to build toward the final product.

Successful writing assignments depend on preparation, careful and thorough instructions, and on explicit criteria for evaluation. Although your experience with a given assignment will suggest ways of improving a specific paper in your class, the following guidelines should help you anticipate many potential problems and considerably reduce your grading time.

• Explain the purpose of the writing assignment.
• Make the format of the writing assignment fit the purpose (format: research paper, position paper, brief or abstract, lab report, problem-solving paper, etc.).

II. The assignment

• Provide complete written instructions.
• Provide format models where possible.
• Discuss sample strong, average, and weak papers.

III. Revision of written drafts

Where appropriate, peer group workshops on rough drafts of papers may improve the overall quality of papers. For example, have students critique each others' papers one week before the due date for format, organization, or mechanics. For these workshops, outline specific and limited tasks on a checksheet. These workshops also give you an opportunity to make sure that all the students are progressing satisfactorily on the project.

IV. Evaluation

On a grading sheet, indicate the percentage of the grade devoted to content and the percentage devoted to writing skills (expression, punctuation, spelling, mechanics). The grading sheet should indicate the important content features as well as the writing skills you consider significant.

Visitors to this site are welcome to download and print these guidelines

Checksheet 1: (thanks to Kate Kiefer and Donna Lecourt)

• written out the assignment so that students can take away a copy of the precise task?
• made clear which course goals this writing task helps students meet?
• specified the audience and purpose of the assignment?
• outlined clearly all required sub-parts of the assignment (if any)?
• included my grading criteria on the assignment sheet?
• pointed students toward appropriate prewriting activities or sources of information?
• specified the format of the final paper (including documentation, headings or sections, page layout)?
• given students models or appropriate samples?
• set a schedule that will encourage students to review each other's drafts and revise their papers?

Checksheet 2: (thanks to Jean Wyrick)

• Is the assignment written clearly on the board or on a handout?
• Do the instructions explain the purpose(s) of the assignment?
• Does the assignment fit the purpose?
• Is the assignment stated in precise language that cannot be misunderstood?
• If choices are possible, are these options clearly marked?
• Are there instructions for the appropriate format? (examples: length? typed? cover sheet? type of paper?)
• Are there any special instructions, such as use of a particular citation format or kinds of headings? If so, are these clearly stated?
• Is the due date clearly visible? (Are late assignments accepted? If so, any penalty?)
• Are any potential problems anticipated and explained?
• Are the grading criteria spelled out as specifically as possible? How much does content count? Organization? Writing skills? One grade or separate grades on form and content? Etc.
• Does the grading criteria section specifically indicate which writing skills the teacher considers important as well as the various aspects of content?
• What part of the course grade is this assignment?
• Does the assignment include use of models (strong, average, weak) or samples outlines?

Sample Full-Semester Assignment from Ag Econ 4XX

Good analytical writing is a rigorous and difficult task. It involves a process of editing and rewriting, and it is common to do a half dozen or more drafts. Because of the difficulty of analytical writing and the need for drafting, we will be completing the assignment in four stages. A draft of each of the sections described below is due when we finish the class unit related to that topic (see due dates on syllabus). I will read the drafts of each section and provide comments; these drafts will not be graded but failure to pass in a complete version of a section will result in a deduction in your final paper grade. Because of the time both you and I are investing in the project, it will constitute one-half of your semester grade.

Content, Concepts and Substance

Papers will focus on the peoples and policies related to population, food, and the environment of your chosen country. As well as exploring each of these subsets, papers need to highlight the interrelations among them. These interrelations should form part of your revision focus for the final draft. Important concepts relevant to the papers will be covered in class; therefore, your research should be focused on the collection of information on your chosen country or region to substantiate your themes. Specifically, the paper needs to address the following questions.

• Population - Developing countries have undergone large changes in population. Explain the dynamic nature of this continuing change in your country or region and the forces underlying the changes. Better papers will go beyond description and analyze the situation at hand. That is, go behind the numbers to explain what is happening in your country with respect to the underlying population dynamics: structure of growth, population momentum, rural/urban migration, age structure of population, unanticipated populations shocks, etc. DUE: WEEK 4.
• Food - What is the nature of food consumption in your country or region? Is the average daily consumption below recommended levels? Is food consumption increasing with economic growth? What is the income elasticity of demand? Use Engel's law to discuss this behavior. Is production able to stay abreast with demand given these trends? What is the nature of agricultural production: traditional agriculture or green revolution technology? Is the trend in food production towards self-sufficiency? If not, can comparative advantage explain this? Does the country import or export food? Is the politico-economic regime supportive of a progressive agricultural sector? DUE: WEEK 8.
• Environment - This is the third issue to be covered in class. It is crucial to show in your paper the environmental impact of agricultural production techniques as well as any direct impacts from population changes. This is especially true in countries that have evolved from traditional agriculture to green revolution techniques in the wake of population pressures. While there are private benefits to increased production, the use of petroleum-based inputs leads to environmental and human health related social costs which are exacerbated by poorly defined property rights. Use the concepts of technological externalities, assimilative capacity, property rights, etc. to explain the nature of this situation in your country or region. What other environmental problems are evident? Discuss the problems and methods for economically measuring environmental degradation. DUE: WEEK 12.
• Final Draft - The final draft of the project should consider the economic situation of agriculture in your specified country or region from the three perspectives outlined above. Key to such an analysis are the interrelationships of the three perspectives. How does each factor contribute to an overall analysis of the successes and problems in agricultural policy and production of your chosen country or region? The paper may conclude with recommendations, but, at the very least, it should provide a clear summary statement about the challenges facing your country or region. DUE: WEEK15.

Landscape Architecture 3XX: Design Critique

Critical yet often overlooked components of the landscape architect's professional skills are the ability to critically evaluate existing designs and the ability to eloquently express him/herself in writing. To develop your skills at these fundamental components, you are to professionally critique a built project with which you are personally and directly familiar. The critique is intended for the "informed public" as might be expected to be read in such features in The New York Times or Columbus Monthly ; therefore, it should be insightful and professionally valid, yet also entertaining and eloquent. It should reflect a sophisticated knowledge of the subject without being burdened with professional jargon.

As in most critiques or reviews, you are attempting not only to identify the project's good and bad features but also to interpret the project's significance and meaning. As such, the critique should have a clear "point of view" or thesis that is then supported by evidence (your description of the place) that persuades the reader that your thesis is valid. Note, however, that your primary goal is not to force the reader to agree with your point of view but rather to present a valid discussion that enriches and broadens the reader's understanding of the project.

To assist in the development of the best possible paper, you are to submit a typed draft by 1:00 pm, Monday, February 10th. The drafts will be reviewed as a set and will then serve as a basis of an in-class writing improvement seminar on Friday, February 14th. The seminar will focus on problems identified in the set of drafts, so individual papers will not have been commented on or marked. You may also submit a typed draft of your paper to the course instructor for review and comment at any time prior to the final submission.

Final papers are due at 2:00 pm, Friday, February 23rd.

Animal/Dairy/Poultry Science 2XX: Comparative Animal Nutrition

Purpose: Students should be able to integrate lecture and laboratory material, relate class material to industry situations, and improve their problem-solving abilities.

Assignment 1: Weekly laboratory reports (50 points)

For the first laboratory, students will be expected to provide depth and breadth of knowledge, creativity, and proper writing format in a one-page, typed, double-spaced report. Thus, conciseness will be stressed. Five points total will be possible for the first draft, another five points possible will be given to a student peer-reviewer of the draft, and five final points will be available for a second draft. This assignment, in its entirety, will be due before the first midterm (class 20). Any major writing flaws will be addressed early so that students can grasp concepts stressed by the instructors without major impact on their grades. Additional objectives are to provide students with skills in critically reviewing papers and to acquaint writers and reviewers of the instructors' expectations for assignments 2 and 3, which are weighted much more heavily.

