Assignment Ideas (SME Version)

Using Generative AI

Using the instructions for an assignment, the student prompts generative AI to produce a draft. The student gives feedback based on the instructions to the AI produced prompt as if it were another student. The student may agree or disagree with the bot with rationale for the choices made. The rationale should be supported by credible sources

Another AI generated assignment consists of the student submitting a first draft of a written assignment asking AI for help with any or all of the following: content, organization, clarity, conciseness, or anything else that they want help with. The student then revises/keeps AI’s version or keeps their original version with rationale on the choice they made.

Article Discovery

Using appropriate databases, students find articles about a given topic, posting in a discussion forum along with a brief summary. Students may also be required to comment on a certain number of other articles, demonstrating that they have read articles/summaries posted by their peers.

Audio Slideshow

Students narrate a series of images, such as in a PowerPoint.

Board of Directors

Students have to research and recruit for a “board of directors” for a fictitious institute/organization. The students have to find experts in the field, examine their research, and justify why they would be good people to have on the board of the organization. Great real world example, and gets students to look up real people in the field of interest.

Case Studies

Students read and summarize case studies. Students can also examine a case study and recommend next steps. Alternatively, students create a case study.

Charts

Students are tasked with creating charts that are meant to visually convey data or other information.

Classroom Presentation

Have students use course content and turn it into a presentation to a middle school/high school classroom.

Concept Maps

Students produce diagrams or drawings that show and name the connections between major concepts and other concepts, facts, or principles that they have learned. Very useful in courses requiring conceptual learning

Crowdsourcing Discussion

Students research an example of a topic and report back in the discussion, which collects a large number of examples for all to see.

Digital Storytelling

Students lay out a storyboard with a plan for a narrative using photos and video. Using voiceover, they tell a story on any given topic, then create a final short video to share.

Directed Paraphrasing

Ask students to write a layman’s “translation” of something they have just learned—geared to a specified individual or audience—to assess their ability to comprehend and transfer concepts. This was done in ANIM 303 with the students translating layman’s terms as recorded by the SME into animal medical terminology.

End of Course Reflection

Students write a reflection in Week 5/8, based on something they posted in Week 1.

Expert/Specialist/Researcher Profiles

Find at least X different researchers, experts, specialists, related to your topic. Create a spreadsheet containing information for each researcher, listing their affiliation (university or organization they work for), species studied, professional contact information, and primary area of research (physiology, ecology, etc). Find a peer-reviewed publication for each researcher. Include a link to the article in your spreadsheet as well as a sentence summary of their findings.

Response, if used as a discussion: Respond on the discussion board to at least two other students, ideally who are working in the same project location as you. In your response, share contacts you found that they did not list. Provide advice on how you found your researchers and which you think will be most helpful to contact as you plan your consultation bid presentation. If no other students are working in the same project location, compare the differences in researcher affiliations and focuses. Skim through at least one of the publications they posted and list out research methods they used in their studies that may be helpful as you plan your projects.

Explanation

Students are instructed to take a complex topic and explain it in their own words, recording it on video. Can be shared with the instructor only or in a discussion to share with fellow students.

Fact Sheet

Students create an informational handout with summarized, bulleted facts about the topic.

Gallery “Walks” using Discussions

Students submit their assignment or project as a Discussion post in order to let their classmates view them and comment on them.

Glossary Building

Use google docs to build a resource where they share information with one another. Assignments could be to find a picture and describe/analyze, find a website and summarize, define terms, chapter and concept summaries, create entry and peer assessment, or develop Q and A study guide.

Graphics and Posters

Students create an interesting infographic, poster, pictogram, or image to share. Canva and Pictographic are useful sites for this. Canva even has a list of teaching ideas and lesson plans to use with the app.

Groups without using Canvas Groups

You can do last name, first name, birth month, etc.

Habitat Assessments/ Species Inventories for Field Work

Students collect data in the field that will be compiled into a report

Infographic

Students represent data or some other concept visually, with minimal text. We typically recommend Adobe Express or Canva, but students may use any program they are experienced with.

Local Investigation

Students investigate a course-related topic at the local level. For example, water pollution, land erosion, invasive species, etc… This can be extended by having the students create a presentation as if they are presenting to the local city/town council on the idea. Or have them do it in real life.

Logo/Branding Assignment

Courses requiring the creation of a branded element, logo, or other business-related materials may offer a text-only based logo or a descriptive concept for a logo rather than its actual production.

Low-Stakes Quizzes; Quizzes as an assignment

Use Quizzes DifferentlyShort, self-grading, low-stakes quizzes can be used in place of classroom activity. This type of quiz can keep students on track (and accountable). They can be used to make sure students are completing the readings and are understanding core concepts.

Meme

Memes often derive meaning from a replicable visual format and common language or expressions. Students may create a text-based meme and/or use a stock photo (often the subject of memes) to complete their meme. Templates for memes are also commonly available and could be provided to students to facilitate their creation of a meme.

Peer Review using Discussions

Students submit a work for peer review to the discussion as their initial posts, then claim peers' work to review, which they complete as their response posts.

Photo Essay

Students create a series of images about a topic or concept. These can be students' own photos or found from online repositories.

Portfolio

Students create an Adobe Express Page that displays their portfolio of work from the course. This format emphasizes a visual display and integration of the different components.

Poster

Using such software as Canva or Adobe Express, create a poster as a means to present written and visual information in a variety of different scenarios and for a variety of audiences.

Presentation

Ask students to make a presentation using PowerPoint with voiceover, screencasting, or by making an instructional video. Then, after they share it online, ask the rest of the class to pose a question about the presentation or respond with constructive criticism. This can be done using Discussions in Canvas.

Pros/Cons

Students create a pro/con presentation or diagram.

Share the News using Discussions

Using appropriate news sources, students share a link to an article and give a summary using blog or forum feature in Moodle. Website Paper.li allows students to easily create a newspaper-style page using content from a variety of popular news sources, magazines, and social media.

Sign (Digital Park Signs using Adobe Express)

Students communicate information to a specific audience by creating a park sign for a National Park or nature preserve. Example: WCON 201 has students create a species interaction chart with an accompanying report.

Social Media Posts

Students create mock social media posts as themselves commenting on a topic or from the perspective of an expert in the field.

Student-created Quizzes

Students create quiz questions based on the material that their peers then have to answer.

Venn Diagram

Students create their own Venn Diagram on a topic, which allows them to show both commonalities and unique traits between two items.

Video or Podcast and Discussion Questions

Students are given discussion questions to answer after watching video content or listening to a podcast. To find helpful content, see the "content support" box and streaming media on this page.Responses can be submitted a number of ways in Canvas, using assignment, quiz, or discussion tool.

Website

Using any number of free software, create a website as an assignment or an entire Course Project. Use Google Sites or any other software to help students create the site.

Writing Assignments

Journals, reflection essays, and written responses are all appropriate online activities that can be assigned and submitted using the assignment activity in Canvas. Writing assignments can be uploaded, graded, and returned on Moodle in various ways (as attachments, inline text). Rubrics can be helpful to define how students will be graded.