Using the LMS [Canvas] quiz function helps students walk through assignment expectations step-by-step
This post comes from the website Tips for Teaching Professors by Breana Bayraktar.
Published June 18, 2021
How do you typically tell students about the instructions for an assignment? I’m guessing you have them written up in a handout, that you perhaps print out but more likely just post in the LMS. You probably go over them orally, too – and by that, I mean read parts to the class and ask if anyone has questions. I admit this is what I have always done. And then I field the repeated, inevitable questions for the rest of the semester. As an alternative, you can use the LMS quiz function to walk students through assignment expectations step-by-step. Students have to affirmatively answer questions – ranging from a simple “Yes, I understand” to choosing between options – about different components of the assignment.
A question about the components of a research essay, for example, might ask them to think about how many different smaller assignments they’ll need to complete over the semester:
I really like this method because it chunks the expectations, pacing students through with frequent small questions (I’ve written previously about how important it is to chunk instruction in manageable pieces, here, here, and here, among others). This method asks students to engage – even if only minimally – with understanding what the assignment is about before they sit down to start the assignment. I’m really looking forward to implementing this idea in my fall classes.