Students will submit seven one-page handwritten reports from each week's previous laboratory. These reports will cover laboratory classes 2-9; note that one report can be dropped and week 10 has no laboratory. Reports will be graded (5 points each) by the instructors for integration of relevant lecture material or prior experience with the current laboratory.

Assignment 2: Group problem-solving approach to a nutritional problem in the animal industry (50 points)

Students will be divided into groups of four. Several problems will be offered by the instructors, but a group can choose an alternative, approved topic. Students should propose a solution to the problem. Because most real-life problems are solved by groups of employees and (or) consultants, this exercise should provide students an opportunity to practice skills they will need after graduation. Groups will divide the assignment as they see fit. However, 25 points will be based on an individual's separate assignment (1-2 typed pages), and 25 points will be based on the group's total document. Thus, it is assumed that papers will be peer-reviewed. The audience intended will be marketing directors, who will need suitable background, illustrations, etc., to help their salespersons sell more products. This assignment will be started in about the second week of class and will be due by class 28.

Assignment 3: Students will develop a topic of their own choosing (approved by instructors) to be written for two audiences (100 points).

The first assignment (25 points) will be written in "common language," e.g., to farmers or salespersons. High clarity of presentation will be expected. It also will be graded for content to assure that the student has developed the topic adequately. This assignment will be due by class 38.

Concomitant with this assignment will be a first draft of a scientific term paper on the same subject. Ten scientific articles and five typed, double-spaced pages are minimum requirements. Basic knowledge of scientific principles will be incorporated into this term paper written to an audience of alumni of this course working in a nutrition-related field. This draft (25 points) will be due by class 38. It will be reviewed by a peer who will receive up to 25 points for his/her critique. It will be returned to the student and instructor by class 43. The final draft, worth an additional 25 points, will be due before class 50 and will be returned to the student during the final exam period.

Integration Papers - HD 3XX

Two papers will be assigned for the semester, each to be no more than three typewritten pages in length. Each paper will be worth 50 points.

Purpose:   The purpose of this assignment is to aid the student in learning skills necessary in forming policy-making decisions and to encourage the student to consider the integral relationship between theory, research, and social policy.

Format:   The student may choose any issue of interest that is appropriate to the socialization focus of the course, but the issue must be clearly stated and the student is advised to carefully limit the scope of the issue question.

There are three sections to the paper:

First:   One page will summarize two conflicting theoretical approaches to the chosen issue. Summarize only what the selected theories may or would say about the particular question you've posed; do not try to summarize the entire theory. Make clear to a reader in what way the two theories disagree or contrast. Your text should provide you with the basic information to do this section.

Second:   On the second page, summarize (abstract) one relevant piece of current research. The research article must be chosen from a professional journal (not a secondary source) written within the last five years. The article should be abstracted and then the student should clearly show how the research relates to the theoretical position(s) stated earlier, in particular, and to the socialization issue chosen in general. Be sure the subjects used, methodology, and assumptions can be reasonably extended to your concern.

Third:   On the third page, the student will present a policy guideline (for example, the Colorado courts should be required to include, on the child's behalf, a child development specialist's testimony at all custody hearings) that can be supported by the information gained and presented in the first two pages. My advice is that you picture a specific audience and the final purpose or use of such a policy guideline. For example, perhaps as a child development specialist you have been requested to present an informed opinion to a federal or state committee whose charge is to develop a particular type of human development program or service. Be specific about your hypothetical situation and this will help you write a realistic policy guideline.

Sample papers will be available in the department reading room.

SP3XX Short Essay Grading Criteria

A (90-100): Thesis is clearly presented in first paragraph. Every subsequent paragraph contributes significantly to the development of the thesis. Final paragraph "pulls together" the body of the essay and demonstrates how the essay as a whole has supported the thesis. In terms of both style and content, the essay is a pleasure to read; ideas are brought forth with clarity and follow each other logically and effortlessly. Essay is virtually free of misspellings, sentence fragments, fused sentences, comma splices, semicolon errors, wrong word choices, and paragraphing errors.

B (80-89): Thesis is clearly presented in first paragraph. Every subsequent paragraph contributes significantly to the development of the thesis. Final paragraph "pulls together" the body of the essay and demonstrates how the essay as a whole has supported the thesis. In terms of style and content, the essay is still clear and progresses logically, but the essay is somewhat weaker due to awkward word choice, sentence structure, or organization. Essay may have a few (approximately 3) instances of misspellings, sentence fragments, fused sentences, comma splices, semicolon errors, wrong word choices, and paragraphing errors.

C (70-79): There is a thesis, but the reader may have to hunt for it a bit. All the paragraphs contribute to the thesis, but the organization of these paragraphs is less than clear. Final paragraph simply summarizes essay without successfully integrating the ideas presented into a unified support for thesis. In terms of style and content, the reader is able to discern the intent of the essay and the support for the thesis, but some amount of mental gymnastics and "reading between the lines" is necessary; the essay is not easy to read, but it still has said some important things. Essay may have instances (approximately 6) of misspellings, sentence fragments, fused sentences, comma splices, semicolon errors, wrong word choices, and paragraphing errors.

D (60-69): Thesis is not clear. Individual paragraphs may have interesting insights, but the paragraphs do not work together well in support of the thesis. In terms of style and content, the essay is difficult to read and to understand, but the reader can see there was a (less than successful) effort to engage a meaningful subject. Essay may have several instances (approximately 6) of misspellings, sentence fragments, fused sentences, comma splices, semicolon errors, wrong word choices, and paragraphing errors.

Teacher Comments

Patrick Fitzhorn, Mechanical Engineering: My expectations for freshman are relatively high. I'm jaded with the seniors, who keep disappointing me. Often, we don't agree on the grading criteria.

There's three parts to our writing in engineering. The first part, is the assignment itself.

The four types: lab reports, technical papers, design reports, and proposals. The other part is expectations in terms of a growth of writing style at each level in our curriculum and an understanding of that from students so they understand that high school writing is not acceptable as a senior in college. Third, is how we transform our expectations into justifiable grades that have real feedback for the students.

To the freshman, I might give a page to a page and one half to here's how I want the design report. To the seniors it was three pages long. We try to capture how our expectations change from freshman to senior. I bet the structure is almost identical...

We always give them pretty rigorous outlines. Often times, the way students write is to take the outline we give them and students write that chunk. Virtually every writing assignment we give, we provide a writing outline of the writing style we want. These patterns are then used in industry. One organization style works for each of the writing styles. Between faculty, some minute details may change with organization, but there is a standard for writers to follow.

Interviewer: How do students determine purpose

Ken Reardon, Chemical Engineerin: Students usually respond to an assignment. That tells them what the purpose is. . . . I think it's something they infer from the assignment sheet.

Interviewer What types of purposes are there?

Ken Reardon: Persuading is the case with proposals. And informing with progress and the final results. Informing is to just "Here are the results of analysis; here's the answer to the question." It's presenting information. Persuasion is analyzing some information and coming to a conclusion. More of the writing I've seen engineers do is a soft version of persuasion, where they're not trying to sell. "Here's my analysis, here's how I interpreted those results and so here's what I think is worthwhile." Justifying.

Interviewer: Why do students need to be aware of this concept?

Ken Reardon: It helps to tell the reader what they're reading. Without it, readers don't know how to read.

Kiefer, Kate. (1997). Designing Writing Assignments. Writing@CSU . Colorado State University. https://writing.colostate.edu/teaching/guide.cfm?guideid=101

Understanding Assignment Instructions

Introduction.

