Writing Assignment Checklist: Have you included information on the following?
 Purpose/learning outcomes/justification
o What is the academic goal of the assignment?
 Audience/context/role
o Why are the students writing, to whom and from what position?
 Genre
o What type of assignment is this: a research paper, a reflection, creative non-fiction, a
lab report, an essay?
 Process
o Does the assignment have stages, required revision? Do you have suggestions for the
writing/research process?
 Topic/Subject
o What is the focus of their writing? How broad/narrow is the topic?
 Key verb/Task (with explanations and discussion!)
o What main task should students accomplish? Have I helped students
understand what this verb means?
 Information sources
o Where should students look for information: the textbook, class readings, peer
reviewed journals?
 Format
o What are the format requirements: length, style, citations, headings?
 Sections
o Are there specific sections of the assignment with distinct requirements, such as an
introduction or an abstract?
 Submission/schedule
o How and when is the assignment due: electronic or paper, due date, late policy?
 Evaluation/grading criteria
o What would an excellent paper include? This should be linked to the learning
outcome, audience, genre, process, task etc. and might include a rubric.
 Sample/model papers