Center for Teaching and Learning

Friday, 01/31/2025 

Do students understand what we expect?

We’ve all experienced, at one time or another, the feeling of frustration when we’ve tried to do a complex task without clear instructions. This is how our students feel when attempting to complete classwork that isn’t clear to them. Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) is an award-winning project that helps us improve students’ chances for success by adopting a “transparency framework” for our communications. In assignment design, it promotes clear instruction about what students are being asked to do, why doing it will serve their learning, and how they’ll be graded, etc.

The positive impacts of TILT are well-documented. For example, Crosby & Short (2023) found that applying TILT principles improved student outcomes and deepened learning. Similarly, a national study found that this led to significant benefits for all students, with the largest gains for first-generation students, low-income students, and students of color (Winkelmes et al., 2016).

TILT in Action: Purpose, Task, and Criteria

Purpose: Help students see the why. 
Students don’t always see how an assignment fits into the big picture. By clearly explaining its purpose, we help them connect the dots. For instance, a music assignment might say: “This assignment will provide practice with chord progressions, key for composing songs and developing improvisational skills.”

Task: Break it down

TILT encourages explicit, step-by-step instructions so that students know exactly what to do. 
For example:

  • Participate in the data collection exercise during lab.
  • Spend about 30 minutes looking at the patterns you see and decide what charts will represent them.
  • Put the charts into a word document.
  • If you need help with Excel charts, consult the help files in Brightspace.

 

Criteria: Provide a clear path.

When we outline grading criteria clearly, we give students a map for how to meet our expectations. Providing a rubric, checklist, and/or samples of student work, gives them the tools to self-assess their work instead of just “hoping for the best” or relying on prior experience.

Additional Resources

You're invited to participate in a TILT working group!

Join colleagues and the Writing in the Disciplines program to review and revise your existing assignments using TILT's powerful research-supported framework. The award-winning TILT project demonstrates that clearly communicating an assignment's purpose, task, & criteria positively affects student learning, motivation and confidence, especially for first-generation students, low-income students, and students of color. Check the calendar to look for workshop postings.

Warmly, 
The Center for Teaching & Learning 
www.uvm.edu/ctl
ctl@uvm.edu