At some point in school, you may have turned in a paper, confident you will earn an A, only to be confused and let down when you earn a C instead. You read your instructor’s comments and realize you used the wrong citation style and overlooked one of the major parts of the assignment. This scenario shows the importance of understanding assignment instructions; although it may seem like a simple step, there are strategies you can implement to help ensure you understand what your instructor is asking you to do.

Read, Read, Read

It may seem obvious to read your assignment instructions carefully, yet many students fall into the habit of only glancing through instructions, losing precious points on their work as a result.

It is therefore extremely important to carefully read the assignment guidelines. Read them once. Then read them again. Look for the key aspects of the assignment: What is it asking you to do, what criteria will you be graded on, and what stylistic guidelines do you need to follow?

Breaking the Instructions Down

Identifying the main task.

The most important thing to do when evaluating a set of assignment instructions is to figure out what exactly you need to do. In most cases, you can identify key verb phrases that reveal the task/s of the assignment. Look for words like “describe,” “summarize,” “analyze,” “compare/contrast,” and similar key verbs. These verbs will tell you a lot about how to approach the assignment.

Additionally, you can always look for any questions you need to answer or other further details in your instructions, such as audience, purpose, and outcome. Pay close attention to any words like “what,” “when,” “how,” or “why” as well as any numbered information. Sentences containing these words or structures will typically point you in the direction you need to go with your paper.

Along those same lines, be on the lookout for any lists or bullet points; these will likely tell you what your paper is expected to address.

For example, a typical English assignment sheet may contain instructions like this bulleted list:

• Identify and analyze a major theme of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
• Choose at least two literary devices the author uses, and explain how he uses these to convey the theme you identified.
• Does the author use these devices effectively? Why or why not?

This set of instructions can be broken down. First, when looking for key verbs, numbers, and other words, two main tasks are revealed:

• Identify a theme of the literature, and then analyze it.
• Reviewing the numbers in the instructions, at least two literary devices are needed.

Moving to the last part of the prompt, it asks not one, but two questions for you to answer. When an instructor asks a question or series of questions like this, they are almost always asking you to make an argument, not a statement. In other words, you are not only tasked with determining whether the author uses literary devices effectively, you must also explain why you think he does or does not. Assignment questions such as these tell you to back up your position with a well-reasoned argument and to support it with evidence.

Even after identifying the main task/s of an assignment, you should look carefully at all the guidelines to prioritize and plan your approach to the assignment. Professors put a lot of thought into instructions, and it is likely that every word is important in some way.

Additional Items

After identifying the main task/s of the assignment, look for any other parts of the guidelines that may be important. Some questions to consider are:

• Does the assignment require outside research, or is source material provided?
• How many sources are required?
• Are there any things your professor wants you to avoid, such as rhetorical questions or contractions?
• Are you required to submit your work to the Stone Writing Center for review?
• How will your work be graded?

Asking questions like this can help you ensure that your paper closely follows your instructor’s guidelines.

Style and Other Details

Other key aspects of your assignment sheet that you’ll need to pay close attention to are any style, length, and format requirements. Check to see what citation style, if any, you’ll need to use for your sources (English papers, for example, often use MLA style, and science classes typically use APA). Pay close attention to any length requirements; some assignments have a minimum, maximum, or range of length. Last, check for any format requirements. Are you supposed to use a particular font type? What about margins and spacing? Pay close attention to these details to avoid losing points.

Confused? Unsure? Ask!

If ever you find yourself wondering what your instructions are asking, even a minor issue such as formatting, always ask your instructors; they are available to help you learn and develop your academic abilities, so don’t be intimidated or afraid to ask. Reaching out for clarification not only helps you know what you’re doing, but it also shows your instructor that you care about succeeding on the assignment.

Don’t hesitate to seek help from other resources as well. Do a web search for any unfamiliar terms. Look at example essays, guides, or other resources your instructor provides to help you better understand the assignment. Talk to your classmates. Use the resources that are available to you as a Del Mar College student, including working with the consultants at the Stone Writing Center who have likely completed assignments just like the one you’re working on.

Note: Although exploring additional resources can be helpful, you should always defer to your professor for any assignment questions. Ultimately, they assign grades, so their input should be prioritized.

Last Thoughts

To succeed on any assignment, it is crucial to understand what is being asked of you. The main strategies to remember when looking at assignment instructions are: read, read, read; identify the main task; look for details; and always ask when in doubt. Using these strategies can help ensure you complete each assignment as required.

Works Consulted

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2020. “Understanding Assignments.” University of North Carolina Writing Center: Tips & Tools . https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/understanding-assignments/.

Swarthmore College. 2020. “Understanding Your Assignment.” Swarthmore College Writing Center: Writing Associates Program . https://www.swarthmore.edu/writing/understanding-your-assignment.

Page last updated July 31, 2023.

Module 5: Instructions and Process Description

Instructions for assignment #6.

You have an option for this assignment. Choose either A (Set of Instructions) or B (Process Description).

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A) Writing Instructions Assignment

Write a set of instructions for a procedure related to your portfolio to help someone new learn how to do something ( no recipes, tire changes or oil changes ). Do not use a general set of instructions (such as how to program a computer file or how to give a dog a bath). Your instructions should be specfically written for people within your organization, not for everyone. It should not be a process you can find on any given number of web sites.

1. Choose a procedure which can be explained in one or two typed pages.

2. Write for a beginner.

…..-spell out details

…..-use imperative voice (simple commands)

…..-define unfamiliar terms

3. Pay attention to format.

…..-short sentences and paragraphs

…..-adequate spacing

…..-headings and numbers

4. Include and necessary  graphics  and  callouts.

5. Follow this outline:

….. Introduction-  general description of procedure with motivation, tools and materials needed.

…. .Body – step-by-step procedures with sub-steps grouped under major steps.

….. Conclusion – reemphasize the advantage of doing this process.

Remember to make cautions obvious and to provide reasons for crucial steps. Include simple graphics, if possible.

(B) Process Description Assignment

Write an explanation of a process you are familiar with for an audience in your organization. Make sure you organize your description to provide your reader with  understanding.  This is not a set of instructions or how-to-do-it paper.

Follow this outline:

….. Introduction

……….name the process

……….identify its significance and purpose

……….show the overall process by giving major steps

…. .Body

……….step-by-step description of major parts of the process

……….one paragraph per step:

……………-topic sentence explains what takes place in each step

……………-support with details as necessary

……….use headings

……….follow order of introduction

….. Conclusion

……….summary of steps or additional comments

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Turn to “Instructions/Process Description” to submit this assignment. Remember, you need to submit a prewriting Cover Sheet as well.

• Eng 235. Authored by : Jeff Meyers. Provided by : Clinton Community College. License : CC BY: Attribution

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Common Writing Assignments

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These OWL resources will help you understand and complete specific types of writing assignments, such as annotated bibliographies, book reports, and research papers. This section also includes resources on writing academic proposals for conference presentations, journal articles, and books.

Understanding Writing Assignments

This resource describes some steps you can take to better understand the requirements of your writing assignments. This resource works for either in-class, teacher-led discussion or for personal use.

Argument Papers

This resource outlines the generally accepted structure for introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions in an academic argument paper. Keep in mind that this resource contains guidelines and not strict rules about organization. Your structure needs to be flexible enough to meet the requirements of your purpose and audience.

Research Papers

This handout provides detailed information about how to write research papers including discussing research papers as a genre, choosing topics, and finding sources.

Exploratory Papers

This resource will help you with exploratory/inquiry essay assignments.

Annotated Bibliographies

This handout provides information about annotated bibliographies in MLA, APA, and CMS.

Book Report

This resource discusses book reports and how to write them.

Definitions

This handout provides suggestions and examples for writing definitions.

