If the purpose is the part that seems unclear, take some time to think about the assignment in relationship to the course, your career, and your values or goals. 

Looking at the assignment in relationship to the course can give you perspective on how the activity will help you:

• learn or review the material
• practice a new skill
• connect to other assignments 

Coursework can also reflect skills that you will need for your future career. An assignment can be used as a way to practice for life after college. A chance to practice presenting to a client, creating lesson plans, learning how to do research, or knowing how to convert dosages of medicine, are all skills that you might learn through assignments in class. It might also relate to your life after college by showing you a new skill, or teaching you to handle a challenge in general.

Other assignments may allow you to gain or practice skills other assignments may allow you to gain or practice skills that align with your values or goals you have set for yourself. When you read over an assignment, think about how you can connect the overall assignment to a core value or interest that you have (creativity, service, your community, a hobby). If you can pick different options for an assignment, use this as a way to choose so you can feel more connected. If not, take time to reflect on how the assignment might resonate with you. 

• Does the topic/activity connect to an experience you have had or something that you want to do?
• If you are allowed pick a topic, could you use something you are interested in (personal story, career goal, current event) as the focus of your research or topic?
• Will this assignment challenge you to learn or do something you haven’t done before? When you enter your future career or grad school will being able to overcome a challenge or problem solve be a useful skill?

Even if the purpose of an assignment is clearly stated, it is also helpful to reflect on other aspects of purpose to find motivation to complete the work. 

Learn more about decoding the purpose of an assignment here.

Tasks for an assignment can look different depending on the nature of the work. They can look like a timeline, a checklist, or a sequence with a specific order. The task, or instructions for the assignment, may also be left open for you to interpret on your own. Sometimes this is on purpose to offer you more creativity with how you want to complete the work. The best way to know for sure, is to ask for more details to make sure that you are on the same page. 

The first thing to do is read through the assignment note what you think you are supposed to do, what would be helpful to know, and then write down any questions you might have about the task of the assignment. 

Some things to think about:

• Is there a certain process to complete the assignment?
• Are there any specific things mentioned that you shouldn’t do? Do you understand those or why you shouldn’t do them?
• Are there steps along the way that you must complete or show?
  • For a paper, do you have to share your outline, drafts, etc.?
  • For math problems, do you have to show your work? How you got your answer?

Once you have a list of questions, visiting drop-in hours, or office hours, to meet with your instructor for clarification can be helpful. Setting up a time soon after receiving the assignment will give you more time to complete the tasks instead of waiting until the assignment is almost due. If the drop-in hours for your instructor do not work with your schedule, asking in class when there is time, or sending an email can be other options. 

If the overall task of an assignment seems overwhelming, try breaking down the assignment into individual tasks. This will give you a chance to manage your time if you have multiple assignments due at the same time and will give you smaller goals to meet. If breaking down an assignment into smaller tasks is something you would like help with, you can reach out to your advisor, academic coach, an instructor, or a friend on campus that can work through it with you. 

Learn more about decoding assignment tasks here.

The criteria, or expectations, for an assignment explains how you can expect to be graded or evaluated. This can look like

• A clear rubric with breakdown
• A chance for feedback throughout the assignment
• Examples from former students of what to do/not do

Knowing the criteria is important, because along with task it helps give you a clear understanding of what you need to do to complete the assignment. Knowing the amount of points an assignment is worth is one thing, understanding how to earn those points is where the criteria come into play. 

When you receive an assignment, it is important to review the criteria listed to make sure that you fully understand what it means. 

• Do you know what your instructor is looking for (citations, evidence, understanding of the material, page count)?
• Are there any words or phrases used that seem confusing or hard to interpret (good, fair, couple of, a few)?
• Are there multiple parts of the assignment but only one due date? Is everything due at the same time or the other parts not graded (extra readings, outlines, research)?

If you have a chance to meet with your instructor, ask for an example of work from previous students so you can see what to do, or what not to do to visualize what the expectations look like. There might also be real life examples they can share (public speeches, advertisements, social media videos) to look at to see what would meet or not meet their expectations. 

 Thinking about your process of learning as you review expectations will help you specifically prepare for assignments. Reflecting on how you have done on previous assignments and what you would do differently this time, can help you as you work through the process. Using an assignment wrapper, or metacognitive reflection can help you think about how you prepare for an exam or assignment. Then you can return once you receive your grade and reflect on how you did, did your preparation work, and what you would do differently next time. This will look different for every person and will help you determine your approach to future assignments, how you study for exams, and your learning process. 

Learn more about metacognition and reflection here. 

Learn more about criteria here.