Assignment Library
The General Education Assignment Library contains samples of assignments created by RIT faculty to assess General Education Student Learning Outcomes.
Assignments are collected and shared by the Office of Educational Effectiveness Assessment to support the assessment of General Education courses.
Thank you to the RIT faculty who gave permission to share their assignments and contribute to the General Education community of practice. As assignment design is an iterative process, many of the assignments posted will be revised and improved by faculty or replaced with newer assignments. Assignment authors are encouraged to submit revised materials.
Featured Assignments
The Practice and Products of Philosophy
Colin Mathers (Philosophy)
Background: Students taking the General Education course PHIL 102 Introduction to Moral Issues complete a workbook in which they solve more than 100 problems, engaging them in the practice and the products of philosophy.
Why I like this assignment: The workbook assignment reminds me of how one approaches a math course: having students work through increasingly challenging and complex problems, improving their skills while receiving feedback from instructors and peers.
Lessons learned: Over the years, I’ve refined the workbook problems along with my teaching practices. Some changes include asking students to apply their knowledge to topics not covered in class and prompting students to provide rich detail in their answers.
Learn more about Colin’s philosophy assignment
Digital Volunteers for the Smithsonian
Juilee Decker (Museum Studies)
Background: My students become Digital Volunteers for the Smithsonian Institution in the General Education course MUSE 225 Museums and the Digital Age.
Why I like this assignment: This assignment allows students freedom and flexibility in terms of the type of content that they will be working with and the assignment is a manageable and enjoyable way to measure their ability to comprehend information and ideas.
Lessons learned: I developed this assignment in 2014 and have made tweaks to it over the past several years. One important change was to tether this assignment to course content and concepts later in the semester.
Contribute to the Library
We are always looking for exceptional General Education assignments! Contact the Office of EEA to:
- Submit an assignment used to assess a General Education Student Learning Outcome
- Request feedback or assistance on an assignment used to assess a General Education Student Learning Outcome
- Send a revised assignment to update the Assignment Library