4. Developing Assignment Instructions
Research Topics
Research topics generally start out as broad subject areas (e.g., homelessness), and eventually are narrowed down to a question (e.g., How has climate change impacted homelessness in Toronto, Canada?). Criteria for effective research topics varies by discipline and the purpose of the assignment. Consider: What types of questions are common in your discipline? What types of questions are appropriate for your course content?
As discussed in chapter 3 under Teaching Troublesome Tasks, defining a research topic can be a very challenging task for students at all levels. