Instructor Toolkit: Create a Digital Assignment

Blogs can be created for any purpose, on any topic to express the thoughts, opinions and personality of the creator. They can be used as a place for personal writing, or they can be used as a way for professors to test a student's ability to think critically. Students can create and write blog posts for a course or look at creating one to boost their online presence.  

Skill Level: Beginner 

Suggested length: variable  

Weighting: 10%-20% 

Best for

• Reflection 
• Responses to readings, directed towards a specific audience 
• Share/curate projects/resources  

Limitations

• Depending on the platform, could require a lot of work to set up.
• Public facing or private, implications of what can or should beis shared, including copyrighted material.    

Sample learning outcomes

• Translate and present academic knowledge into consumable web content for non-experts.  
• Reflect on course content by making connections to their own experiences.  

Key creative steps

• Creating and personalizing the Blog 
• Identifying the audience and writing style 
• Research and outline post(s)
• Write and publish post(s)
• Comment on peers' posts 
• Reflection on the experience 

Writing a blog post

Writing Services in the library can assist students with writing their blog posts:

• Get feedback on your writing at all stages of the writing process
• Learn strategies for organising your ideas and structuring your thesis, papers, and chapters
• Receive advice on clarity, cohesion, and style

Students can book appointments online.;

Creating the blog

The library recommends using WordPress or Tumblr to create a blog. While the library does not have subscriptions to these platforms, there are a lot of customizable options available in the free versions.

If you are interested in presentation slides to share with your students about how to create and set-up a blog on Wordpress or Tumblr, please contact the library.