Building Better Research Assignments

Incorporate Library Resources in Assignments

In order to ensure that students understand the Library's citation and research supports and where to locate them, feel free to copy and/or adapt any of the instruction in your research assignments.
 

Phrases to use in citation instructions:

• It is important to cite your sources using APA citation style. For citation templates and examples, refer to the Seneca Libraries APA citation guide: APA Citation
• It is important to cite your sources using MLA citation style. For citation templates and examples, refer to the Seneca Libraries MLA citation guide: MLA Citation
• If you are unsure about what to cite, or how to cite it, attend a Seneca Libraries workshop on citation. Find the schedule here: Citing Sources
   

Phrases to use in research instructions:

• Start your research by using Seneca Libraries subject guides. These guides include recommended databases and other resources that provide a good starting point for research: Subject Guides Index (choose a relevant subject guide to link to)
• Questions about finding information? Schedule a research appointment to meet with a Seneca Libraries staff member to discuss your research. In the appointment, Library staff can help locate useful databases and search strategies: Research Appointments
• Evaluate information sources to ensure they are reliable. One method of evaluating information is the CRAAP method. CRAAP gives a set of criteria (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) that will help you decide if a source is suitable for your research: Library Research for Students: Evaluate Information  

Tips for Writing Research Assignment Instructions

Creating clear research assignment instructions is important to ensure a positive student learning experience, and grading experience for you! Clear instructions that are easy to follow and feasible to complete will improve the likelihood that the assignments submitted match your expectations of what is assigned. 
 

Write Clear Instructions

1. Read your assignment prompts carefully. What assumptions are you making about your students' knowledge of academic conventions? Our students come from a wide range of educational backgrounds and we need to ensure that the assignment instructions are accessible to all of them.
2. Ask someone not connected to your course to read your assignment. This could be a colleague, Seneca's Teaching and Learning Department, a friend or family member, or your liaison librarian. Ask them to restate the instructions in their own words and let you know if there are any sections that they think are unclear.
    

Why are these instructions confusing?

Confusion will arise since legitimate sources of information are found through the "web" via the Seneca Libraries website. What differentiates Seneca Libraries sources is that they are not freely available websites, but rather, are part of the Seneca Libraries digital collection which includes licensed resources such as ebooks and e-articles from newspapers, magazines and journals. In order to gain access to the Seneca Libraries digital collection, Seneca faculty and students must authenticate by using their learn email username and password.

Write Feasible Instructions

1. Try doing the assignment yourself to test its feasibility and ensure there are a variety of sources available.
2. Be specific and use appropriate terminology in your assignment instructions.
3. Ensure that the sources you are asking students to use align with the types of sources that will provide the information they need.

Why are the instructions not feasible?

When you include directions as to which type of source students may use (e.g., articles, websites, books, etc.), you must be sure that the type of information they need matches the type of information they are likely to find in that source. For example, for overviews on a topic, encyclopedia articles and websites are recommended. Peer reviewed articles are recommended for in-depth analysis of a subject rather than an overview.