Paper (Essay, Argument)

A paper is a comprehensive document in which students describe or analyse a research or topic. It is a way of presenting and sharing what they have learned. You can test your students’ knowledge and skills with a paper on a specific topic related to the subject matter. A paper has several advantages, such as:

• Developing skills, such as research analysis and writing skills.
• Deepening knowledge of the chosen topic. 
• Academic skills, such as correctly quoting and citing sources. 
• Possibly interpersonal skills if you have groups doing the paper.

Tip: make sure that your students know exactly and explicitly what’s being expected of them when you ask them to write a paper. As a teacher you may have implicit ideas about this that your students don’t know about.

Therefore, go through the following steps, for example:

1. Give students a topic or research question on which to write a paper. This can be related to their current studies or a topic they are interested in.
2. Give students clear guidelines for writing the paper, such as length, structure, sources they should use and deadline.
3. Give examples of past papers that show what is good work and what is mediocre or poor work. See this tip for more information.
4. Keep in mind that sometimes papers are (partly or completely) written with the help of AI techniques. See this tip for more information.
5. Assess students’ papers based on their content, structure, analysis and argumentation. Also pay attention to spelling, grammar and correct source citation. Use a rubric for this, for example.
6. Give students feedback on their papers and provide recommendations for improvement. Or also use fellow students for peer feedback. 
7. Give them the opportunity to improve their paper based on the feedback.

Want to know more?

• Schrijf een paper, bachelor- of masterproef – Universiteit Gent
• Een schriftelijk werkstuk als toets – Universiteit Antwerpen
• Tekstsoorten: Essay – Rijksuniversiteit Groningen

See also: Case assignment, Research proposal, Argument mapping.

Tools: Feedbackfruits assignment review, Canvas assignments.

VU Taxonomy?

Programme specific skills in applying knowledge and understanding
Written communication

What total group size?

More than three hundred
More than one hundred
Between fifty and one hundred
Up to fifty
Up to twenty five

What activity group size?

Individual
Small group (2-4 pers)