When you first receive an assignment, you need to not simply skim the contents of the guidelines and directions. Your assignment sheet is your gateway to an "A"!
Your instructor has created directions to help guide you toward a desired outcome. Your instructor actually wants you to do really well on your essay. After all, that means less red-pen marks for her to have to make in the long run, and it means better comprehension by you, thus showing adequate completion of the course.
By taking 20-minutes to read over your assignment directions—carefully and with a highlighter in hand—you will be sure to not miss any important concepts or guidelines for the paper. Knowing what to look for in your assignment directions page is as important as the research you will conduct to complete your assignment. Take the time to review the information below to learn tips and tricks to better understanding your assignments. The first step in getting an “A” on an assignment is actually providing your instructor what she wants to see in your writing. How do you show your instructor what she is asking for in your paper??? You understand the ins-and-outs of the assignment.
Understanding Assignments
Purpose:
The purpose of any assignment should be clearly marked. It may be posted as is shown here—with the purpose bolded and detailed. However, it may be part of the assignment directions, or the purpose may become clear from the assigned textbook readings that accompany the assignment. Make sure that you know the purpose before moving on to the next step. After all, Understanding an assignment thoroughly will only take 20-minutes, but the rewards, in the form of points for the assignment, are great!
Assignment Directions:
Often, an instructor will provide an actual topic for a writing assignment. Maybe the will be something listed such as compare and contrast the between academic writing and technical writing. In this case, the student should highlight the words compare and contrast as well as academic writing and technical writing. This paper will focus on BOTH similarities & differences between academic and technical writing. The paper will not stray from this topic. The paper will not elaborate on this topic, and the paper will not report on this topic. The goal is for a student tow follow the specific writing style: compare/contrast while focusing on the writing topic academic and technical writing.
Things to look for to understand the assignment:
1. Assigned Readings: The readings for the week should be on the academic 'style' of writing (in this case, comparing and contrasting) in academic essays. However, there may be other aspects in the readings that will let you know what your instructor is expecting proficiency in when you submit the paper. Any readings assigned prior to this assignment are fair-game as well, as your instructor will assume you have done the reading assignments and processed them into your bank-of-knowledge.
Understanding Assignments
Purpose:
The purpose of any assignment should be clearly marked. It may be posted as is shown here—with the purpose bolded and detailed. However, it may be part of the assignment directions, or the purpose may become clear from the assigned textbook readings that accompany the assignment. Make sure that you know the purpose before moving on to the next step. After all, Understanding an assignment thoroughly will only take 20-minutes, but the rewards, in the form of points for the assignment, are great!
Assignment Directions:
Often, an instructor will provide an actual topic for a writing assignment. Maybe the will be something listed such as compare and contrast the between academic writing and technical writing. In this case, the student should highlight the words compare and contrast as well as academic writing and technical writing. This paper will focus on BOTH similarities & differences between academic and technical writing. The paper will not stray from this topic. The paper will not elaborate on this topic, and the paper will not report on this topic. The goal is for a student tow follow the specific writing style: compare/contrast while focusing on the writing topic academic and technical writing.
Things to look for to understand the assignment:
1. Assigned Readings: The readings for the week should be on the academic 'style' of writing (in this case, comparing and contrasting) in academic essays. However, there may be other aspects in the readings that will let you know what your instructor is expecting proficiency in when you submit the paper. Any readings assigned prior to this assignment are fair-game as well, as your instructor will assume you have done the reading assignments and processed them into your bank-of-knowledge.
2. Grading Rubrics: Often—especially in English writing courses—an instructor will provide students with the grading rubric to which the student will be scored and evaluated upon once the assignment is submitted. Be certain to look for such a grading tool so that you can be sure that you know what your grade will be based upon from the writing.
3. Assignment Checklist: Often—especially in English writing courses—an instructor will provide students with an assignment checklist to aid the student in revising and editing the assignment prior to submission. This document is critical for examination prior to submission.
4. Word Count and Source Usage: There will be a word count and source requirement listed somewhere in the directions sheet IF the instructor has such requirements for your assignment. If these requirements are not listed directly in the assignment directions sheet, you will want to double check the class syllabus to make sure that such specifics were not established as part of the course requirements established in the syllabus.
5. Due Date: No instructor will assign work without setting a due date. If the due date is not typed directly into the assignment directions, check your course calendar or the syllabus for such dates. All instructors must keep courses moving along at a preset pace or content will not be covered by the end of the semester. Trust me…there IS a pre-set due date. Plan your assignment steps according to how long you have to brain-storm, pre-write, conduct research, and draft the outline for your paper. These initial steps are necessary prior to ever writing out actual body paragraphs.
6. Documentation Style: All academic essays must be formatted according to one of the documentation styles accepted by your institution. Some institutions allow instructors to determine formatting requirements, while others have students use the formatting/documentation style that will be expected for the field in which the student is seeking a degree. Review the assignment directions sheet for such indications. If your documentation style is not clearly listed in the directions for your assignment, review your syllabus for such a requirement. If you do not find this information in either place, be certain to contact your instructor as soon as possible, for I assure you she will be looking for your writing to follow a specific style of formatting.
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