Writing Activities

Owned by Gina Persichini
Last updated: Aug 07, 2023
10 min read

Exploring Writing Activities

This article explores the use of writing activities in online learning.

Table of Contents

What Are Writing Activities?

Writing in a variety of forms can engage students, from brief reflections to exploratory planning documents to full dissertations (very engaging, yes?) and much in-between. (What we present below can apply to many of the other learning activity types in this 5.2.1 folder, as students use writing in discussions, wikis, blogs, journals, and the like.)

Why Use Writing Activities?

Writing activities can be effective for engaging students at all levels of cognitive skills from Bloom’s taxonomy - remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating - and can provide an opportunity for students to interact with the instructor and/or fellow students in a way that other categories of activities cannot.

Also, Young and Sullivan (1984) posit that “one important reason we write is to enable ourselves to engage in a kind of thinking that would otherwise be beyond us, that is, extended thinking in which ideas are linked by complex logical and linguistic connections" (p. 216). In other words, the act of writing often creates the bridge we need to make connections from one thought to another. Writing in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) provides similar benefits in the development of cognitive skills and the assimilation of content with existing knowledge.

Best Ways to Use Writing Activities?

Writing activities can be formative in nature, such as asking students to write a quick blog or journal post about the muddiest point of the module so far. And, of course, writing activities can gauge student learning in a summative sense at the end of a module (e.g., discussion posts) or at the end of a course (e.g., a literature review turned in as a final project).

Consider the existing knowledge and beliefs of students: you can encourage learners to examine their ideas (misconceptions, perhaps) and compare them to accepted knowledge.  Through writing, you can get students to think about their learning and empower them to take primary responsibility to work through challenges. And, writing has a place in fact-based courses when you consider it in the context of online interaction.

OPTIONAL: If you wish, read this magazine article by author and consultant Judith Boettcher that presents ideas for writing assignments:

Designing and Developing Writing Activities

Considerations and Resources

Planning a Writing Assignment

Your first decisions should be concerned with whether the learning objective merits a formative or summative writing activity. This will help you determine whether the activity is broad and open-ended or well-defined with particular guidelines. If the latter, you may find it useful to start your planning by designing a rubric that will explain your expectations and later help you grade.

Additional considerations when planning a summative writing activity include the following:

  • Writing structure and formatting requirements - e.g., level of formality, format, number of pages, spacing, margins, citation style, etc.

  • Whether to break up a large assignment into smaller assignments - outline, draft, revisions

  • Prerequisite/Post-requisite course content or activity

  • Examples to provide to students

  • Strategies to prevent plagiarism

Designing a Writing Activity

In the design stage, you will write out the details that you might communicate verbally in a traditional class. Refer to the checklist above from the English Department for guidance or the following additional options. 

Leverage the expertise of your Boise State English Department colleagues by reviewing this guidance on Designing and Developing Writing Assignments/Assessments. Faculty consultation is also provided by the Boise State Writing Center.

OPTIONAL: Visit any of these resources for tips on designing writing assignments:

References

Example Writing Activity Directions

In the online environment, students need more explicit information in order to successfully complete the work. Remember that providing the purpose for activities and assessments, thorough instructions, and clear grading measures will help your course meet Quality Matters standards—and help your students understand what you expect.

For your reference, several learning activity designs are provided with permission. These examples are perhaps more detailed than a weekly assignment would require. Your Instructional Design Consultant can also offer activities using instructional strategies similar to those you are considering that could be adapted for your course.

For consistency and to retain a copy of student work within your course, we suggest that students turn in all assignments using tools within the Learning Management System. Because Microsoft Word is free for Boise State students, written papers are best submitted as a Word document. If a writing assignment uses Google Docs, we recommend students submit a link AND a downloaded file (Microsoft docx or pdf). 

Improving on a Writing Activity Design

Before Revision

The initial draft for a final paper writing assignment might have directions like this:

Write a final paper for this course on a topic about the Humanities of your own choosing. Your paper should include information from at least two sources and should use appropriate formatting. Your paper is due on the last day of the course.

Let’s look at how we might improve it to make it clearer, making it easier for you to grade and easier for the students to complete. 

  • Asking students to choose any topic about the subject matter puts tremendous responsibility on them to choose correctly. It also suggests that all topics are equally valid, which may not be true. 

    • Here’s an alternative: Explore one genre, idea, or theme through the six major cultural periods of the course: Renaissance, Baroque, 18th Century, Romanticism, Impressionism, and Modernism.

  • The directions reference “appropriate formatting”  but no specific formatting requirements are provided regarding paper length, style, citation method, etc.

    • Try this instead: Write 6 to 8 pages on your selected topic in a Microsoft Word document. Use font size 12 in Times New Roman or Arial, double-spaced. In addition to your paper, include a Works Cited page in MLA format.

  • The purpose of the final paper assessment is very broad and vague. In addition, Quality Matters Standard 2.4 suggests that you clearly state the relationship between learning objectives and course activities. 

    • To explain how this assignment fits into the course, start the assignment description with this: The culminating assignment for the course is a final project that gives you the opportunity to address all three of our main course objectives. 

  • In response to the writing prompt above, students may wonder whether the course textbooks and online lectures count as sources.

    • If the purpose of the assignment is to expand learning beyond the content provided, that should be clearly stated.

  • To reduce student anxiety and ensure students will turn in the level of work you would like to see, provide a sample final paper that students can review, list additional resources for completing the assignment such as the Boise State Writing Center, and provide an opportunity to submit a topic proposal for instructor feedback well in advance of the due date.

After Revision

Altogether, here's the same final paper assignment with more detailed instructions. Headings have been added to increase accessibility for students with disabilities and overall readability.

