1. Creating Writing Assignments for Large
Enrollment Classes
Laura Micciche
Department of English
Associate Professor & Director of Composition
University of Cincinnati
22 Feb. 2012 / 2:00 – 3:30

2. Goals for the Session:
• Learn strategies for developing formal and
informal writing assignments appropriate for a
large lecture class and geared toward specific
learning goals
• Learn how to construct assignments effectively
so as to solicit student writing that fulfills a
specific purpose
• Revise or draft a writing assignment for a large
lecture class, share with others, and receive
feedback

3. Assignment Types
Low stakes writing: not a lot of conditions to satisfy; expressive,
personal, reflective, taking stock; writing to learn activities; ungraded.
Ex. Freewrite about your use of digital tools for writing.
Middle stakes writing: teacher-directed, short writing tasks aimed at
practicing key skills (analyzing, synthesizing, critiquing, etc.) and
engaging with process of learning disciplinary knowledge; graded or
ungraded.
Ex. Write a one page analysis of Cindy Selfe’s theory of aural
composing.
High stakes writing: formal, audience-directed, engaged with
disciplinary conversations and poised to contribute to them; graded
assignment.
Ex. Write a formal researched argument (6-8 typed pages) on any
issue related to digital composing. Integrate source material to
support your claim.

4. Graded Writing Assignments
formal papers and essay exams that test and measure student
learning.
Alternatives: instead of formal paper, make paper optional or
use a series of shorter low and middle stakes writing
assignments, scaffolded throughout the course to build on one
another; instead of essay exam, combine short-answer and
essay questions and control the length of responses.

5. Ungraded Writing Assignments
designed to give students writing practice and to give
instructor feedback about student learning and teaching
effectiveness
can be used at beginning and/or middle of class to guide class
session; at end of class, to assess student comprehension of
lecture/discussion
ungraded could mean that students get credit (full or partial)
or no credit

6. Some Considerations Before Assigning Writing
(this and following slides adapted from John Bean’s Engaging Ideas)
Your learning goals for the class: What role do you want
writing to have in your course? What thinking skills are you
hoping students will develop and writing will facilitate?
How will writing assignments help students learn the course
material?
What do you anticipate will be the most difficult parts of your
course in terms of content and thinking skills? How can writing
function to address these difficulties?
How will you assess student writing? Why do you assess it?
What’s the value of writing in relation to your course and/or
disciplinary goals?
What do you reward in student writing?

7. Developing Writing Assignments
(adapted from Barbara Walvoord’sHelping Students Write Well:
A Guide for Teachers in All Disciplines)
Assignments should be articulated and distributed in writing
Assignments should clearly state the main action that is
expected (i.e., analysis, description, reflection, etc.)
Specifications should be clearly spelled out (i.e., purpose,
criteria, length, format, delivery expectations [hard copy,
email, Bb], due date, etc.)
Assignments should be written with student readers in mind
(define specialized terms)
Assignments require that you prepare students by teaching
relevant concepts and skills that you expect them to
demonstrate through completion of assignment

8. Ingredients of an Effective Assignment
(from Walvoord)
Audience: To whom are students writing?
Purpose: What is the writer’s purpose in writing this piece?
Topic: Are you giving students a broad topic area they must
narrow and define?
Length: How flexible are you on length?
Expectations: What criteria will you use to grade the papers?
Mechanics: What is the standard format, form for citations,
etc.?
Level of Polish: How important is the final polishing in relation
to grammar, spelling, and punctuation?
Process Strategies: What steps or strategies might be useful to
students in developing the paper?

9. Ways to Think about Writing Assignments
Approach writing assignments as building on one another to
enhance student learning.
Consider writing assignments as opportunities to add
complexity incrementally during a course.
Think of writing assignments as a progression of intellectual
and, if appropriate, conceptual tasks.
Writing assignments should have a logic within the course that
corresponds to overall learning objectives.

10. Low Stakes Writing Assignments
One-sentence summary: aimed at enhancing listening and
comprehension skills, sharpening summary writing skills, and providing
you with valuable feedback about student learning.
Task: articulate major points of lecture or segment of lecture through
targeted summary writing (i.e., “A question I have is…” or “The point of
today’s lecture is…”)
Uses: collect at end of class to gauge student comprehension or collect
at half way point, glance through and read several aloud, addressing
inconsistencies or points that seem unsettled—invite questions. Or
collect, mark with ✓+✓✓-, and use for keeping attendance.
Alternatively, ask students to swap summaries, read and discuss
briefly, then share discussion points with larger class.

