Of all the tools in my Instructional Designer (ID) toolkit, TILT might be my favorite. It has the greatest impact and it takes the least amount of time and effort to implement.
TILT stands for Transparency in Learning and Teaching. It is a student-centric way of writing out assignment instructions. We’ll get to the details in a bit. For now, let’s take a look at what problems TILT solves.
Imagine a generic assignment from the perspective of a student. The key things that students want to know are: “What do I have to do? Why am I doing this? How do I get a good grade?” Those are the exact questions that TILT answers.
“Why am I doing this?” = Purpose
“What do I have to do?” = Task
“How do I get a good grade?” = Criteria for success
TILT distills these essential components into a template. The rest is as easy as filling in the blanks. This Transparent Assignment Template for Faculty tells us exactly how to fill in these sections.
This is straightforward for simple assignments. I worked with one instructor at another institution who used a TILT assignment in a Research Methods course, where each part of the research paper (introduction, methodology, conclusion, etc.) was chunked into its own assignment submission. For example…
Lit Review
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice research methodology and critically assess literature study. These skills are essential for your success in understanding and writing research papers in this class and beyond.
Task: Complete the literature review section on the approved topic of your choosing. Convert your paper to a PDF. Submit your paper here.
Criteria for Success: Your Lit review should explore existing information in the field of research that you have chosen. Find the main ideas and show the relationships between studies to establish similarities and differences. Include a minimum of 5 peer-reviewed sources, and use APA 7.
In this example, a student paper from a previous semester would work well to demonstrate the quality of work you are looking for. A rubric would also help shape the quality of the completed work. And last but not least, a reflection at the end of the course would be a nice fit to allow the student to close the learning loop.
Transparent Assignments work just as well for the more hands-on, technical assignments. One faculty member I befriended a few years ago used TILT in an ESRI GIS Mapping software assignment, with slight modifications.
Intro to ESRI
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to introduce you to Esri and the available Esri training resources. In this assignment, you will learn the fundamental concepts of GIS mapping that you will use in the field.
Task: Follow the walk-through in the attached worksheet. You will note that step 7 is deliberately vague- this is so you can practice troubleshooting and utilizing the Esri Training academy. Export your map and insert into the Module 1 Discussion Board. Provide feedback to a minimum of two peers’ maps.
Criteria for Success: Your completed map should be easy to read and include the following: imagery, basemaps, elevation, demographics, and landscape layers.
<<Worksheet attachment would go here>>
The worksheet attachment is a modification for these more text and image-heavy assignment instructions. That way, the student will be introduced to the assignment’s purpose, task, and criteria for success before they even open the longer document. They will be set up for success from the get-go, and have the added benefit of student-student interaction with the discussion component of the assignment.
If you are interested in trying out a TILT assignment in your class, www.tilthighered.com has more than everything you need. I recommend starting with the TILT Higher Ed Examples And Resources. And if you need any help, contact us at lit@wit.edu. We are always looking for faculty to partner with. Whether we serve as a second pair of eyes to look over your assignment instructions or as a thought partner to create something new to increase student learning, we are here to help.
References
Winkelmes, Mary-Ann. “Transparency in Teaching: Faculty Share Data and Improve Students’ Learning.” Liberal Education 99,2 (Spring 2013)
Zakrzewski, T. (2018, July 27). Enhance Student Success with Transparency: purpose, task, criteria. Perspectives in Teaching & Learning. https://sites.wit.edu/lit/enhance-student-success-with-transparency-purpose-task-criteria/