The Power of Letting Them Know: Transparent Assignments
Abstract: We’ve heard it before, both in academia and business. If you cannot figure out an assignment, maybe this class/job/career is not for you. How can our assignments help build confidence and satisfaction, in order to facilitate knowledge? Transparent teaching methods help students understand how and why they are learning course content (Winkelmes, 2013). It makes the process of learning transparent—letting students know what to expect (Berrett, 2015). It creates honesty, courage, and trust (Arvidson and Huston, 2008). This best practices session introduces the application of transparent teaching, provides an assignment example, and shares students’ evaluations. During the session we will review the three main considerations of transparent teaching: the task, the purpose and the criteria. Transparency principles have uses across disciplines and industries. The presentation will be a springboard for participants to rethink their learning assignments and apply these concepts immediately.
Presider: Nathan Love, Western Kentucky University