Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) is a teaching framework that emphasizes clear communication of how all components of a course align both with the educational goals of the course and with the knowledge and skills students will need to work in specific careers. It moves away from simply the “what” of teaching to place emphasis on the “why” and “how,” improving the educational experience of students and faculty. This checklist will help you as you develop your assignments with transparency in mind. You should be able to answer “yes” to each of the questions below, and to justify how your assignment fulfills each criterion.

Introduction Section #

1. Is there a purpose statement linking the assignment to course learning outcomes?
2. Are learning outcomes student centered? (Bloom’s taxonomy)
3. Does the introduction include a reminder of the importance of academic integrity?
4. Does the introduction summarize the course context of the assignment, linking it to other assignments and content?
5. Does the introduction list the knowledge and skills practiced/demonstrated in a professional context?
6. Does the introduction contain an explanation of why you have included specific instructions/design components in the exercise, including use/prohibition of GAI?

Instructions Section #

1. Do you provide a list of tasks required to complete the assignment?
2. Does this list indicate the suggested order of task performance?
3. Do the instructions contain useful tips, such as mistakes to be avoided, how long specific tasks might take, or friendly guiding questions?
4. Do instructions contain guidance on technology use/prohibition?

Grading Criteria Section #

1. Do you provide a list of criteria with point values?
2. Do criteria reflect the knowledge, skills, and dispositions associated with the CLOs aligned to the assignment?
3. Are criteria not related to learning outcomes (timeliness, mechanics) excluded or tied to minimal point values?
4. Do you include a detailed rubric with descriptions of what should be present in the student’s work to demonstrate that they have exceeded expectations, met expectations, partially met expectations, and failed to meet expectations for each criterion?
5. Is your rubric entered in Canvas and attached to the assignment to speed grading?
6. Have you provided an opportunity for students to review/apply/respond to feedback?

Resources #

Tilt Higher Ed website