Final Paper (2 hours for initial selection and proposal, 6 hours for paper) Topic proposal due Thursday of Module 09 Paper due Thursday of Module 15  The culminating assignment for the course is a final project that gives you the opportunity to address all three of our main course objectives. 
Assignment Explore one genre, idea, or theme through the six major cultural periods of the course: Renaissance Baroque, 18th Century Romanticism, Impressionism, Modernism. Use specific examples to make your points.
Format Write 6 to 8 pages on your selected topic in a Microsoft Word document. Use font size 12 in Times New Roman or Arial, double spaced. In addition to your paper, include a Works Cited page in MLA format.
Writing Guidelines  Review the course objectives to better understand the focus of your paper you should write about. If you choose to write a paper about, say, the evolution of opera from the Renaissance to the present, you might discuss one opera (or even one aria) from each period and look at the way that it reflects the prevailing concerns of the society from which it comes. And since opera doesn't really start until the Baroque period, you might also look at the musical and literary forms of the Renaissance that led to the genre’s development. You are welcome to use outside research (including the Resource Materials in our course site), but the paper should be organized around your own conclusions and ideas about your topic’s evolution.
Due Dates You will have two due dates for this final project. (1) Submit a proposal through the provided assignment link on or before 11:59 p.m. MT on Thursday in module 09, and include the following: The topic of your project, The specific examples from each time period on which you plan to focus your discussion, and A detailed description of the format of your project. (2) Submit your final project through the provided assignment link by 11:59 p.m. MT on Thursday in module 15 (the Thursday of finals week).
Grading Criteria Your project will be graded on the following: Complete Thoughtful Answers (25 pts), Writing Mechanics (20 pts), Follow Instructions (10 pts), Critical Inquiry (20 pts). For a description of the criteria used to grade your paper, see the rubric below.
Help For help in formulating and writing your final paper, do take advantage of the Boise State Writing Center; you will find a link to Writing Center information in the eCampus Online Student Resources link in the Getting Started materials in this course site. Review your own paper against the grading rubric prior to submitting it for grading. The sooner you submit your proposal, the sooner I will be able to give you feedback and let you move forward with your plans. Please post any questions you have about this assignment to the Course Questions forum in the Discussions area.

Example Writing Activity Prompts

Example 1

UF 100 Work-Life Equation Course at Boise State University

Reflective Writing Assignment “What Do You Want To Do/Be?” (1 hr)

Due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time

The purpose of this assignment is for you to start thinking about your career choice and the direction you would like for it to take you.  The answers to these questions are complicated and it is likely that your answers will change or evolve over time. Your objective is to think through the following questions thoughtfully in relation to the work/life equation:

  1. What would be meaningful work to you?  That is, what does "meaningful" mean to you--does it mean making a difference in the environment, helping others, becoming financially stable, or something else?

  2. What would be interesting work for you?  If you were to think ahead about what you would like to do with your bachelor's degree, what would be your perfect job?  Why?  What makes that job so interesting to you?

  3. How does your conceptualization of work relate to your desires for leisure or free time?  Would you select a job or career based on the amount of free time it provides--why or why not?

  4. How important is job security to you? Often, high-reward opportunities involve high risk.  Would you rather have a lower-paying job with high job security or a higher-paying job with low job security? Explain your answer.

Answer each item within the Text Entry text area of this assignment--do NOT attach a file with your answers to these four questions.  Be sure to number each of your replies with the matching number of the question. To see how this assignment will be graded, see the rubric below; also, be sure to ask questions in the discussion board forum as needed.

Example 2

UF 100 Work-Life Equation Course at Boise State University

Week 04: Writing Assignment “Goal Setting and Planning” (1 hr)

Due by Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time

For this assignment, first, go back and look at the “What Do You Want To Do/Be” reflective writing that you completed in Week 02. The difference between “what you want to be” and setting goals is essentially the difference between dreaming and planning. For this assignment, you will focus on a specific goal or goals. As you move from the more distant goals (10 years) to the more proximal (one year, or one semester) your goals will become more focused. By that we mean they are very specific.

Start with a 10-year goal that you have on your personal or professional horizon. Where do you want to be in each realm (personal & professional) of your life in 10 years? Then, where do you have to be in 5 years in order to meet that 10-year goal? What about next year (one year from now) in order to achieve your 5-year goal? Then, what do you have to do this semester to stay on track to meet these goals? Follow the steps below as you develop this project:

  1. Ciulla gives us many ways to think about the values that we carry regarding work, leisure, and lifestyle goals. Start this assignment by identifying ideas in chapters 1 & 2 that are meaningful to you and explain your own values about work, leisure, and your desired lifestyle.

  2. Establish personal and academic/professional goals for 10 years from now, 5 years, 1 year, and 1 semester. Use the chart attached to brainstorm. There should be something academic and personal at each step in the process.

  3. When you turn in your assignment, you will only turn in the page where you describe and plan your goals (see example assignment -- not provided in this sample writing prompt)

  4. For each goal write a brief description of your goal.

  5. Check your goal – is it “S.M.A.R.T?” (see class notes for this). Make revisions if it is not.

  6. For each of your goals, indicate what steps you will take to achieve your goals.

  7. Your shorter-term goals should have more detail and be broken into steps that you can achieve as you move forward this semester. Longer goals may not be very detailed, and that is perfectly fine.

  8. Achieving these steps is motivating and helps keep you on track.

Do not attach a file document but rather submit your work in the Text Entry text box provided in this assignment. To see how this assignment will be graded, see the rubric below; also, be sure to ask questions in the discussion board forum as needed.

 


Need more help? Try eCampus Center Faculty Development.
Suggest more topics by contacting onlinecourseresource@boisestate.edu.