assignments help

assignments help

Strategies for Effective Assignment Completion in Higher Education

1. Introduction to Academic Assignments

We asked professors who deliver semester-long study skills workshops to encourage students to copy and paste the introduction of their next written assignment and to reflect on what they understood and thought was important about this assignment as it related to its genre or form.

Because we focus on the processes of understanding and then operationalizing an assignment to do the work, we investigated these two related yet distinctive aspects of the assignment experience. An assignment can take a variety of shapes: a primary source analysis exercise, a critical review, a case study, a patient care study in written or presentation form, an evaluation, an ‘other’ type of project, an essay in question and answer format, or as a comic strip.

Currently, many students in higher education are disappointed when assignments come back with a lower grade than expected and may feel they worked hard enough for the grade they wanted. The assignment mystery shopping activity was designed to find out what students discover when they examine and understand a new assignment to the satisfaction of a professor. We also wanted to know how students actually prepare an assignment when we offer strategies, tips, and tricks in semester-long study skills workshops.

Written assignments signal not only what students are learning, but they also show faculty how students can argue for and communicate an original point of view in the discourse of the discipline. Assignments are also an efficient way to monitor student learning and are a common measure of academic achievement. As a result, well over 90% of faculty say that they assign more writing than they can grade.

When students enter higher education, they have to engage with a considerable number of academic assignments such as essays, group projects, presentations, papers, projects, and arts-based performances. These assignments are used to measure and develop students’ understanding of course material, and in many cases, to award marks towards the final grade. Longer writing assignments, in particular, have been identified as important in the learning process, and doing well on these assignments is linked with greater overall academic success.

2. Effective Time Management Techniques

Before reading forward, the reader might wish to take the quiz below to see 1) how his/her skills in time management rate with those of typical successful students, 2) (if he/she has taken the Course Planning Assignment) how well those skills in time management match up with the actual organization of his/her time spent on a recent learning task. All items require you to guess about some aspect of the answers of successful students on the BASIS survey. In practice, an overall score close to 10 can be considered high, 6-10 medium, low.

Time management is of utmost importance for college students, and it may take somewhat different skills to do the planning and organization of time needed to accomplish various tasks associated with a given course. In any case, the successful completion of these tasks can be considered important in their own right, as a learning experience and as a means of expression, but they may also be taken as indirect evidence that various subskills required by the course are in place.

3. Research and Information Gathering Skills

It is important to search for relevant literature and useful theories to support your work. It is important to evaluate sources, referencing appropriately, and check the validity of the sources. Compile a reading list of sources which you can later work on, including details of sources in the bibliography. By opting for credible and reliable sources, this conveys an impression of the quality and validity of your assignment. You will have mastered conducting online book, journal, and topic searches well. Few databases will have secrets from you. Libraries will always hold a thrill, but with more emphasis on and provision of electronic services, you feel prepared for an era of rapid change, heavy on technology and flexibility in researching and studying. You will know where to go, or have someone to ask for further advice. You will be familiar with the principles of searching electronic databases and have experience of using specific databases such as CINAHL and OVID (e.g. for health-related journals), Business Source Premier (for business-related publications), and an array of other bibliographic databases for specific subject areas. The following resource is designed to help you refine your research skills for the next stage of the assessment – review the details of the subsequent assessment carefully so you can focus your research and develop additional skills as required.

Research and information gathering skills form the foundation for all academic modules and assignments. This section, therefore, references skills that have already been developed as part of the module or represents suitable advice on how students can most effectively gather information. This may cover the various styles of sources that can be used, but also the means through which they can be located – such as using libraries, search engines, or specific websites or portals. Students can also be directed to other skills within this resource that can support them to plan and carry out an effective research strategy. The advice provided is often generic and refers to the advice given with the ‘discovering your information landscape’ theme. The advice can also be pulled together to form a separate ‘research and information gathering skills’ document. Information learned from researching and writing can inform students and colleagues and network with your academic or professional community.

4. Critical Thinking and Analysis in Assignments

The three cornerstones of critical analysis are: a questioning attitude, knowledge of the methods of logical reasoning and support of belief, and the need for evidence to solve real-world problems. Students are also encouraged to critically assess the way knowledge is produced, by discussing whenever practical in an assignment how particular authorities have come to their beliefs. Students are also encouraged to develop an awareness of their subjective experiences and anticipate the emotions and needs that can impact the ability to think critically. Critical thinking skills contribute to a textbook’s fluency and well-constructed assignments that the audience can follow, engage the audience in their field, and propose an original drive of the idea and create an argumentative. Argumentation is particularly important at the higher levels of the cognitive domain. Argumentation will be important in your text. Did you agree with the statement? Justify your response; i.e. present the best evidence for your argument. Anecdotal arguments will be less effective than others.

The white paper on improving critical analysis skills and disposition indicates that students can develop their critical thinking skills over time to reach the same levels of intellectual performance. There are various processes that students can use to apply critical analysis in practical uses. When working on an assignment, your tutor reference can help you adapt these processes. Your tutor reference can introduce you to the sorts of biases to look for and provide assistance in overcoming some of the barriers to critical thinking.

5. Strategies for Writing and Editing

By giving a list of references, even if students don’t utilize them, provides a list of possible resources students could view themselves. Information is presented in a coherent sequence. You cannot assume background knowledge of the audience. A brief summation of future work is included at the end of the written assignment. Students must submit a reflective writing piece of 2-3 pages answering the following questions: In 2-3 pages, please discuss and reflect on your experience completing the assignment. Your text should demonstrate how you engaged in and practiced McKeachie (2013) principles of effective teaching and learning: Use it or lose it, we learn by doing, just telling students is not enough, and feedback is crucial. If you did not incorporate McKeachie principles, be sure to address why you did not use them, as well. Your paper will be graded based on content, organization, and writing mechanics. Be sure to communicate your ideas with clarity, coherence, and organization.

What specific strategies do students utilize when composing an assignment? Do instructors only provide students with the assignment, or do they also help students map out a specific way to break down their tasks and determine when each task is complete? Further, are there exercises or graphic organizers used to brainstorm and plan out writing? At what stage of the writing process does writing or composition take place? Can composition be done at any stage, or just during certain stages? Do instructors suggest proofreading and editing techniques to students? Do the students go to the writing center or find a friend or colleague to help them in any editing or proofreading? Is there a way to measure how much a student revises? What constitutes a “revision?” Instructors could consider discussing with students a particular idea or approach about writing assignments that they find most successful. For instance, standard instruction in the care and use of language, or writing should be clear, clean, and coherent, no superfluous words are necessary. Reference systems, punctuation, etc., are all included in a report, presentation, or written summary. All the sources you might use are also included in its final form.