Signature Assignments
A Signature Assignment (SA) requires that students integrate and apply course content to address a significant personal, social, or professional question or issue in some way (e.g., through critical thinking, creative thinking, problem-solving, quantitative literacy, inquiry and analysis, etc.) for a specified audience.
How do I create and assign a Signature Assignment in my Gen Ed course?
Creating a Signature Assignment - Instructions to Faculty
Video: Implementing Signature Assignments in Gen Ed courses |
Video: Grading and Assessing Signature Assignments |
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| Link to PowerPoint download |
Link to PowerPoint download |
Do I have to call it a Signature Assignment?
Yes! This will help students learn that in each Gen Ed class they will have a similarly named assignment that taps into the same skills and understandings. Calling it "Signature Assignment" also helps the OIE to be able to find your assignment (preferably in Canvas) for the purposes of SA assessment on the four GELOs.
Where can I find examples of SA?
Look for this app in the eWeber portal:
This app provides searchable access to Signature Assignments in a variety of disciplines and GE attribute areas.
First Year Summit 2025 Panel: Revisiting Signature Assignments
Leigh Shaw, Moderator. Panelists: Anne Bialowas, Heidi Costello, Ryan Evans, and Becky Marchant (45 min)
This panel considers aspects of the common activity that engages students in all General Education courses – signature assignments (SAs). Panelists are instructors who teach in General Education with SAs and who have served as faculty reviewers of SAs for program assessment. Panelists address questions about the goals of signature assignments, features of well-designed signature assignments that support student learning and success, the role of SAs in Gen Ed program assessment, and supporting our concurrent enrollment partners in implementation of signature assignments.
How do I reconsider my SA in the context of Generative AI?
You may need to reconsider your SA in the context of GenAI, which is very good at writing and summarizing a lot of content quickly. GenAI can not produce the reflective and nuanced thinking of creative learners. Reduce the misuse of GenAI by leveraging its limitations, as outlined in the following infographic. Please reach out to the Director of Gen Ed directly (lshaw@weber.edu) with any questions.
