During the 2025 Fall semester, the CFC conducted a project to understand what types of assignments students find the most impactful. We asked students, “What is an assignment that has really helped you learn?” Through hosting a table event, collecting responses through a survey, and gathering video interviews, we have received feedback on assignments that have made an impact on students. While assignments and disciplines varied, consistent patterns emerged. Below is a summary of what we learned and resources for faculty who want to incorporate these elements into their teaching.

Student Voices

This video features students describing an assignment that has stood out to them and why it has made an impact on their academic career.

Below we will focus on the three most dominant themes; choice, authentic learning, and active learning through hands-on experience.

Student Quotes and Patterns

Choice

Student responses highlighted the importance of choice in assignments. One student stated:

“For a criminal justice research methods paper, we conducted independent research on a topic of our own choosing and reviewed literature on our chosen topics to write a research proposal…this was very engaging because of the element of choosing a topic that I am passionate about.”

Responses like this point to a consistent pattern: when students are given freedom of choice, they have deeper engagement and motivation. Motivation research, such as the self-determination theory, shows that autonomy can significantly increase engagement. Students go from having to do an assignment to wanting to do an assignment. Structure does not need to be sacrificed, but by providing choice students feel more engaged while still achieving learning outcomes.

Authentic Learning

Another strong theme was the application of concepts learned in the course to real-life scenarios as a form of authentic learning. A student wrote about writing a policy letter in their English 101 Writing and Rhetoric course:

“I had to write a policy letter to my local theatre company asking them to renovate the auditorium. This assignment helped me connect rhetoric tools to real life scenarios and gave me a better understanding of them.”

This student emphasized the importance of applying course concepts, specifically outside of the classroom. This assignment allowed students not only to recall what they were learning, but to use that knowledge and apply it to a real situation. Instead of simply defining concepts, they were being put to action, which deepened understanding and strengthened retention. Authentic learning helps bridge the gap between what is learned in the classroom and what is expected beyond.

Active Learning through Hands-on Experience

A third pattern we observed was student appreciation for hands-on experience. One student reflected on their hands-on experience in their GEOG 141 course:

“We have had multiple assignments where we were able to look at fossils. We looked at different fossils and were suppose to identify them and figure out what something might have originally been. I chose this because I found it very impactful and useful to have the hands-on experience.”

Experiences like this show that through hands-on experience, conceptual ideas turn into something tangible that students are able to interact with. Students can modify, test, and engage with the concepts. Participating in hands-on experience gives students a memorable experience, leading to higher knowledge retention. In addition to this, hands-on experience shows students what their field of study can look like in practice.

Creating Impactful Learning Opportunities

Factoring in Choice

Integrating choice into assignments can be done in small ways to maintain learning outcomes of the course. Ways to incorporate choice includes providing 2-3 discussion prompts students can choose from, allowing students to choose a topic for a paper, or choice in participating in projects with a group or individually.

Incorporating choice through elements of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework can benefit students. The UDL focuses on engagement, action and expression, and representation with a goal to create a more inclusive learning environment. The CFC offers a 4-week asynchronous course centered around the UDL framework. This course begins Monday, March 2 and you can register for the UDL (Universal Design for Learning) Cohort using this link.

Integrating Authentic Learning Opportunities

Authentic assessments allow students to apply knowledge and skills to real-world situations. “Authentic assessments can be designed using different teaching methods like inquiry-based learning, project-based learning, problem-based learning, scenario-based learning, or design-based learning,” (Messier, 2022). Scenario-based assignments, for example, that incorporate problem-solving are effective ways to achieve this. Some examples include creating a mock business plan, completing problem sets that mimic the structure of a research article so students can follow the discovery process, role-playing a pitch to fictional or real clients, or engaging in a triple jump exercise (a three-step learning activity where students analyze a real-world problem, conduct research, and present their solution).

Incorporating Active Learning

Active learning allows students to engage with course material through application activities. Active learning teaching tools vary widely and offer many benefits to both students and instructors. Students are given the opportunity to think, talk, problem solve and gain immediate feedback from instructors. Instructors can use these techniques to build community and gain insight into how students think and engage with course content. Active learning often incorporates hands-on learning, creating tangible experiences for students. Examples include performing lab experiments, using tools relevant to the field, and handling real data. These findings align with research that shows the academic and personal value of hands-on and collaborative, active learning.

Conclusion

Student feedback gathered showed that assignments that offer freedom of choice, and authentic and active learning experiences, specifically hands-on experiences, support impactful learning. Although backgrounds and majors were diverse, these themes appeared consistently throughout feedback, suggesting that these strategies help long-term learning throughout disciplines. Incorporating these strategies does not require a course redesign, rather, small changes can be made to highlight these strategies. Through intentional adjustments, instructors can foster engagement and retention to support long-term learning.

Clemmy Brophy is a student assistant at the CFC and collected the data for this project with the help of Gabriel Claros (also student assistant at the CFC) and April Tallant.

Citations and Resources

Give students choice, where appropriate. Eberly Center – Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.). https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/teach/classroomclimate/strategies/choice.html

Gonzales, A. (2024, August 28). Implementing Student Choice within an Assignment. Center for Transformative Teaching | Nebraska. https://teaching.unl.edu/news/implementing-student-choice-within-assignment/

Harvard University (n.d.). Problem sets. The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/problem-sets

Jach, E. A., & Trolian, T. L. (2020, September). EBSCOhost Research databases‎. Engagement in College and University Applied Learning Experiences and Students’ Academic Motivation. https://research.ebsco.com/c/y6sumr/viewer/html/r2m23bw4lv?auth-callid=38974c40-e247-4d39-86c7-7c488d5f07c5

Kuh, G., O’Donnell, K., & Schneider, C. G. (2017). HIPs at Ten. Change (New Rochelle, N.Y.), 49(5), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/00091383.2017.1366805

The UDL guidelines. CAST Universal Design for Learning Guidelines. (n.d.). https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

University of New Brunswick (n.d.). Creating effective scenarios, case studies, and role plays. Centre for Enhanced Teaching & Learning. https://www.unb.ca/fredericton/cetl/services/teaching-tips/instructional-methods/creating-effective-scenarios,-case-studies-and-role-plays.html

What Are The Benefits of Hands-On Learning? NewSchool of Architecture & Design. (2019, January 21). https://newschoolarch.edu/what-are-the-benefits-of-hands-on-learning/

What is Experiential Learning Theory? University of the People. (2025, October 13). https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/what-is-experiential-learning-theory/

Weir, K. (2025, March 2). Self-determination theory: A quarter century of human motivation research. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/research-practice/conduct-research/self-determination-theory