TILT Higher Ed Examples and Resources

The following resources from the Transparency in Learning and Teaching project (TILT Higher Ed) can help faculty, educational developers and administrators to apply the Transparency Framework (of purpose/task/criteria) in contexts including assignments, curricula, assessment and strategic initiatives, all toward the goal of enhancing student success equitably.

Introduction to Transparency in Learning and Teaching

Using a Transparent Framework to Remove Barriers to College Students’ Success (15-min research update and project overview)

Designing Transparent Assignments for Equitable Learning Experiences (7-minute research/implementation project overview)
Transparent Instruction and Its Impact on Learning, University of Tokyo TV (45 minutes)
Transparency Framework for academic work

Unwritten Rules for College Success, 39 second video
Transparency Framework 1) Purpose, 44 second video
Transparency Framework 2) Task, 25 second video
Transparency Framework 3) Criteria, 24 second video

News and Publications, including 2016 research article
Overview of AAC&U study 2014-2016, funded by TG Philanthropy

Talking about Transparent Instruction

Christopher, K. (2018). "What are we doing and why? Transparent assignment design benefits students and faculty alike."The Flourishing academic: A Blog for teacher-scholars. Duquesne University Center for Teaching Excellence, April 16, 2018.
Willingham-McLain, L. (2017). Just a TAD: Transparent assignment design. The Flourishing academic: A Blog for teacher-scholars. Duquesne University Center for Teaching Excellence. December 8, 2017.
Cepek, R. (2017). Parallelograms and poetry: Helping first generation students connect. The Flourishing academic: A Blog for teacher-scholars. Duquesne University Center for Teaching Excellence. October 5, 2017.
Yong, Darryl. "How Transparency Improves Learning." Teaching Tidbits (Mathematical Association of America blog), October 24, 2017.
Nichols, Karen. "Remember 'Transparency' in Your Instructional Continuity Preparations." >CAT FooD, August 18, 2017.
Mulnix, Amy B. "The Power of Transparency in Your Teaching." Faculty Focus: Higher Ed Teaching Strategies, November 6, 2016.
Gambill, Sandy. "Transparent Assignments." Inclusive Teaching, November 30, 2016.
Volk, Steven. Revealing the Secret Handshakes: The Rules of Clear Assignment Design." Article of the Week: Teaching and Learning at Oberlin College, September 27, 2015.
“Mary-Ann Winkelmes: transparency in Teaching and Learning” interview, Smart Talks, Project Information Literacy
“Small Teaching Changes, Big Learning Benefits” video interview with Mary-Ann Winkelmes, ACUE Community ‘Q’ Blog, Expert Series, December 2016.
Great Conversations: Mary-Ann Winkelmes video interview at Indiana University (6 min:47 sec - 10 min: 25 sec)
Faculty at 7 institutions reflect on their use of transparent assignment design (as part of an AAC&U project funded by TG Philanthropy) in the "Transparency and Problem-Centered Learning" issue of Peer Review, (Winter/Spring 2016) vol.18, no. 1/2.
Faculty at University of Nevada, Las Vegas reflect on their use of transparently designed assignments in “Benefits (some unexpected) of Transparently Designed Assignments.” National Teaching and Learning Forum 24, 4 (May 2015), pages 4-6.
Faculty at Texas Tech University discuss the design process and impacts of transparent assignments in their courses: Transparent Assignment Design at Texas Tech: A Panel Discussion, 13th Annual Advancing Teaching and Learning Conference, Texas Tech University, March 3, 2017.
Fukuda, D. 2018. Promote active learning in group projects through the use of the transparent assignment framework. In Chen, B., deNoyelles, A., & Thompson, K. (Eds.), Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository. Orlando, FL: University of Central Florida Center for Distributed Learning. Retrieved March 4, 2020 from https://topr.online.ucf.edu/promote-active-learning-in-group-projects-through-the-use-of-the-transparent-assignment-framework/.
Turlington, Anita; Shimkus, Jim. (2017). "TILTing the Writing Across the Curriculum Program at UNG."
Ou, J. (2018, June), Board 75 : Work in Progress: A Study of Transparent Assignments and Their Impact on Students in an Introductory Circuit Course Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah. https://peer.asee.org/30100

Example Assignments (more and less transparent)

Example A: Sociology

Example B: Science 101

Example C: Psychology

Example D: Communications

Authors of Examples A-D describe the outcomes of their assignment revisions

Example E: Biology

Discussion Questions (about Examples A-E)

