Do Your Students Really Understand Your Assignment?

Self-regulated learning

Why is it that some students completely miss the mark on assignment?  Didn't they read the instructions or listen when lecturer took time in class to explain the criteria?  It seems like such a waste of time and enery, for both of lecturer and  students, when students complete an academic task in a way that does not fulfil lecturer expectations or advance their understanding, in the way lecturer had hoped.

Task understanding refers to the interpretation a student develops of an academic task. It involves

• Figuring out what lecturers are being asked to do and why lecturers are being asked to do it
• activating relevant knowledge and experiences of the task, content, and lecturer as a learner
• constructing a personal representation of an externally assigned task

Why do students realize they are having problems?

1. During task completion-indicators that task understanding may be incomplete or inaccurate include:
   • not knowing what to do
   • not knowing how well they are doing, or
   • not being sure if this is what they are supposed to be doing
     
2. After receiving feedback-indicators that there may have been a problem with task understanding include:
   • a poor grade
   • an oral or written comment indicating that the student was off track
   • comparison with other assignments that indicate other students did something completely different.
     
3. Never-Many students do not realize that they had inaccurate or incomplete task understanding even after receiving feedback.  From the research of Butler&Cartier(2004) shows that students often attribute the problem to something else such as poor time management, not having a repertoire of strategies to complete the task, having a bad lecturer, or applying insufficient effort.

Why are academic tasks so difficult to understand?

    Academic tasks constitute much more than a list of specific instructions and criteria in a course outline.  They are layered with both explicit and implict requirements, deeply embedded in discipline specific thinking and presentation genres, and described with discipline specific language.  Successful students may be more capable and strategic in deciphering there aspects of task understanding because they develop understanding of the

• Explicit task by identifying and accurately interpreting: criteria, standards, grading, and language
• Implicit task by considering
  • the purpose of task
  • the timing of the task in relating to other activities and readings
  • concepts and strategies necessary for completing the task
  • connections between this task other course activities
• Socio-cultural aspects of the task by considering
  • disciplinary beliefs and genres for writing and thinking
  • lecturer values for learning
  • beliefs about knowledge and thinking in this course

What can instructors do to help students with task understanding?

Butler&Cartier(2004) make the following recommendation.

1. In the selecton of academic tasks, ensure that lecturer makes explicit
   • the goals for student learning
   • specific tasks that are required
   • the nature of academic works associated with this task
2. When writing assignment instructions, include explicit directions for monitoring and evaluating their conceptions of the task and strategies for completing this academic work
3. in the design of evaluation practices
   • match evaluation criteria carefully to task purposes
   • engage students in self-evaluation of the assignment
   • require students to actively interpret the feedback that lecturer give them to ensure that they understand the purpose of the assignment

Rather than simplifiying academic tasks, Butler&Cartier(2004) suggest lecturer should assign challenging but achievable tasks as well as tasks that require some deciphering, thinking and problem solving.  Hadwin recommends three strategies to help students navigate the task itself:

• Make task analysis a graded part of course assignments.  For example, ask students to identify the purpose and criteria of assigned tasks in their own words such as
  • Why are you being assigned this task?
  • How does this task fit in with other course readings, lectures, and activities?
  • What does lecturer value in student work?
  • What kind of thinking are you being asked to do?
  • What are the criteria for this task?
  • How will you be graded for this task?
• Support collaborative task analysis.  For example, have four students individually analyze task, share their understanding with one another and then collaboratively co-construct a description of the task that is submitted for grades.
• Emphasize post task discussion and analysis.  When course tasks are completed, graded, or given feedback, engage students in reflecting upon what went well and why, as well as, did not go well and why.  Students can interview one another, or engage in a reflective assignment.  The advantage of this approach is that it
  • engages students in serious reflection about the grade and feedback
  • provides the lecturer with an idea about how students interpret feedback.

References:

Butler, D & Cartier, S (2004), ' Promoting effective task interpretation as an important work habit: a key to successful teaching and learning.Teachers College Record,vol.106,pp.1729-1758

Hadwin, A (Under review), 'What do university students tell us about strategically self-regulating their learning.' Studies in Higher Education.

 

[อาจารย์ อ้อม ฐิติรัตน์ สุวรรณสม]

Very interesting indeed. I think we can inform them explicitly these techniques at the very beginning of the course so they can monitor their study and do the assignment more efficiently...:-)

Nice to read your English blog entry

Cheers!

[ผศ.ดร.วศิน เหลี่ยมปรีชา]

Thank you อาจารย์ อ้อม for visiting my blog

Cheers!