A good final project incorporates everything the student has learned in the course. It lends structure and meaning to the assignments that precede it, and it offers the student a chance to demonstrate mastery of course material in a way that is authentic to the subject matter. In an introductory nutrition course, for example, a good final project might ask students to complete an educational flyer or develop a blueprint for a blog. Both of these assignments help students cultivate skills they will use in the discipline.

A bad final project is unrelated to course material. It fails to provide context; that is, it does not explain why students should complete the project besides simply fulfilling a course requirement. It asks students to complete rote, uninspiring work. It does not engage or inspire; it requires only a dreary slog to the finish line.

The development of creative, authentic assignments that align with course objectives is always an exciting process. However, guiding students with clearly written assignment instructions can be challenging.

We owe it to our busy online students to provide clear, concise instructions that prepare them for success. This week’s blog will provide some tips to help you to do just that.

Using the writing process – often a complex, messy and mysterious process for students – is crucial for graduate-level success.

Students not only need to grapple with understanding course concepts, but they must also be able to express them professionally and intelligently.

Well-designed writing prompts, with the addition of writing support, can provide the extra guidance many students need.

Discussion forums are a hallmark of asynchronous online courses like those at UNE. Previous posts on this site have offered an excellent introduction to Best Practices for Discussion Board Facilitation, and an overview of current conversations around learning outcomes and instructional implications of online discussion forums. In this post, I aim to provide a closer look by offering practical tips for writing discussion forum prompts and instructor posts in relation to intended learning outcomes. In a future blog post, I will propose a two-level discussion model as a way to meet the competing goals of discussions as a space for creative exploration of ideas, versus discussions as a venue for more formal academic discourse.

People often talk about personal integrity, but what about paragraph integrity?

An essential part of clear prose, paragraph integrity means each sentence within a paragraph follows from the one that came before. Oftentimes a piece of writing is unclear because it lacks paragraph integrity.

The College of Graduate and Professional Studies, the Center for the Enrichment of Teaching and Learning, and the Student Academic Success Center, came together to weigh in on the benefits of assignment and course scaffolding, as discussed in the video below.

Good questions require thought and careful word choices.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS
In their simplest form, there are two very basic categories of questions: closed-ended questions and open-ended questions. Each question type has a place in education as well as its own benefits and drawbacks.

A closed-ended question can be answered with a simple one-word answer (i.e. Good, yes, no, blue, 42) or a very specific answer. Closed questions are typically less stimulating than an open-ended question. These tend to be questions that ask the responder to recall a fact or choose from a selection of answers. The answer is typically correct or incorrect, with little room for ambiguity.