Example F: Library research Assignment

Example G: Criminal Justice In-Class activity

Example H: Criminal Justice Assignment

Example I: Political Science Assignment

Example J: Criteria for Math Writing

Example K - Environmental History

Example L - Calculus

Example M - Algebra

Example N - Finance

Tools for Revising/Creating your Own Transparent Assignments

Transparent Assignment Template for faculty
Checklist for Designing Transparent Assignments
Assignment Cues to use when designing an assignment (adapted from Bloom’s Taxonomy) for faculty
Transparent Equitable Learning Readiness Assessment for Teachers

Tools for Gathering Feedback on your Draft Assignments

Transparent Assignment Template for students (to frame a conversation to gather feedback from your students about how to make assignments’ purposes, tasks and criteria even more transparent and relevant for them)
Checklist for Transparent Assignments
Measuring Transparency: A Learning-focused Assignment Rubric (Palmer, M., Gravett, E., LaFleur, J.)
Transparent Equitable Learning Framework for Students (to frame a conversation with students about how to make the purposes, tasks and criteria for class activities transparent and relevant for them)

Workshop Videos and Slides

FOR FACULTY

Transparent Assignment Design faculty workshop videorecording (“Using Transparent Assignments to Increase Students' Success,” Mary-Ann Winkelmes, keynote workshop, 13th Annual Advancing Teaching and Learning Conference, Texas Tech University, March 3, 2017.

Part 1) Research findings
Part 2) Example Assignments
Part 3) Peer feedback on your own assignments

FOR FACULTY DEVELOPERS

Transparent Assignment Design faculty workshop slides

Part 1) Research findings
Part 2) Example Assignments
Part 3) Peer feedback on your own assignments

Accessible faculty workshop slides
Presenter’s Notes
Train the Trainers webinar recording
NILOA Charrette and Feedback with TILT
TILT Assignment and Activity Sequencing Worksheet

FOR INSTITUTIONAL LEADERS

Transparency and Equity workshop slides (hosted by AAC&U, NILOA, TILT)
Transparency and Equity webinar recording(hosted by AAC&U, NILOA, TILT)
TILT Alignment Assessment Pyramid
TILT Strategic Planning Worksheet

For institutions, results can include increased retention and completion rates. For participating instructors, individualized reports identify small teaching adjustments best suited to improving students’ learning for the specific population of students in their courses. Ongoing analysis explores teaching/learning adjustments that improve learning outcomes, specific to discipline, class size, level of expertise, and student demographics.

A national study by the Association of American Colleges and Universities, funded by TG Philanthropy, demonstrated that transparency around academic work enhances students’ success at statistically significant levels, with even greater benefits for historically underserved students (with a medium-to-large sized magnitude of effect) [Winkelmes et al., Peer Review 2016]. Students who receive transparent instruction about the purposes, tasks and criteria for their academic work report gains in three areas that are important predictors of students’ success:

academic confidence,
sense of belonging, and
mastery of the skills that employers value most when hiring.

Important studies have already connected academic confidence and sense of belonging with students’ greater persistence and higher grades [Walton and Cohen, Science 2011; Aronson, Fried, Good, 2002].

To bring a Transparency Project workshop to your institution, please contact Mary-Ann Winkelmes at mary-ann.winkelmes@unlv.edu.
Frequently asked questions
TILT Higher Ed Examples and Resources
Transparent Methods: Examples