Essays for Exams

While most OWL resources recommend a longer writing process (start early, revise often, conduct thorough research, etc.), sometimes you just have to write quickly in test situations. However, these exam essays can be no less important pieces of writing than research papers because they can influence final grades for courses, and/or they can mean the difference between getting into an academic program (GED, SAT, GRE). To that end, this resource will help you prepare and write essays for exams.

Book Review

This resource discusses book reviews and how to write them.

Academic Proposals

This resource will help undergraduate, graduate, and professional scholars write proposals for academic conferences, articles, and books.

In this section

Subsections.

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

7. COMMON DOCUMENT TYPES

7.7 Writing Instructions

One of the most common and important uses of technical writing is to provide instructions, those step-by-step explanations of how to assemble, operate, repair, or do routine maintenance on something. Although they may seems intuitive and simple to write, instructions are some of the worst-written documents you can find. Most of us have probably had many infuriating experiences with badly written instructions. This chapter will show you what professionals consider the best techniques in providing instructions.

An effective set of instruction requires the following:

• Clear, precise, and simple writing
• A thorough understanding of the procedure in all its technical detail
• The ability to put yourself in the place of the reader, the person trying to use your instructions
• The ability to visualize the procedure in detail and to capture that awareness on paper
• Willingness to test your instructions on the kind of person you wrote them for.

Preliminary Steps

At the beginning of a project to write a set of instructions, it is important to determine the structure or characteristics of the particular procedure you are going to write about. Here are some steps to follow:

1. Do a careful audience and task analysis

Early in the process, define the audience and situation of your instructions. Remember that defining an audience means defining the level of familiarity your readers have with the topic.

2. Determine the number of tasks

How many tasks are there in the procedure you are writing about? Let’s use the term procedure to refer to the whole set of activities your instructions are intended to discuss. A task is a semi-independent group of actions within the procedure: for example, setting the clock on a microwave oven is one task in the big overall procedure of operating a microwave oven.

A simple procedure like changing the oil in a car contains only one task; there are no semi-independent groupings of activities. A more complex procedure like using a microwave oven contains several semi-independent tasks:  setting the clock; setting the power level; using the timer; cleaning and maintaining the microwave, among others.

Some instructions have only a single task, but have many steps within that single task. For example, imagine a set of instructions for assembling a kids’ swing set. In my own experience, there were more than a 130 steps! That can be a bit daunting. A good approach is to group similar and related steps into phases, and start renumbering the steps at each new phase. A phase then is a group of similar steps within a single-task procedure. In the swing-set example, setting up the frame would be a phase; anchoring the thing in the ground would be another; assembling the box swing would be still another.

3.  Determine the best approach to the step-by-step discussion

For most instructions, you can focus on tasks, or you can focus on tools (or features of tools).  In a task approach (also known as task orientation) to instructions on using a phone-answering service, you’d have these sections:

• Recording your greeting
• Playing back your messages
• Saving your messages
• Forwarding your messages
• Deleting your messages, and so on

These are tasks—the typical things we’d want to do with the machine.

On the other hand, in a tools approach to instructions on using a photocopier, there likely would be sections on how to use specific features:

• Copy button
• Cancel button
• Enlarge/reduce button
• Collate/staple button
• Copy-size button, and so on

If you designed a set of instructions on this plan, you’d write steps for using each button or feature of the photocopier. Instructions using this tools approach are hard to make work. Sometimes, the name of the button doesn’t quite match the task it is associated with; sometimes you have to use more than just the one button to accomplish the task. Still, there can be times when the tools/feature approach may be preferable.

4.  Design groupings of tasks

Listing tasks may not be all that you need to do. There may be so many tasks that you must group them so that readers can find individual ones more easily. For example, the following are common task groupings in instructions:

• Unpacking and setup tasks
• Installing and customizing tasks
• Basic operating tasks
• Routine maintenance tasks
• Troubleshooting tasks.

Common Sections in Instructions

The following is a review of the sections you’ll commonly find in instructions. Don’t assume that each one of them must be in the actual instructions you write, nor that they have to be in the order presented here, nor that these are the only sections possible in a set of instructions.

For alternative formats, check out the example instructions .

Introduction:  plan the introduction to your instructions carefully. It might include any of the following (but not necessarily in this order):

• Indicate the specific tasks or procedure to be explained as well as the scope (what will and will not be covered)
• Indicate what the audience needs in terms of knowledge and background to understand the instructions
• Give a general idea of the procedure and what it accomplishes
• Indicate the conditions when these instructions should (or should not) be used
• Give an overview of the contents of the instructions.

General warning, caution, danger notices :  instructions often must alert readers to the possibility of ruining their equipment, screwing up the procedure, and hurting themselves. Also, instructions must often emphasize key points or exceptions. For these situations, you use special notices —note, warning, caution, and danger notices. Notice how these special notices are used in the example instructions listed above.

Technical background or theory:  at the beginning of certain kinds of instructions (after the introduction), you may need a discussion of background related to the procedure. For certain instructions, this background is critical—otherwise, the steps in the procedure make no sense. For example, you may have had some experience with those software applets in which you define your own colors by nudging red, green, and blue slider bars around. To really understand what you’re doing, you need to have some background on color. Similarly, you can imagine that, for certain instructions using cameras, some theory might be needed as well.

Equipment and supplies:  notice that most instructions include a list of the things you need to gather before you start the procedure. This includes equipment , the tools you use in the procedure (such as mixing bowls, spoons, bread pans, hammers, drills, and saws) and supplies , the things that are consumed in the procedure (such as wood, paint, oil, flour, and nails). In instructions, these typically are listed either in a simple vertical list or in a two-column list. Use the two-column list if you need to add some specifications to some or all of the items—for example, brand names, sizes, amounts, types, model numbers, and so on.

Discussion of the steps:  when you get to the actual writing of the steps, there are several things to keep in mind: (1) the structure and format of those steps, (2) supplementary information that might be needed, and (3) the point of view and general writing style.

Structure and format:  normally, we imagine a set of instructions as being formatted as vertical numbered lists. And most are in fact. Normally, you format your actual step-by-step instructions this way. There are some variations, however, as well as some other considerations:

• Fixed-order steps are steps that must be performed in the order presented. For example, if you are changing the oil in a car, draining the oil is a step that must come before putting the new oil. These are numbered lists (usually, vertical numbered lists).
• Variable-order steps are steps that can be performed in practically any order. Good examples are those troubleshooting guides that tell you to check this, check that where you are trying to fix something. You can do these kinds of steps in practically any order. With this type, the bulleted list is the appropriate format.
• Alternate steps are those in which two or more ways to accomplish the same thing are presented. Alternate steps are also used when various conditions might exist. Use bulleted lists with this type, with OR inserted between the alternatives, or the lead-in indicating that alternatives are about to be presented.
• Nested steps may be used in  cases when individual steps within a procedure are rather complex in their own right and need to be broken down into sub-steps. In this case, you indent further and sequence the sub-steps as a, b, c, and so on.
• “Step-less” instructions . can be used when you really cannot use numbered vertical list or provide straightforward instructional-style directing of the reader. Some situations must be so generalized or so variable that steps cannot be stated.

Supplementary discussion: often, it is not enough simply to tell readers to do this or to do that. They need additional explanatory information such as how the thing should look before and after the step; why they should care about doing this step; what mechanical principle is behind what they are doing; even more micro-level explanation of the step—discussion of the specific actions that make up the step.

The problem with supplementary discussion, however, is that it can hide the actual step. You want the actual step—the specific actions the reader is to take—to stand out. You don’t want it all buried in a heap of words. There are at least two techniques to avoid this problem: you can split the instruction from the supplement into separate paragraphs; or you can bold the instruction.

Writing Style

Placing the key user steps in bold can a very helpful way to signal clearly what the reader needs to do.  Often the command verb is bolded; sometimes bold font highlights the key component being discussed.

