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Creating Successful Research Assignments: Home

Guidelines for creating research assignments for students.

Welcome!

This guide will provide helpful tips for faculty for creating successful research assignments for your students. These are tips compiled by librarians who help students with their research assignments on a daily basis.

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A Research assignment is effective when:

  • it clearly states goals and objectives
  • it is aligned with course content and learning outcomes
  • its results are meaningful for students
  • students learn lasting/transferable skills
  • it includes criteria by which assignment will be evaluated
  • it is communicated in writing and discussed in class
  • terms are clearly defined - for example, "web," "scholarly," "academic"

*adapted from Oberlin College Library

Please remember:

  • Students often know less about research than we (or they) think
  • Students often have a hard time focusing and finding an appropriate scope for their topic
  • Students often do not know about the scholarly communication process
  • Students often have a hard time critically evaluating search results and sources.
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