Research assignments offer opportunities for students to practice critical thinking, engage with varying perspectives, and create new knowledge. To create research assignments that allow all students to engage in and express their learning, we must design with equity of access and outcomes in mind. During this session, we will discuss how to scaffold research assignments, incorporate student choice into assignment design, and strategies for engaging students as co-collaborators in the design process. Participants should bring either a syllabus or a research assignment they would like to revise; or an idea for a research assignment that they would like to create.

The more we understand the aspects of this process that students find overwhelming, the better we become at creating alternatives to traditional research papers or building in opportunities for students to develop their own paths to learning. Beginning with what students struggle with the most, this workshop will propose strategies for designing assignments that are scaffolded and manageable for students without sacrificing academic rigor.

This workshop is a collaboration between the University Center for Teaching and Learning and the University Library System.