Developed by Mary-Ann Winkelmes, Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) is a straightforward framework for assignment design that supports student success by making the goals, process, and expectations for their learning clear. Using TILT has been shown to improve learners' academic confidence and success, metacognitive awareness, and sense of belonging in class (Winkelmes et al., 2016). The TILT process centers around defining (and then communicating to students) three key components of your assignment: purpose, tasks, and criteria for success.
Step 1: Define the PURPOSE.
First, think about what you want students to gain from the assignment. What should they understand about course concepts? What knowledge and skills will they gain by undertaking the assignment? How does the assignment connect to students’ lives or the world beyond the classroom?
Step 2: Define the TASKS involved.
Next, list the steps students should take when completing the assignment. In what order should they do specific tasks, what do they need to be aware of to perform each task well, and what mistakes should they avoid?
Step 3: Define CRITERIA for success.
Lastly, clarify the criteria for success on the assignment. What are the characteristics of a successful submission? How does excellent work differ from adequate work? Be prepared to provide a scoring rubric and examples of sample submissions to support students in understanding the criteria.
Alongside the TILT framework, Winkelmes and colleagues developed a template to support instructors in planning out the purpose, tasks, and criteria for an assignment. Evidence gathered from use of this Transparent Assignment Template demonstrated its ability to promote academic success and reduce achievement gaps for underrepresented and nontraditional students (Winkelmes et al., 2016).
Here we present a modified version of the Transparent Assignment Template, with additional rows to plan expected learning outcomes (ELOs) and examples to share with students. The completed model below shows preliminary plans for an education course assignment that asks students to generate a lesson plan using artificial intelligence (AI), and then evaluate and revise that lesson plan. Keep in mind that these are just planning notes (you can view the final assignment here).
Download our adapted Transparent Assignment Template to help with planning your next assignment.
Transparent Assignment Template
Assignment Name: AI-Generated Lesson Plan
Due Date: March 7, 2024
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Aligned ELOs Define the learning outcomes, in language and terms that help students recognize how this assignment will benefit their learning. | You will be able to:
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| Purpose Indicate how the specific knowledge and skills involved in this assignment will be important in students’ lives beyond the contexts of this assignment, this course, and this college. | Generate a lesson plan using AI. Then evaluate and revise the AI-generated lesson plan. Knowledge: Understand uses of AI for planning lessons. Understand the benefits and limitations of AI. Recognize an effective lesson plan. Skills: Critically analyze AI output for deficiencies. Evaluate an existing lesson plan's strengths and weaknesses. Apply best practices from course material/class discussion in lesson plans. Align lesson plan to learning outcomes. Reflect upon and support lesson plan changes and choices. |
| Tasks List any steps or guidelines, or a recommended sequence for the students’ efforts. Use Academic Integrity Icons to communicate approved and restricted activities. |
|
| Criteria for Success Define the characteristics of the finished product. | The revised lesson plan:
The reflection:
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| Examples Provide multiple examples of what these characteristics look like in real-world practice, to encourage students’ creativity and reduce their incentive to copy any one example too closely. |
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The original Transparent Assignment Template created by Mary-Ann Winkelmes (2013) and the remixed version presented above are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Winkelmes, M. (2013). Transparency in Teaching: Faculty Share Data and Improve Students’ Learning. Liberal Education 99(2).
Wilkelmes, M. (2013). Transparent Assignment Design Template for Teachers. TiLT Higher Ed: Transparency in Learning and Teaching. https://tilthighered.com/assets/pdffiles/Transparent%20Assignment%20Templates.p
Winkelmes, M., Bernacki, M., Butler, J., Zochowski, M., Golanics, J., Weavil, K. (2016). A Teaching Intervention that Increases Underserved College Students’ Success. Peer Review.