Use of the passive voice in instructions can be problematic. For some strange reason, some instructions sound like this: “The Pause button should be depressed in order to stop the display temporarily.” Not only are we worried about the pause button’s mental health, but we wonder who’s supposed to depress the thing ( ninjas ?). It would be more helpful to indicate when the reader must “ press the Pause button.”   Consider this example: “The Timer button is then set to 3:00.” Again, one might ask, “is set by whom?  Ninjas ?” The person following these instructions might think it is simply a reference to some existing state, or she might wonder, “Are they talking to me?” Using the third person can also lead to awkwardness: “The user should then press the Pause button.” Instructions should typically be written using command verb forms and using “you” to make it perfectly clear what the reader should do.

Illustrating Your Instructions

Perhaps more than in any other form of technical writing, graphics are crucial to instructions. Sometimes, words simply cannot explain the step. Illustrations are often critical to the readers’ ability to visualize what they are supposed to do.  Be sure that the graphics represent the image from the reader’s perspective.

Formatting Your Instructions

Since people rarely want to read instructions, but often have to, format your instructions for reluctant readability. Try to make your reader want to read them, or at least not resistant to the idea of consulting them.  Highly readable format will allow readers who have figured out some of the instructions on their own to skip to the section where they are stuck.  Use what you have learned about headings , lists , visuals , and passive space to create effective and readable instructions:

Headings : normally, you’d want headings for any background section you might have, the equipment and supplies section, a general heading for the actual instructions section, and subheadings for the individual tasks or phases within that section.

Lists : similarly, instructions typically make extensive use of lists, particularly numbered vertical lists for the actual step-by-step explanations. Simple vertical lists or two-column lists are usually good for the equipment and supplies section. In-sentence lists are good whenever you give an overview of things to come.

Special Notices :  you may have to alert readers to possibilities in which they may damage their equipment, waste supplies, cause the entire procedure to fail, injure themselves or others—even seriously or fatally. Companies have been sued for lack of these special notices, for poorly written special notices, or for special notices that were out of place. See special notices for a complete discussion of the proper use of these special notices as well as their format and placement within instructions.

As you reread and revise your instructions, check that they do the following:

• Clearly describe the exact procedure to be explained
• Provide an overview of content
• Indicate audience requirements
• Use various types of lists wherever appropriate; in particular, use numbered lists for sequential steps
• Use headings and subheadings to divide the main sections and subsections in a logical, coherent order
• Use special notices as appropriate
• Use graphics to illustrate key actions and objects
• Provide additional supplementary explanation of the steps as necessary
• Create a section listing equipment and supplies if necessary.

Technical Writing Essentials Copyright © 2019 by Suzan Last is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Rubric Best Practices, Examples, and Templates

A rubric is a scoring tool that identifies the different criteria relevant to an assignment, assessment, or learning outcome and states the possible levels of achievement in a specific, clear, and objective way. Use rubrics to assess project-based student work including essays, group projects, creative endeavors, and oral presentations.

Rubrics can help instructors communicate expectations to students and assess student work fairly, consistently and efficiently. Rubrics can provide students with informative feedback on their strengths and weaknesses so that they can reflect on their performance and work on areas that need improvement.

How to Get Started

Best practices, moodle how-to guides.

• Workshop Recording (Spring 2024)
• Workshop Registration

Step 1: Analyze the assignment

The first step in the rubric creation process is to analyze the assignment or assessment for which you are creating a rubric. To do this, consider the following questions:

• What is the purpose of the assignment and your feedback? What do you want students to demonstrate through the completion of this assignment (i.e. what are the learning objectives measured by it)? Is it a summative assessment, or will students use the feedback to create an improved product?
• Does the assignment break down into different or smaller tasks? Are these tasks equally important as the main assignment?
• What would an “excellent” assignment look like? An “acceptable” assignment? One that still needs major work?
• How detailed do you want the feedback you give students to be? Do you want/need to give them a grade?

Step 2: Decide what kind of rubric you will use

Types of rubrics: holistic, analytic/descriptive, single-point

Holistic Rubric. A holistic rubric includes all the criteria (such as clarity, organization, mechanics, etc.) to be considered together and included in a single evaluation. With a holistic rubric, the rater or grader assigns a single score based on an overall judgment of the student’s work, using descriptions of each performance level to assign the score.

Advantages of holistic rubrics:

• Can p lace an emphasis on what learners can demonstrate rather than what they cannot
• Save grader time by minimizing the number of evaluations to be made for each student
• Can be used consistently across raters, provided they have all been trained

Disadvantages of holistic rubrics:

• Provide less specific feedback than analytic/descriptive rubrics
• Can be difficult to choose a score when a student’s work is at varying levels across the criteria
• Any weighting of c riteria cannot be indicated in the rubric

Analytic/Descriptive Rubric . An analytic or descriptive rubric often takes the form of a table with the criteria listed in the left column and with levels of performance listed across the top row. Each cell contains a description of what the specified criterion looks like at a given level of performance. Each of the criteria is scored individually.

Advantages of analytic rubrics:

• Provide detailed feedback on areas of strength or weakness
• Each criterion can be weighted to reflect its relative importance

Disadvantages of analytic rubrics:

• More time-consuming to create and use than a holistic rubric
• May not be used consistently across raters unless the cells are well defined
• May result in giving less personalized feedback

Single-Point Rubric . A single-point rubric is breaks down the components of an assignment into different criteria, but instead of describing different levels of performance, only the “proficient” level is described. Feedback space is provided for instructors to give individualized comments to help students improve and/or show where they excelled beyond the proficiency descriptors.

Advantages of single-point rubrics:

• Easier to create than an analytic/descriptive rubric
• Perhaps more likely that students will read the descriptors
• Areas of concern and excellence are open-ended
• May removes a focus on the grade/points
• May increase student creativity in project-based assignments

Disadvantage of analytic rubrics: Requires more work for instructors writing feedback

Step 3 (Optional): Look for templates and examples.

You might Google, “Rubric for persuasive essay at the college level” and see if there are any publicly available examples to start from. Ask your colleagues if they have used a rubric for a similar assignment. Some examples are also available at the end of this article. These rubrics can be a great starting point for you, but consider steps 3, 4, and 5 below to ensure that the rubric matches your assignment description, learning objectives and expectations.

Step 4: Define the assignment criteria

Make a list of the knowledge and skills are you measuring with the assignment/assessment Refer to your stated learning objectives, the assignment instructions, past examples of student work, etc. for help.

  Helpful strategies for defining grading criteria:

• Collaborate with co-instructors, teaching assistants, and other colleagues
• Brainstorm and discuss with students
• Can they be observed and measured?
• Are they important and essential?
• Are they distinct from other criteria?
• Are they phrased in precise, unambiguous language?
• Revise the criteria as needed
• Consider whether some are more important than others, and how you will weight them.

Step 5: Design the rating scale

Most ratings scales include between 3 and 5 levels. Consider the following questions when designing your rating scale:

• Given what students are able to demonstrate in this assignment/assessment, what are the possible levels of achievement?
• How many levels would you like to include (more levels means more detailed descriptions)
• Will you use numbers and/or descriptive labels for each level of performance? (for example 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and/or Exceeds expectations, Accomplished, Proficient, Developing, Beginning, etc.)
• Don’t use too many columns, and recognize that some criteria can have more columns that others . The rubric needs to be comprehensible and organized. Pick the right amount of columns so that the criteria flow logically and naturally across levels.

Step 6: Write descriptions for each level of the rating scale

Artificial Intelligence tools like Chat GPT have proven to be useful tools for creating a rubric. You will want to engineer your prompt that you provide the AI assistant to ensure you get what you want. For example, you might provide the assignment description, the criteria you feel are important, and the number of levels of performance you want in your prompt. Use the results as a starting point, and adjust the descriptions as needed.

