Creating Effective Research Assignments for Your Students: Prepare Students

The Assignment Calculator is a time management tool that breaks down research assignments into a series of manageable steps, while providing expert tips for success. Enter the assignment start date and due date to get planning! 

Preparing your students                                                                                                                             

• Why do it?  Tell your students why they are doing this assignment and what purpose it serves.
   
• What Sources are needed?   If the assignment requires the use of specific sources, give the students a list of them and make arrangements with the Subject Librarians to assure availability and access.
   
• How Complex is the assignment?  If it involves the use of complex sources or unfamiliar research strategies, your students will need to be oriented to these--by you or by a Subject Librarian--in a customized, scheduled library instruction session
   
• Is their Subject Librarian on the syllabus?  Include the name of their Subject Librarian along with the research assignment on their syllabus!
   
• Is the complete paper due by a given deadline?  Try giving them incremental deadlines - one for a bibligraphy, one for an outline, etc.
   
• Place limited resources on reserve
   
• Add Library Resources to your P.L.A.T.O. course
  Madigan Library
  Research Guides
   
• What if the Library does not have the information a student needs?  Waiting until the night before a paper is due is never a good idea!  If research is done early, the library can get articles emailed to the student in 2 to 3 days and books in 1 to 2 weeks through  Interlibrary Loan
   
• Direct students to the Penn College Writing Center well in advance of the due date

 Adapted with permission: "Librarians at the University of Maryland" were the authors & inspiration for the material"