Assignment Design: Alternatives to Term Papers

There are many different ways to have students go through the research and writing process without relying on the oft-assigned term paper. Assigning something different will generate enthusiasm for the assignment and encourage original work. Be creative!

• Reflections on the process – At various times students turn in written descriptions of their research process.
• Problem solving approach – What steps would be taken to solve a problem.
• Literature review – Evaluative annotated bibliography.
• Science in the news – Find evidence in literature for news release claims.
• Event initiated examples – Evaluate a current event based on literature findings.
• Web assignment – Design an informative webpage.
• Evaluate thinking – Have students discuss what they found and compare sources.
• Read and find facts – Read an editorial, article, reflection and find facts to support it.
• Create a webpage – Select a topic to do with course content.
• Biography – Select a scholar/researcher in field and report on career, influences, major ideas, moods and trends in research program.
• Follow a piece of legislation through parliament – What groups are lobbying for/against it and why?
• Follow a current foreign policy issue as it develops – Have students adopt the perspective of one of the various groups involved and predict the next move.
• Nominate someone for a Nobel prize – Justify the nomination.
• Adopt a persona – Write journal entries, letters, commentaries from that person’s perspective
• Write an exam – Provide answers and provide a rationale for the responses.
• Write a review of a performance, a movie, a book, a journal article, a guest speaker lecture, etc.
• Write a newspaper, magazine, webpage story on a topic.
• Describe your dream job – Research careers in the field and justify the choice of company, location, job, etc.
• Compare and contrast primary and secondary sources.
• Evaluate a website.
• Compare and contrast the state of knowledge on a topic in two different decades or eras.
• Conduct research but don’t write the final draft.
• Prepare for a hypothetical interview – Do background research on a company or job offer and how you fit with job description.
• Compare and contrast the content, style, and audience of three different scholarly journals in a field.
• Compare and contrast a scholarly journal article with an article from a popular magazine.
• Prepare for an interview with a top figure in the field – Justify responses, provide background notes.
• Compare and contrast the ways different disciplines deal with the same subject matter.