Howard, Tiffiany, Mary-Ann Winkelmes, and Marya Shegog. “Transparency Teaching in the Virtual Classroom: Assessing the Opportunities and Challenges of Integrating Transparency Teaching Methods with Online Learning.” Journal of Political Science Education, June 2019.
Ou, J. (2018, June), Board 75 : Work in Progress: A Study of Transparent Assignments and Their Impact on Students in an Introductory Circuit Course Paper presented at 2018 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Salt Lake City, Utah.
Palmer, M. S., Gravett, E. O., & LaFleur, J. (2018). Measuring transparency: A learning‐focused assignment rubric. To Improve the Academy, 37(2), 173-187. doi:10.1002/tia2.20083
Winkelmes, M., Allison Boye and Suzanne Tapp, ed.s. (2019) Transparent Design in Higher Education Teaching and Leadership. Stylus Publishing.
Humphreys, K., Winkelmes, M.A., Gianoutsos, D., Mendenhall, A., Fields, L.A., Farrar, E., Bowles-Terry, M., Juneau-Butler, G., Sully, G., Gittens, S. Cheek, D. (forthcoming 2018). Campus-wide Collaboration on Transparency in Faculty Development at a Minority-Serving Research University. In Winkelmes, Boye, Tapp, (Eds.), Transparent Design in Higher Education Teaching and Leadership.
Copeland, D.E., Winkelmes, M., & Gunawan, K. (2018). Helping students by using transparent writing assignments. In T.L. Kuther (Ed.), Integrating Writing into the College Classroom: Strategies for Promoting Student Skills, 26-37. Retrieved from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology website.
Winkelmes, Mary-Ann, Matthew Bernacki, Jeffrey Butler, Michelle Zochowski, Jennifer Golanics, and Kathryn Harriss Weavil. "A Teaching Intervention that Increases Underserved College Students’ Success."Peer Review (Winter/Spring 2016).
Transparency and Problem-Centered Learning. (Winter/Spring 2016) Peer Review vol.18, no. 1/2.b
Winkelmes, Mary-Ann. Small Teaching Changes, Big Learning Benefits.” ACUE Community ‘Q’ Blog, December, 2016.
Winkelmes, Mary-Ann. “Helping Faculty Use Assessment Data to Provide More Equitable Learning Experiences.” NILOA Guest Viewpoints. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois and Indiana University, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment, March 17, 2016.
Gianoutsos, Daniel, and Mary-Ann Winkelmes. “Navigating with Transparency: Enhancing Underserved Student Success through Transparent Learning and Teaching in the Classroom and Beyond.” Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Association of Developmental Educators (Spring 2016).
Sodoma, Brian. “The End of Busy Work.” UNLV Magazine 24,1 (Spring 2016): 16-19.
Cook, Lisa and Daniel Fusch. One Easy Way Faculty Can Improve Student Success." Academic Impressions (March 10, 2016).
Head, Alison and Kirsten Hosteller. "Mary-Ann Winkelmes: Transparency in Teaching and Learning," Project Information Literacy, Smart Talk Interview, no. 25. Creative Commons License 3.0 : 2 September 2015.
Winkelmes, Mary-Ann, et al. David E. Copeland, Ed Jorgensen, Alison Sloat, Anna Smedley, Peter Pizor, Katharine Johnson, and Sharon Jalene. “Benefits (some unexpected) of Transparent Assignment Design.” National Teaching and Learning Forum, 24, 4 (May 2015), 4-6.
Winkelmes, Mary-Ann. “Equity of Access and Equity of Experience in Higher Education.” National Teaching and Learning Forum, 24, 2 (February 2015), 1-4.
Cohen, Dov, Emily Kim, Jacinth Tan, Mary-Ann Winkelmes,“A Note-Restructuring Intervention Increases Students’ Exam Scores.” College Teaching vol. 61, no. 3 (2013): 95-99.
Winkelmes, Mary-Ann. "Transparency in Teaching: Faculty Share Data and Improve Students' Learning.” Liberal Education Association of American Colleges and Universities (Spring 2013).
Winkelmes, Mary-Ann. “Transparency in Learning and Teaching: Faculty and students benefit directly from a shared focus on learning and teaching processes.” NEA Higher Education Advocate (January 2013): 6 - 9.
Bhavsar, Victoria Mundy. (2020). A Transparent Assignment to Encourage Reading for a Flipped Course, College Teaching, 68:1, 33-44, DOI: 10.1080/87567555.2019.1696740
Bowles-Terry, Melissa, John C. Watts, Pat Hawthorne, and Patricia Iannuzzi. “Collaborating with Teaching Faculty on Transparent Assignment Design.” In Creative Instructional Design: Practical Applications for Librarians, edited by Brandon K. West, Kimberly D. Hoffman, and Michelle Costello, 291–311. Atlanta: American Library Association, 2017.
Leuzinger, Ryne and Grallo, Jacqui, “Reaching First- Generation and Underrepresented Students through Transparent Assignment Design.” (2019). Library Faculty Publications and Presentations. 11. https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/lib_fac/11
Fuchs, Beth, “Pointing a Telescope Toward the Night Sky: Transparency and Intentionality as Teaching Techniques” (2018). Library Presentations. 188. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/libraries_present/188
Ferarri, Franca; Salis, Andreas; Stroumbakis, Kostas; Traver, Amy; and Zhelecheva, Tanya, “Transparent Problem-Based Learning Across the Disciplines in the Community College Context: Issues and Impacts” (2015).NERA Conference Proceedings 2015. 9. https://opencommons.uconn.edu/nera-2015/9
Milman, Natalie B. Tips for Success: The Online Instructor's (Short) Guide to Making Assignment Descriptions More Transparent. Distance Learning. Greenwich Vol. 15, Iss. 4, (2018): 65-67. 3

Offer research-based explanations about concepts or tasks that students often struggle to master in your discipline [See examples below including Bloom, Bransford, Gregorc, Light, Perry.]