Building a rubric from scratch

For a single-point rubric , describe what would be considered “proficient,” i.e. B-level work, and provide that description. You might also include suggestions for students outside of the actual rubric about how they might surpass proficient-level work.

For analytic and holistic rubrics , c reate statements of expected performance at each level of the rubric.

• Consider what descriptor is appropriate for each criteria, e.g., presence vs absence, complete vs incomplete, many vs none, major vs minor, consistent vs inconsistent, always vs never. If you have an indicator described in one level, it will need to be described in each level.
• You might start with the top/exemplary level. What does it look like when a student has achieved excellence for each/every criterion? Then, look at the “bottom” level. What does it look like when a student has not achieved the learning goals in any way? Then, complete the in-between levels.
• For an analytic rubric , do this for each particular criterion of the rubric so that every cell in the table is filled. These descriptions help students understand your expectations and their performance in regard to those expectations.

Well-written descriptions:

• Describe observable and measurable behavior
• Use parallel language across the scale
• Indicate the degree to which the standards are met

Step 7: Create your rubric

Create your rubric in a table or spreadsheet in Word, Google Docs, Sheets, etc., and then transfer it by typing it into Moodle. You can also use online tools to create the rubric, but you will still have to type the criteria, indicators, levels, etc., into Moodle. Rubric creators: Rubistar , iRubric

Step 8: Pilot-test your rubric

Prior to implementing your rubric on a live course, obtain feedback from:

• Teacher assistants

Try out your new rubric on a sample of student work. After you pilot-test your rubric, analyze the results to consider its effectiveness and revise accordingly.

• Limit the rubric to a single page for reading and grading ease
• Use parallel language . Use similar language and syntax/wording from column to column. Make sure that the rubric can be easily read from left to right or vice versa.
• Use student-friendly language . Make sure the language is learning-level appropriate. If you use academic language or concepts, you will need to teach those concepts.
• Share and discuss the rubric with your students . Students should understand that the rubric is there to help them learn, reflect, and self-assess. If students use a rubric, they will understand the expectations and their relevance to learning.
• Consider scalability and reusability of rubrics. Create rubric templates that you can alter as needed for multiple assignments.
• Maximize the descriptiveness of your language. Avoid words like “good” and “excellent.” For example, instead of saying, “uses excellent sources,” you might describe what makes a resource excellent so that students will know. You might also consider reducing the reliance on quantity, such as a number of allowable misspelled words. Focus instead, for example, on how distracting any spelling errors are.

Example of an analytic rubric for a final paper

Example of a holistic rubric for a final paper

Single-Point Rubric

More examples:

• Single Point Rubric Template ( variation )
• Analytic Rubric Template make a copy to edit
• A Rubric for Rubrics
• Bank of Online Discussion Rubrics in different formats
• Mathematical Presentations Descriptive Rubric
• Math Proof Assessment Rubric
• Kansas State Sample Rubrics
• Design Single Point Rubric

Technology Tools: Rubrics in Moodle

• Moodle Docs: Rubrics
• Moodle Docs: Grading Guide (use for single-point rubrics)

Tools with rubrics (other than Moodle)

• Google Assignments
• Turnitin Assignments: Rubric or Grading Form

Other resources

• DePaul University (n.d.). Rubrics .
• Gonzalez, J. (2014). Know your terms: Holistic, Analytic, and Single-Point Rubrics . Cult of Pedagogy.
• Goodrich, H. (1996). Understanding rubrics . Teaching for Authentic Student Performance, 54 (4), 14-17. Retrieved from   
• Miller, A. (2012). Tame the beast: tips for designing and using rubrics.
• Ragupathi, K., Lee, A. (2020). Beyond Fairness and Consistency in Grading: The Role of Rubrics in Higher Education. In: Sanger, C., Gleason, N. (eds) Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.

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Technical Writing Examples

14/5/2022 Ferry Vermeulen Tools & Efficiency

This article provides 101 excellent technical writing examples to help you create a user-centered manual that helps users find the information they’re looking for.

User manuals  are vital in every business sector. Basically, they support customers seeking to understand your products and processes. Sometimes, they are even legally required by regulatory bodies. Hence, creating clear and engaging user manuals is extremely important for companies.

First and foremost, guides and instructions must meet your audience’s needs. Customers want to feel supported and get answers to their questions. And they want it fast! So how to create a user-centered manual that provides clear instructions? Learn about it below.

Table of Contents

How technical writing examples can help What are Good Technical Writing Examples? Technical writing examples for organizing your content Examples of questions to ask yourself about the user Examples of questions to ask yourself about the product Examples for the table of contents Technical writing examples for writing clear texts An example of the intended user description Examples of topic-based authoring Examples of clear instructions Examples of the principles of Minimalism Examples of Simplified Technical English Examples of safety messages Examples of directional safety messages Examples of general safety messages Examples of sectional safety messages Examples of embedded safety messages Technical writing examples for creating distinct visuals Examples of visuals Examples of line drawings Examples of product photos Examples of a screen capture Examples of video instructions Examples of infographics Examples of tables Examples of charts and graphics Examples of symbols and icons Technical writing examples for presenting your user information Examples of a consistent layout Examples of a readable font Examples of using different typefaces Examples for color coding Technical writing examples for publishing your user manual Examples of print user manuals Examples of online output Technical writing examples of compliant manuals Examples for the intended use Examples of user manuals for machinery Examples of user manuals for toys Examples of user manuals for electrical equipment Examples of user manuals for consumer electronics Examples of user manuals for medical devices Software user documentation examples Examples of installation and assembly manuals Technical writing examples for students

How technical writing examples can help

Technical writing was created to share technical information with people who need to learn about a particular subject. A lot of technological and occupational fields, such as robotics, chemistry, electronics, engineering, etc. all use technical language when writing out instructions for how to operate machines, technology, and/or conduct experiments.

Because technical writing can be complex, a technical writing example provides help to users who are looking to create a manual, textbook, or any other technical writing document. 

Technical writing samples might help writers establish a good flow and tone for their document. It will also help them to outline the information that they wish to have included in their manual.

What are good technical writing examples?

Good technical writing considers the goals of what the writer is setting out to accomplish. Is the writer looking to document how to use the product? Is the writer trying to display a set of rules and regulations for the office? Does the writer intend to teach users how to do a specific job? 

If the writer can provide an outline which does great research, and easily helps the user to do what’s required of them, then a technical writing example has fulfilled its purpose.

See  this guide   on how to create impressive user manuals with many other examples.

Now, hold tight and enjoy all the technical writing examples below.

Technical writing examples for organizing your content

Organizing your content so that your customers can easily find what they are looking for might be a real challenge. First, you need to identify what information is the most important so that your manual can be well-structured. This will help your customers save time in solving the problem. 

To make a decision about the main informational blocks, you should get to know your customers. Do not assume they have prior experience with your products, so define who your user actually is.

Examples of questions to ask yourself about the user 

Before you start working on the content of your product manual, you should learn more about your customers. To get a better understanding of them, ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the age, gender, education, and background of my customers?
• What languages do they speak?
• What technical experience, qualifications, knowledge or skills do they have?
• Do they work under stress?
• What tasks do the users of my guide need to complete?
• Why and how frequently are those tasks being carried out?
• In what environment will the product be used? 
• Will it be used professionally, commercially, or privately?
• Does the user have access to the Internet? 
• Do my customers need alternative guides (for example, for vision disabilities)?

By answering those questions, you will be able to write more consistently and better serve your customers’ needs.

Examples of questions to ask yourself about the product 

To create an easy-to-follow manual, you must have a perfect understanding of the product you are writing about. The best way to get familiar with the product is to test it yourself. You should try to install it, push different buttons, identify signals to build up a complete picture of the product and get a feel for what sort of information should be communicated to the user. 

