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Introduction
Before You Begin

Student Assignments

A number of approaches can be taken to assigning student work for the course. Suggestions are made here, but the instructor will need to make the final decision about how much and what type of work to require from students.

Several general categories of assignments should be considered:

  • Student interaction outside of class. This can be accomplished through the use of discussion boards, wikis, or other means, depending on the technology available. Students could be required to participate in or lead a discussion about a preservation-related topic as part of their grade. They could be required to post progress reports on a term project, or the results of a final project on a wiki. Or they could simply be provided with an optional discussion forum in which to talk about the class.
  • Quizzes. Quizzes can be used to ensure that students are sufficiently aware of preservation vocabulary, preservation-related organizations, and basic preservation issues. Possible quiz subjects might include vocabulary (e.g., a 20–30 minute quiz in which students define terms from a preservation glossary); acronyms and purposes/functions of preservation organizations; or basic preservation information such as environmental guidelines, reformatting methods, or storage and handling methods (this could be multiple-choice questions or short answer). Two quizzes or one longer midterm might be considered.
  • Graded assignments. These can range from short assignments for students to complete after each class to more complex assignments that might span two or three classes. Specific suggestions for graded assignments are provided in a separate list.
  • Term projects. These are extensive projects that would be worked on throughout the class term and completed by the end of the term. These could be a research project (e.g., a paper on a particular subject) or a more “hands-on” project (e.g., a preservation survey of an institution). Instructors should identify which students are working on which topics and have students submit periodic progress reports once they have chosen their term projects. Students working on topics pertinent to a particular class might help lead the discussion for that class. Specific suggestions for term projects are provided in a separate list.

See the separate lists of Suggested Graded Assignments and Suggested Term Projects for more detail on student assignments.