I’ve been seeing a huge amount of discussion in the last couple of months about assessment—how do we do it better, what does good assessment consist of, how can a rubric help students in their learning? 

 But I can’t help but think that the discussion about assessment has to start in a different place—at the beginning.  If we are looking at an outcome without evaluating the assignment that created the outcome, then we are shortchanging our students and ourselves.  We can’t get an involved discussion in a classroom or in an online forum if the question that begins the discussion is not clear and focused.  We can’t expect essays or written assignments from students that demonstrate critical thinking if we have not created an assignment that explains and leads them in that direction.  Yes, our content teaching is important.  But if we want our students’ knowledge to shine through, we need to create the vehicle that will allow that.

 Here are a few pointers: 

•  Be specific.  If I want a substantive response, I need to tell folks what that means.  Respond to all of the articles?  Some of them?  Am I looking for a summary or an argument?
• Be inclusive.  Is this assignment a first step? What will the next step be? Too much information is always better (if it is clearly stated) than too little, and I can always repeat it later if they’ve forgotten.
• Be exclusive.  Leave out the things that don’t matter.  Just because I can work in my favorite quote or picture—that doesn’t make it pertinent or useful. 
• Be relevant.  It has to matter to folks, not just because they signed up for this course or discussion, but because it is relevant to or applicable to their lives.  That’s when I have the absolutely best discussions.  “Women between 20 and 55 use more healthcare than men.  Are insurance companies therefore justified in charging them more for health insurance?”  Now THAT was a discussion! And it would make a great research paper.