After having some hands-on experience with the machinery, you should ask yourself the next questions:

• What is the purpose of the product?
• What are the names of the most important parts?
• What are the transportation and storage requirements?
• How to deliver the machinery to the user?
• How to install the product and make it ready to use?
• How to use the machinery and change its settings?
• What are the maintenance requirements and how to repair the machinery?
• What are the possible issues and how to handle them?
• How to dismantle and dispose of the machinery?
• Does the product include any details about spare parts?
• What are the main technical specifications? 

If possible, consult subject-matter experts (SMEs) and knowledgeable people that took part in product development to get an insight into how everything works.

Examples for the table of contents

When you know your product and its users really well, you can start breaking down the information you’ve gathered into separate chunks for the table of contents. Let’s see how the table of contents for the Roof Washer can be organized.

If a user is seeking how to make the Roof Washer ready for use, you should include the following blocks in your manual:

• How to Check the Delivery Contents
• How to Prepare the Mobile Platform
• How to Prepare the Roof Washer
• How to Lift the Top Cleaner on Top of the Greenhouse
• How to Adjust the Mobile Platform
• How to Adjust the Roof Washer
• Adjustment of the main brushes
• Adjustment of the optional window protection switch
• Adjustment of the optional gutter brush
• Adjustment of the front wheel switch levers

The table of contents gives an overview of possible problems one might face, so it’s easier for users to find solutions.

Some more examples can be found below:

Example of a very basic table of contents, according to the IEC/IEEE 82079 standard.

  Example of the table of contents of the SpeedComfort, an electronic device.

The table of contents of the above mentioned Roof Washer (machinery)

The table of contents of the online user manuals that we created for Vogel's Products

The table of contents of the online user manuals that we created for Royal Smeva

Technical writing examples for writing clear texts

An example of the intended user description.

Once you know your user, you can write an introduction describing them in your manual. Here is an example:

These instructions are intended for the end-user of the [machinery name]. The end-user who directly interacts with the machinery can be, but is not limited to: 

• An Installer
• Maintenance personnel or technicians
• An Operator
• Dismantling personnel

The machinery can be used only by an authorized person with proper skills and qualifications. The equipment can be accessed only by someone who:

• Has closely read and clearly understood this manual
• Has some experience operating similar machinery
• Has knowledge about controlling this machinery
• Is aware of all possible dangers and acts accordingly to avoid them
• Is trained to work in [field name]
• Possesses a license, if necessary

Technical writing example of a description of the intended user

Examples of topic-based authoring

Topic-based authoring  is essential for writing clear instructions. Topic-based authoring is a modular approach to content creation. Content is structured around topics that can be reused and mixed throughout different contexts. 

Each topic has a clear purpose and a start, focuses on one subject and does not require external context to understand. It has a clear beginning and ending and typically solves one of the user's questions / helps the user to complete a single task.

Example of topic-based writing

Examples of clear instructions

Give clear instructions by organizing the information into logical sections, using precise language and providing examples if necessary.

A clear instruction

Technical writing example of clear instructions with an active voice

Technical writing example of clear instructions

Examples of the principles of Minimalism

Minimalism  in technical communication is a user-centered approach to create better user support. It consists of four principles.

Download the first Minimal Manual of the IBM display writer:

Read more about Minimalism here:

• University of Twente
• Podcast with Dr. Hans van der Meij

Technical writing example  1 principles of Minimalism

Technical writing example 2 according to the  principles of Minimalism

Technical writing example 3 according to the principles of Minimalism    

Examples of Simplified Technical English

Simplified Technical English  is a controlled language that is a carefully limited and standardized subset of English.

STE was originally developed for aerospace industry maintenance manuals, but many other industries use it as a basis for their own documentation.

The ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English Standard contains of two parts: the STE-writing rules and the STE-Dictionary.

Examples of approved words in the STE dictionary

How the word 'oil' can be used according to STE

An example of some of the STE writing rules

Technical writing examples of information types

The  82079-1:2019   standard for the preparation of Information for Use , structures information around information types and information products.

All ‘information for use’ is basically comprised of information based on three types: 

• Instructional information
• Conceptual information 
• Reference information. 

It is of crucial importance to format and present information types such as warnings, steps, error recognition, tips, consistently at all times.  

Examples of different information products output and information types.

Example of three different information types

Examples of safety messages

Use safety messaging to help prevent injury and damage to equipment, promote the safe and efficient use of a product and to ensure that the manual abides by the law. 

Good safety messaging usually includes: 

• The types of hazards inherent in the use of the product 
• Possible sources of these hazards 
• Possible consequences for non-compliance
• The best ways to avoid/minimize these hazards

A well-structured safety message

Examples of directional safety messages 

As the name suggests, directional safety messages contain guidance about the direction in which something should be operated or moved. This could be pushing a lever upwards or turning a switch from left to right.

Example retaining information, which is directional safety information

Examples of general safety messages 

General safety messages are rules designed to maintain the safety of the individuals using a product. They often contain visuals and/or slogans and incorporate the use of simple and direct language.

Example of general safety messages

Examples of sectional safety messages

Sectional safety messages are included at the start of specific sections of a user manual. They relate to the safety features of a particular element/segment of a product.

Examples of embedded safety messages

Embedded safety messages apply to, for example, just one single step and are, as the name suggests, embedded in this step.

It is important to ask yourself the question whether to place an embedded safety message before or after the instruction to which it applies. Sometimes, a warning after the instruction is given, is too late.

For example:

• Cut the power cable to the correct length. WARNING! Make sure you turn off the main power switch first!

would be better as follows:

WARNING! Make sure youturn off the main power switch.

• Cut the power cable to the correct length. 

Or actually this would be even better, as there sometimes is a tendency to over-warn where a simple instruction is much more user-friendly:

• Turn off the main power switch.
• Cut the power cable to the correct length.

Example an embedded safety message

Technical writing examples for creating distinct visuals

User manuals are essential for many products, but they can be tricky to create. To make sure that the manual is easy to follow and includes all the necessary information, visuals are key!

Examples of visuals

One of the best ways to make the text in your manual more readable is by using visuals.  Here is how it works:

• Even simple visuals break up long text passages, making the manual more readable overall.
• Pictures can effectively demonstrate how the product should be used, showing what it looks like from different angles or giving an overview of its parts and functions.
• Sets of illustrations can present different aspects of a product side by side for comparison and highlight key features.

In short, visuals can convey information in a quick and easy-to-understand format. They also provide an additional reference for users when trying to make sense of the information in a manual.

Visuals can help you create clear and compelling user manuals that are easy to understand, even for those unfamiliar with the product.

Keep in mind the printing quality and screen resolution when creating user manuals. The resolution of illustrations viewed on screens should be 72 dpi, while those printed should have a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. With the right approach and attention to detail, you can produce quality user manuals that simplify the learning process for your users.

Let’s discuss different types of them.

Examples of line drawings

This type of visual is used when the product is too complex to be represented in a photo or when showing the product from different angles would be helpful. 

Use  line illustrations to achieve the following purposes:

• Describe a sequence of steps. If you want to show how to use a product, you can use an illustration to show the steps in sequence.
• Identify main product parts. Making an illustration of your product's main components can be a helpful reference for users.
• Demonstrate complex functions. Illustrations are often the easiest way to demonstrate more complex or unfamiliar processes. In case your product is based on cutting-edge technology, add illustrations to show how it works, so users can understand its features and benefits.

Technical writing example of a line illustration

Examples of product photos 

These can either be professional shots or simply snapshots of the product.

The example below show the use of a photo in a user manual that our client created before we replaced it with line illustrations:

Examples of a screen capture

If your product is software, then screen captures can be very helpful in illustrating how to use it.

