No Surprises: Designing Assignments Students Understand In-Person / Online

This workshop introduces the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework as a tool for designing clear, equity-minded assignments. Participants will explore how transparency supports student success, reduce confusion and grading time, and learn how to structure assignments using the Transparent Assignment Design (TAD) model. The session includes strategies to improve student motivation, performance, and clarity around expectations.

Upon completion of this learning experience, participants will be able to:

understand the history of the TILT and it’s related research findings
describe how the TAD framework relates to equitable learning
define transparent assignment design and its key elements (purpose, task, criteria)
apply TAD best practices
identify resources for implementing the TAD framework.

Date:: Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Time:: 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Time Zone:: Eastern Time - US & Canada (change)
Location:: Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation
Audience:: Educator Network In-Class Educators Quality Matters
Categories:: Community of Practice Community-Engaged Learning Curriculum Development DEIB & Student Success Designing Courses Educator Networking Educator Onboarding Evaluation & Assessment Experiential Learning Hybrid Session Improving Courses In-person Session Interdisciplinary Learning Online Session Synchronous Session

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The in-person location for this session: is the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation. Please join us in the Main Library, Room W206G. For directions to W206G, please visit the Room Locations page.

Please join us for any of the upcoming Assessment Lab: A Week of Design, Feedback, and Innovation offerings!

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No Surprises: Designing Assignments Students Understand In-Person / Online