11. Cont.
Opening freewrites: designed to connect readings to lectures,
encourage regular writing habits, get the class focused and on
task, and gather information for adjusting lectures to student
comprehension levels
Task: students write briefly at beginning of class in response to
open-ended question (i.e., What questions do you have about
our reading on evolution?) or specific ones (i.e., What is the
basis for Darwin’s theory of evolution?).
Uses: ask several students to read responses aloud and invite
others to discuss; use as the basis for discussion/lecture

12. Cont.
Chain notes: aimed at collecting snapshots of students’
understanding of a concept or idea; active and physical learning
activity
Task: instructor passes an envelope or small handful of
envelopes around with questions written on them, and students
write a response on an index card and put in the envelope
Uses: instructor can select a few cards to read aloud and
respond to or ask for student responses; quick way to gather
feedback on an aspect of the course; ask a small group of
students to pull out several cards and read one or two aloud as a
way to start discussion

13. Middle Stakes Writing Assignments
Journals: useful in leading students to apply concepts to their own life
experiences, to reflect on (rather than regurgitate) new knowledge,
and to chart their own learning in the course. They can be open-
ended, semi-structured or guided by the instructor.
Possible Tasks: catalogue encounters with a subject over the course of
a day; find current news articles and editorials about issues related to
the course and write brief responses to them; reflect (near the end of
the course) on how they think differently about X and about what
changes their new knowledge might make in their daily life habits and
choices.
Uses: Entries can be read quickly and impressionistically without
attention to form. A set of them might be turned in at the end of the
course in a mini-portfolio to be graded on a pass/fail basis.

14. Cont.
Shorter writing assignments that mimic phases in
more formal assignments:
If a principle learning goal of the course is to foster
students’ abilities to observe or read carefully,
employ an observation or reading assignment: a
two-page description of a designated object or a
one-page summary of a reading.
If you’d like to have students gain experience in
reading research materials without the whole
apparatus of the research paper, employ a directed
research assignment: two-page summary or
analysis of pre-selected research materials.

15. Cont.
If you believe that this course is one in which students
need to practice supporting an argumentative thesis with
evidence, you could assign a microtheme: one to two
page argument providing evidence (from lectures,
readings, reflections and information collected in short
writings, or from guided research analysis) in support of
a specific proposition stated in the assignment. Themes
can be written by collaborative groups or individuals.
These middle-stakes assignments will require more reading
time, but response, evaluation, and grading can be stream-
lined by using…

16. Sample of Evaluation Techniques
Minus/check/plus grading – These symbols indicate that an
assignment was done, give a rough estimation of its quality, and
take far less time than calculating and defending letter grades.
The features characteristic of papers earning each mark can be
covered in class.
Models feedback -- With this form of evaluation/grading,
teachers make no comments on papers. Instead, they provide
feedback through in-class discussion of selected essays. Select
an exemplary “A” response and put it on the overhead projector
(get permissions early in term). The “models feedback” comes
from a discussion of what constitutes an “A” response as well as
a discussion of typical problem areas found in weaker papers.
This discussion clarifies for students the writing and thinking
skills exhibited in strong papers, and reviews and recent course
material (the content part of your assignment) (Bean 236).

17. Sample Assignment #1
Final paper description for a 200-level education
class:
You are required to write a final paper,
approximately 3-5 double-spaced pages, in which
they apply theory, knowledge, and skills in the
areas of human learning and human development
theories through their unique lens of interest,
addressing areas of effective instructional,
disciplinary, and/or assessment practices and will
be evaluated on writing quality.

18. Sample #2
The nation is facing a variety of ecological problems that have
the following general form: an established practice, whether on
the part of business and industry or on the part of the public, is
contributing to serious health problems for a large number of
people. At the same time it would be costly to modify the
practice so as to reduce the health problem.
People often say that the answer is one of achieving a "balance"
between the amount of money we spend to correct the
problem and the number of lives we would save by that
expenditure.
Develop a point of view and some plausible criteria for telling
how one would determine this "balance." Make sure you
address any dilemmas inherent in your strategy for solving such
problems.
(from http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/a-sample-assignment-format/438)

19. Sample #3
Reading Journal. In this journal you might include entries that do any of the
following:
• define key terms
• engage with the readings through questions
• record and analyze passages of interest
• reflect on connections among the readings
• identify problems with a particular reading
• analyze cultural phenomena (images, websites, movies, clothing, etc.) through
the lens of our readings
• use lived experience to expand on or complicate the readings
I will collect your journal twice during the term. Each installment should include at
least 4 typed entries, totaling 8 typed entries by the second collection date. No
specified length for entries, though each one should represent a substantial effort
on your part to say something that goes beyond the obvious. I’ll read and grade
your journal holistically, focusing on conscientiousness, thoughtfulness, and critical
engagement with the material. I expect you to proofread and edit your entries and
to draw from our readings both by quoting directly and by referencing
debates/issues generally. The purpose of this assignment is to keep a running
inventory of your thinking over the quarter—in addition, I hope you’ll do some
writing here that informs your final research paper. (25% of total grade)

20. Sample #4
A different approach:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR4445u6TZw&feature=play
er_embedded

21. Works Cited
“Activities for Large Classes.” University of Waterloo: Centre
for Teaching Excellence, Web. 21 Feb. 2012.
Bean, John C. Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing,
Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. 2nd ed. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011. Print.
Gardner, Traci. “Ten Tips for Designing Writing Assignments.” Traci’s Lists
of Ten, 12 June 2005. Web. 21 Feb. 2012.
“Large Classes: A Teaching Guide Writing in Lectures.” University of
Maryland: Center for Teaching Excellence, 2008. Web. 21 Feb. 2012.
Walvoord, Barbara E. Helping Students Write Well: A Guide for Teachers in
all Disciplines. 2nd ed. New York: MLA, 1986. Print.
“Writing Assignments for Large Classes.” Web. 21 Feb. 2012.