This guide is for faculty and instructors who plan to implement research-based assessments in their course. We'll look at strategies you can use to ensure your assignments help students become better researchers, understand information sources and the complex information systems they must navigate, and use information ethically and effectively within a variety of contexts.
Designing effective research-based assessments is challenging for many reasons. There are so many valid reasons for asking students to find, read, and integrate sources in their work and, as a result, research-based assessments are expected to accomplish a lot -- from helping students write better and think more critically, to extending course content and understanding their discipline better. Add to that the need to safeguard academic integrity in the age of generative artificial intelligence and we have to admit that there is a lot to think about when developing effective research-based assessments! With all of these competing interests at play, ensuring that what students learn about doing research is actually what we intended to teach them can be challenging.
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What we want to teach |
What students learn |
|---|---|
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Research is an iterative, creative, and exploratory process that often takes me in directions I did not expect. |
Research is a tedious process of fulfilling a checklist of assignment requirements. |
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Research is an opportunity to expand my own knowledge, to interrogate my own assumptions and understanding, to think critically about information, and to synthesize information from a variety of sources. |
Research is about finding answers or facts, particularly to support my own existing argument or opinion. |
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Research is challenging but manageable. |
Research is difficult and obscure. |
NOTE: Adapated from Designing Research Assignments that Enhance Student Research Skills (2024), by Kathleen Oakey.
Faculty Librarians have specialized knowledge of information sources and extensive experience supporting students through the research process. We offer a unique perspective and expertise that focuses on improving the digital and information literacy skills of your students.