Do:
- Consider the purpose of the assignment, does it directly relate to goals of your course and help students understand the role information plays in your subject?
- Prepare your students for the assignment: share the purpose, the expectations for the final product and the steps involved in the process.
- Establish milestones for pieces of the assignment to help students make progress as well as to eliminate opportunities for plagiarism.
- Consult with your Subject Librarian on the assignment. We can ensure the library has the resources you want your students to use and can identify areas of potential difficulty.
- Provide the library with a copy of the assignment.
Avoid:
- Using a single topic or a single source for the entire class. You can use Course Reserves or link to online sources in D2L. Be sure to create Persistent URLs to articles.
- Requiring resources that are not readily available. Contact your Subject Librarian to check on availability of resources you want to have your students use.
- Using "Scavenger Hunts" for specific pieces of information – they are often frustrating and don’t achieve your goals. Consult with your Subject Librarian about this kind of assignment to make sure it meets your objectives and will be successful.
