Designing Assignment Briefs
Short checklist for teachers
A good assignment brief helps students understand what they are expected to do, why the task matters, how it will be assessed, and what kinds of support or assistance are allowed. In a learning environment where generative AI is available, the assignment brief should also clarify how students are expected to demonstrate their own learning, judgement and responsibility.
Assignments vary in nature, scope and weighting. Select the checklist items that are relevant.
1. Purpose and connection to learning outcomes
Explain why the assignment matters.
Consider including:
- what students are expected to learn, practise or demonstrate
- which course learning outcomes the assignment supports
- how the assignment connects to the content and topics of the course
Useful question:
What should students be able to demonstrate through this assignment that would not be evident in a generic AI-generated response?
2. The task itself: What should students do?
Explain clearly and concisely what students are expected to do.
Include, where relevant:
the main task or question
what students are expected to submit
required steps or stages
whether students may choose their topic, case, data, method or submission format
requirements for subject matter, data, sources, methods or course materials
common mistakes or misunderstandings students should avoid
Where appropriate, design the task so that students need to apply course concepts, methods or theories to a specific context, case, problem, dataset or professional setting.
3. Learning process, milestones and visible evidence of learning
Consider how students can show their thinking and learning process, not only the final product.
This may include:
a work plan or research question
drafts or staged submissions
an annotated bibliography or justification of source selection
a reflection on choices, feedback or revision
a short oral explanation or defence
a statement on how generative AI was used, evaluated or rejected
Useful question:
How can students make their own understanding, judgement and decision-making visible?
4. Assessment, criteria and weighting
Students need to know how the assignment will be assessed.
Include:
- assessment criteria or a rubric
- what counts as excellent, satisfactory or insufficient performance
- the weighting of the assignment in the final course grade
- whether the assessment covers the final product, the learning process, reflection, collaboration, oral explanation, individual contribution, or a combination of these
- any minimum requirements for passing the assignment, where relevant
- when and how students will receive feedback
- that students are responsible for the quality, accuracy and integrity of their own work
5. Scope, format and submission
Set out practical requirements clearly.
Include:
the scope, length or duration of the assignment
- the estimated student workload, especially for substantial or staged assignments
the submission format, such as PDF, video, slides, portfolio, code or another file type
which tools, systems or software students are expected to use, where relevant
whether alternatives are available if a student cannot or does not wish to use a specific tool
the submission deadline, including date and time
where and how students should submit
any limits on file size, number of sources, appendices or supplementary materials, where relevant
links to Canvas submission guidance, if useful for students
6. Collaboration and permitted support
Clarify what kinds of assistance are allowed.
Include:
- whether the assignment is individual or group-based
- what collaboration between students is allowed
- whether peer assessment or peer feedback is allowed or part of the assignment
- what support students may receive from teachers, teaching assistants, writing centres or others
- in group assignments, how each student’s contribution will be recorded or assessed
- where students can ask questions, and how answers or clarifications will be shared with the group
Useful question:
What kinds of assistance support students’ learning, and what kinds of assistance undermine the purpose of the assessment?
7. Use of generative AI
State clearly whether students may use generative AI tools and how.
Include:
whether generative AI use is allowed, limited, required or prohibited
acceptable uses, such as brainstorming, planning, language review, feedback or developing counterarguments
unacceptable uses, such as submitting AI-generated text as one’s own work, creating fabricated sources, or letting AI complete the main analysis of the assignment
whether students need to describe or document their use of generative AI
how students should disclose AI use, in line with course or institutional rules
that students are responsible for checking accuracy, sources, possible bias and appropriate use
Example AI-use declaration:
I used / did not use generative AI tools in this assignment. If I used such tools, I used them for the following purposes: […]. I checked and revised the output in the following ways: […]. I take responsibility for my final submission.
Also, remind students not to enter personal data, confidential information, unpublished research data, interview data, or text written by others into generative AI tools unless explicitly approved.
8. Academic integrity, accessibility and course rules
Make relevant rules and expectations easy to find.
Include or link to information about:
source use and referencing
text-matching systems such as Turnitin, if used
how similarity reports or other Turnitin information will be interpreted
procedures if concerns arise about academic integrity
rules on late submission, extensions and resubmission
accessibility: use clear headings, short paragraphs, descriptive links and concise language
Software outputs, including text-matching systems or AI-detection tools, should not be treated as automatic proof of misconduct. Such cases should be reviewed in accordance with fair institutional procedures.
Final review before publishing an assignment brief
Before publishing an assignment brief for students, it is useful to ask:
- Is the purpose of the assignment and its connection to the learning outcomes clear?
- Is it clear what students are expected to do and what they must submit?
- Is it clear what is required, what is optional, and what is a recommendation?
- Are the assessment criteria clear and visible?
- Are the scope and estimated student workload appropriate for the weighting of the assignment?
- Is it clear what students must do themselves and what kinds of collaboration, assistance, tools, and use of artificial intelligence are permitted?
- Have privacy and data security been considered?
- Are the deadline, submission format, and submission method easy to find?
- Is the text accessible and easy to read?
A good assignment brief tells students not only what they must submit, but also why the assignment matters, how they can complete it responsibly, and how they can demonstrate their own learning.