Ryjova, Yana. What is the Transparency in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Project (TILT Higher Ed)? Interview with Dr. Mary-Ann Winkelmes." Hixson-Lied Success Scholar Newsletter. Las Vegas: University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Academic Success Center, March 2016.
Sodoma, Brian. Forget the What: It's the How and Why That Matters." UNLV News Center, January 21, 2016.
Summers, Keyonna. “Newsmakers 2015: People.” UNLV News Center, January 7, 2016.
Berrett, Dan.“The Unwritten Rules of College.” Chronicle of Higher Education, September 21, 2015.
Adolfo Guzman-Lopez,“Researchers say as college demographics change, so must teaching.” 89.3 KPCC Southern California Public Radio. March 13, 2015.
“Transparency and Problem-Centered Learning.” Association of American Colleges and Universities website, retrieved November 5, 2014.
“Mary-Ann Winkelmes and UNLV's Transparency in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Project.” Accomplishments, UNLV News Center, September 2014.
“New Project Will Engage Minority-Serving Institutions to Research Effect of Faculty Intentionality in Problem-Centered Educational Practices on the Success of Students Who Have Historically Been Underserved in Higher Education.” Association of American Colleges & Universities press release, August 4, 2014.
“UNLV Partners with AAC&U to Lead National Project to Improve Under-Represented Students’ Success.” UNLV Research and Economic Development press release. August 7, 2014.

Mellon grant in partnership with Berea College (2017-2021)
Robert J. Menges Award for Outstanding Research in Educational Development, 2012, from Professional Organizational Development Network in Higher Education
TG Philanthropy grant in partnership with Association of American Colleges and Universities (2014-2016)

University of Illinois

Application to Institutional Review Board, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Exempt Research Application
University of Illinois Institutional Review Board Certification of principal investigator
Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Certification of principal investigator
Approvals from Institutional Review Board, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Approvals from Institutional Review Board, University of Nevada, Las Vegas:

Brandeis University

Additional Materials to Support Assignment Design

Organizing Assignment-Design Work on Your Campus: A Tool Kit of Resources and Materials.

A Library of DQP Assignments: Building Capacity for a New Model of Assessment

AAC&U VALUE Rubrics (Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education)

Decoding Assignments

Please send to wink@brandeis.edu any additional materials and resources that you develop and would like to share.

Contact

Mary-Ann Winkelmes, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator and Founder, TILT Higher Ed

Executive Director, Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)

Brandeis University

wink@brandeis.edu

@TILTHigherEd Transparency and Problem-Centered Learning is the focus of the Winter/Spring 2016 issue of the AAC&U's Journal: https://t.co/sqALkBgk5U @TILTHigherEd “UNLV Partners with AAC&U to Lead National Project to Improve Under-Represented Students’ Success.” https://t.co/NYWVMN1sMj @TILTHigherEd “New Project Will Engage Minority-Serving Institutions..." Association of American Colleges & Universities. https://t.co/BgC2Xhx7OG @TILTHigherEd “Transparency and Problem-Centered Learning.” Association of American Colleges and Universities website https://t.co/qK7fCc6dwj @TILTHigherEd Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, “Researchers say as college demographics change, so must teaching.” https://t.co/mTRmvYU0ex @TILTHigherEd Berrett, Dan.“The Unwritten Rules of College.” Chronicle of Higher Education, September 21, 2015. https://t.co/eeuYWHNrmT @TILTHigherEd Summers, Keyonna. “Newsmakers 2015: People.” UNLV News Center, January 7, 2016. https://t.co/23YsVMMv7i @TILTHigherEd Sodoma, Brian. "Forget the What: It's the How and Why That Matters." UNLV News Center, January 21, 2016. https://t.co/v2lCLBswCw @TILTHigherEd Ryjova, Yana. "What is the Transparency in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education Project (TILT Higher Ed)?" https://t.co/NeNiowrRyV