Assignment-Design Tips

	Review your draft of the assignment to confirm that what you have written models the emphasis and tone you expect of your students.
	Organize and develop the text of the assignment in a top-down manner, giving space and attention to specific aspects of the text in proportion to what you expect in the students' writing.  Regardless of what you state in the assignment, your students will emphasize what you emphasize on your assignment sheet.  If most of the page is devoted to stylistic considerations, you are communicating to your students that style is most important, even if you have stated that you are emphasizing the quality of the argument.
	Design a checklist to use when you evaluate the paper . Any gaps in information or reasoning become apparent when the assignment sheet is condensed into this stark form.