Technical writing example

Examples of video instructions

A quick video tutorial can be beneficial for users, especially if your product is complex or has multiple parts. You can make videos that show a product in real-life situations, such as when setting it up or performing various tasks.

Example of a video instruction for Quooker 

A video that we created for bol.com

A video instruction for Vogel's products

Example of video safety instructions by Virgin America

Examples of infographics  

These are a great way to pack a lot of information into a small space, and they can also be more visually appealing than text-heavy manuals.

Example of an infographic

Examples of tables

Manuals that contain a lot of technical or verbal data can be supplemented with tables that replace the text and save the reader's time. Note that tables must be positioned next to the relevant text. 

Technical writing example of use of a table

Examples of charts and graphics

This type of visual is applied to effectively show patterns, create overviews and demonstrate relationships. 

Technical writing example of a chart

Examples of symbols and icons

Instruction manuals that contain symbols and icons of different colors, structures and patterns can benefit users that better perceive information in a visual form rather than textual. 

Example ISO 7010 symbols

FREE USER MANUAL TEMPLATE

See how you can use the User Manual Template to create your own compliant, user-friendly and appealing user manual

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Technical writing examples for presenting your user information

Your customers must clearly understand user manuals. Whatever your product is, you will want to create a  manual that is useful and easy on the eyes. By using illustrations, videos, and a well-thought-out layout, you can design a user manual that is both informative and visually appealing.

Indeed,  a user manual is not only a technical document but also a marketing tool. By making it clear and concise, you can help your customers get the most out of your product and ensure their satisfaction.

There are several different ways to present a user manual, depending on the product or application you are trying to cover: text, visuals, video, animations, speech, braille, augmented and virtual reality, leaflets or stapled booklets with text, illustrations and printed information on the packaging or on the product itself.  When choosing among them, consider the needs of your target audience. 

Most importantly, present the manual with a minimalist yet easy-to-follow attractive design. How to do it?

Examples of a consistent layout

Create a consistent layout from page to page that makes it simple to  find specific information. 

Examples of a readable font

Pick a clean, readable sans-serif font and ensure that its size fits the needs of your audience.

Example of a readable sans-serif font

Examples of using different typefaces

Use bold, italic or courier typeface for terminology, reference information or input and denote importance with font weight. 

Example of used conventions

Example of the use of bold typeface to indicate product and interface  elements .

Examples of color coding

Apply color coding if possible and ensure high text-to-background contrast. 

Example of how to use color coding

The use of typography, whitespace, and other design elements should create a clear visual hierarchy that helps users find the information they need quickly and easily. 

Technical writing examples for publishing your user manual

Users want to have access to information at the moment that they need it. Therefore, it is important to provide your user manuals in several output formats.

Example of different media and formats of Magento user documentation

Example of different output possibilities with MadCap Flare  

Example of different media and formats for our customer Acco/Leitz

Let's discuss a few output formats more specifically.

Examples of printed user manuals

Printed user manuals are among the most common types of manuals. You’ll find them coupled with almost any consumer product you can think of. This type of manual is appropriate for less tech-savvy demographics, works without the need for devices or an internet connection and is ready to use immediately.

Printed manuals are especially relevant when it comes to hardware products like washing machines, kitchen appliances or furniture that require self-assembly.

A printed user guide example that we created for AEG / Electrolux

Examples of online output

Online output or screen manuals can be accessed via any device, like a smartphone, tablet or laptop. These manuals are advantageous in that they can be easily stored and accessed from your device and there's no need to hold onto any physical documentation that can be easily misplaced. Unlike printed manuals, they often contain tutorial videos which are more effective at conveying complicated information. Online user manuals are also regularly updated, so you don’t have to worry about being stuck with an obsolete document. 

For more information on the legal requirements on publishing your user manual online, see this article .

Example of the online help for T-Mobile

Technical writing examples of compliant manuals

A manual  must comply with the laws of the country you’re selling to In order to be compliant in the US, for example, you have to:

• Determine the relevant laws and regulations for your product.
• Find the competent federal agencies relevant to your product.
• Identify which standards are compulsory and which are voluntary relating to your product.
• Find out what the minimum specific requirements are for adequate instructions.
• Verify the product-specific requirements from both the voluntary and mandatory standards.
• Apply ANSI Z535.6 (guidance for creating materials like manuals) 
• Write the manual according to the requirements.

For a compliant EU or UK manual you have to: 

• Determine the directives / regulations and the harmonised standards specific to the product.
• Determine the requirements for user manuals as specified in the applicable, relevant CE / UKCA marking product legislation.
• Determine the appropriate harmonised standard to instruct users. The most common of these is: IEC/IEEE 82079-1.
• Draw up the user manual (and other technical documentation) according to the requirements.

Examples of intended use

One of the most important sections in every manual is a description of the intended use, which is often legally required to be included. 

The description of the intended use frames your liability and is the starting point for the further contents of your user guide.

Besides the  intended use , you might want to add a description of  reasonably foreseeable misuse  as well. When you pay no or too little attention to the description of the reasonably foreseeable misuse, it may affect your liability as well.

Example of the intended and re asonably foreseeable misuse

Example of reasonably foreseeable or unforeseeable misuse?

Examples of user manuals for machinery

A  user guide for machinery is characterized by the following:

• Safety is more important
• Detailed maintenance instructions
• Repair information included
• Step-by-step directions for operating the machine
• Includes a description of the intended use and reasonably foreseeable misuse.

Example of the installation and user instructions for machinery

The user manual of an automatic sliding gate, which is classified as machinery because it has moving parts

Examples of user manuals for toys

A user guide for toys is characterized by the following:

• Includes mandatory safety symbols 
• Includes specific safety warnings
• Description of the intended use

Example of a user manual for toys

Examples of user manuals for electrical equipment

A user guide for electrical equipment is characterized by the following:

• Often an 'illustrations-first' structure
• Includes information on electro-magnetic interference
• Includes a description of the intended use and reasonably forseeable misuse

Example of a user manual for electrical equipment

Examples of user manuals for consumer electronics

A user guide for consumer electronics is characterized by the following:

• includes disposal (WEEE) information
• Look & feel is more important
• Step-by-step detailed installation.

Example of a user manual for consumer electronics

Examples of user manuals for medical devices

A user guide for medical devices is characterized by the following:

• Regulatory compliance (there are many requirements on the user manual)
• The user manual is called ' Instructions For Use ' (IFU) and includes all instructional information
• The IFU is part of the assessment process of the medical device

Example of a user manual for a medical device

Software user documentation examples

Online help of MadCap Flare

The online help of a hardware product

Example of print documentation for software

Example of  software documentation

Examples of installation and assembly manuals

A user guide for assembly products is characterized by the following:

• Step-by-step illustrations
• Often no text is required 

Example of an assembly manual

Technical writing examples for students

Every now and then I receive emails from students studying technical communication. Often, they are looking for good technical writing examples as school is sometimes too theoretical.

I hope that this post helps students become better technical writers.  Here's a summary of some of the most important steps when creating user documentation:

• The first step in writing anything is determining who your audience will be. Do you need a user manaul to teach users about the basics or are you trying to teach professionals? Once you decide, it should be easier to write the rest of the document.
• Download our  free user manual template to get a good sense of how a specific document should be organized. It will help you to see the flow, the language, and how the information is broken up.
• Customize the example to appear however you desire. It should reflect your company and product.
• Once you get a good idea of the type of information to include in your technical manual, create an outline to make it simpler to follow along with a specific flow.
• Using your outline, create a Table of Contents to make it easier for the reader to find where each section is located.
• Start plugging in all the relevant information to each section of your manual.
• Once you’ve looked at the final product and it’s good to go, publish it!

If you think this post was of value to you, please leave a comment below. Also, if there are other technical writing examples that you want me to cover in this article, let me know as well.