Here are some of our thoughts on creating engaging research assignments that align with students’ abilities and library resources, which help students succeed in their classes and continue toward completion of their degree.
Librarians can be great collaborators with you through this process. If you would like feedback on your assignment from a librarian and our cohort of student ambassadors, including making it accessible, clear, and concise, please submit it below.
What instructors have said:
Thank you! I love the conciseness and the instructional links you included. I really appreciate the help in making the instructions more concise and clear for the students. –Allison England, Biology
Thank you for locating and putting together this information. Considering I was working with multiple documents, you’ve made it much easier to follow. The resources below are great. –Scott Carroll, Civil & Construction Engineering Technology
This draft looks great—thank you so much!! I really appreciate how you added clear instructions for each point and included an image for the poster in that TILT document. –Zainab Ahmed Naji, Biology
As the professor this was a great success to me. It was a fun thing to grade and walk them through. I definitely think there was more participation in the website than my video presentation assignment. I am going to play with other ways for them to express their knowledge and maybe allow some form of UDL next semester but we will see what I am up for. Thank you for all your help with this! –Rachel Glazener, Chemistry
OMG, these are GORGEOUS. Thanks so much to you and your library ambassadors. The instructions look SO good. The template. Oh my word. THANK YOU. The only thing I'll be changing is peppering in some surnames from non-English speaking countries (always working towards inclusiveness and sense of belonging). 🙂 This truly brightened my day. Please pass that on to the ambassadors. –Robyn James, Music
Your draft is a work of beauty---I made only minor changes, which you will see in the attached file... [The Screencast session was] Very impressive! I will nominate you for a videography reward. –Matthew Blanshei, Political Science
Thanks so much for the feedback! I need to tweak the assignment some more, but your suggestions were extremely helpful. –Elizabeth Hamblen, Biology
This is a massive help, so thank you. –Damon Murrah, English
Thank you for taking the time to propose revisions to my Informative Speech assignment for COMM 2025. I'm going to make a few additional revisions to how I roll out this assignment in the spring—I'll be in touch to discuss changes to the assignment and how I'll be leading the class through preparing for their speeches; some of the ways I'll be encouraging students to use resources on campus such as the library. –Dr. Michael Moode, Communications
Consider options outside of assigning a traditional research paper. Other formats may be very engaging for the students to connect with the information they are working with and can prevent monotonous grading sessions for you. Assignments that allow students to complete a project based on research include:
Here are some parameters to consider:
Scaffolding the assignment helps guide students with little experience through the research paper process by breaking it into smaller, manageable tasks with separate deadlines. This approach encourages better time management, as students are less likely to allocate enough time if tackling the assignment as a whole, particularly when they lack prior experience with college-level research.
Possible sections to break the assignment into are:
Indicate the expected length of time each part should take for the students to complete, so that they allot a proper amount of their time to the assignment so that they can be successful.
Best practices in teaching in higher education settings include providing the following information on assignments:
What skills will the students practice from doing this assignment?
What knowledge will they gain from this particular assignment?
How does it relate to the students' real lives?
What do the instructors expect them to do?
How do they do it?
Come up with a checklist of expectations.
Show examples of what work looks like when it meets those expectations and sometimes when it doesn't.
Performance - What should the learner be able to do?
Conditions - Under what conditions do you want the learner to be able to do it?
Criterion - How well must it be done? (Mager, 1997, p. 46)
Example:
Performance: The learner should be able to recite their poem...
Conditions: ...in under 5 minutes from memory in front of the class...
Criterion: ...speaking clearly, at a medium pace (not quickly or slowly), and at a volume that can be heard by everyone in the classroom which displays a level of competency that indicates the presentation was well-practiced.
Sometimes students are not sure where to get help with their assignment. It can be very helpful to them if the assignment includes a section that identifies who they should ask for help if they find they are struggling. See example below.
Questions about:
Scanning the contents or index of the course textbook may be helpful in choosing a general topic.
The library has a collection of over 100 databases containing high quality scholarly, credible, and reputable sources for students to use that they will not be able to access on the open Web for free.
Students can search in OneSearch or in specific databases. OneSearch will search through most of the library’s databases at once, but not all of them. Some databases are highly specialized and provide search options that will allow for highly specific searches. Depending on the subject, specific databases can the best place for students to search for sources (ex. literature, psychology, and business). If you are unsure, ask a librarian for available options and recommendations.
When choosing website sources, .gov, .edu, .mil, and sometimes .org websites can be excellent sources. Students can limit their searches to specific domains by entering keywords about their subject, and then adding site:gov, site:edu, site:mil, or site:org.
Consider the course level, type of project, and students’ reading levels when choosing the minimum required source type level. Clarifying this information can greatly assist your students and librarians in finding appropriate sources for their assignment.
Reputable Sources (written by a reputable journalist or organization to a public audience)
Credible Sources (written by an expert to a public audience)
Scholarly Articles (written by an expert to an expert audience)
Peer-reviewed Articles (written by an expert to an expert audience and reviewed by experts before publication)
The library’s print resources are limited and cannot adequately cover all topics. A careful review should be performed before limiting students to using print resources.
How old is too old for resources students might use for the research project? Here are some examples:
5 years: Usually considered current, but it depends on the topic.
2 years: Best for medical or technology topics.
No age restrictions: Literature and history topics.
Indicate which citation style students will be required to use for their research project. APA and MLA are the only citation styles supported by the college. Assistance for students from tutors or librarians with other citation styles are limited.
APA Style: Often used for education, psychology, and sciences.
MLA Style: Often used for language arts, cultural studies, and other humanities disciplines.
Now that the assignment has been written, test-drive the assignment using three different topics and taking them through the same path as the assignment was written to make sure the assignment instructions work for each topic.
A librarian is an excellent partner in conducting this search. They can use this information to make clear and easy-to-follow instructions for your students.
Here are some research tools to consider providing to your students. Partner with a librarian to collaborate with or request their input to fine-tune custom tools you have created for your students.
We offer live sessions on any campus, at high schools, online, and during evenings or weekends. Complete the Request Instruction form to schedule a time for a librarian to visit your class and provide library instruction. The librarian’s presentation can be customized to suit your needs.
Another option is to use the library’s video tutorials or request a custom video tutorial for your class. Or we can record a session tailored to your students' needs!
Both college-ready and not-college-ready students who participate (live or tutorial) have the highest passing rates and grades among their non-participant peers.
There are several common problems that can slow students down, cause them to struggle, and may even motivate them to give up.
If you have questions about or suggestions for this guide, please contact us at Ask a Librarian.
Here is an example assignment that has been annotated with best practices.
Upload a Word version of your assignment and any other associated resources to get feedback from a librarian.
Let us know if there is anything you would like us to focus on or research tools you would like us to help you create.
If you are reimagining an assignment and would like to talk it out with us, please schedule a research appointment with us!
