Alternatives to Term Papers: November 6, 2003

Reasons for Alternatives | Alternative Assignments & Activities | Tips for Successful Alternatives

Reasons for Alternatives to Term Papers

Alternatives can . . .

lighten the grading load
be used to develop abilities on the way to writing complex papers
provide ways of using other strengths our students might have
accustom students to different voices and modes of communication
allow students to create work for a larger audience, and go beyond work that is only seen by the student and the professor
create opportunities for making a contribution beyond the class to the college or to communities beyond Lawrence

Alternative Assignments & Activities

Edit a text after having seen good and bad examples of writing
Judge and "fund" a research proposal
In class discussion, generate paper topics based on a specific article
Write a review of a book, reference work, website, performance
Write an encyclopedia article complete with bibliography
Write program notes for a recital, concert, or recording
Annotate an article for a novice reader
Write or create a piece of music, art, or creative writing in a particular style or genre
Prepare an annotated bibliography of books, journal articles, websites and other sources on a topic and write descriptive or evaluative annotations
All-but-the-paper term paper: have students do every step in the research paper process and then write the introductory and concluding pages, a detailed outline of the body, and an annotated bibliography.
Have students keep a detailed research log of the research process addressing methodology, sources consulted, keywords or headings searched, their frustrations, etc.
Write a research proposal including description of the research topic, the problem associated with it, the proposed answer or research to solve the problem, including a bibliography of primary and secondary sources
Taking Sides: have students research an aspect of a topic and present in a debate setting. As an alternative to a debate consider role playing.
Two-minute oral reports to flesh out the context of the assigned readings for a class session
Put on a conference complete with poster sessions, panels, papers, etc.
Research the reception history of a work
Summarize the literature on a topic and present the findings
Create an anthology of readings complete with an introduction and reading summaries
Create a pathfinder or website of different types of information sources on a topic
Compare and contrast primary and secondary sources: Have the students find a study in a popular magazine and then have them find the actual study or have the student investigate a media topic back to the source or have the student choose an autobiography and then locate secondary sources.

Tips for Successful Alternative Assignments & Activities

You might need or want to . . .

be clear about your reasons for creating the assignment in the first place. What problems, skills, or knowledge are you working to address?
make sure they understand the scope of the assignment or activity. If helpful and appropriate, give a limited range of choices.
make your evaluation criteria clear from the outset
work with a librarian or an information technology expert to design the assignment
avoid the assumption that your students have the knowledge they need to complete their assignment
assign or devote class time to tasks that will help students develop the skills necessary to complete the assignment
call on the technical experts
have a librarian test-drive the assignment
give the students a series of specific questions to help them structure their work
set very clear expectations for the work; make these kinds of things explicit:
- presentation time allowed
- elements of a good handout
- amount of preparation time
- kinds of research materials that will be acceptable
- conventions of different or unfamiliar kinds of writing, like annotations
set intermediate deadlines for different parts of the alternatives
require students to analyze connections and disagreements among and between expert opinions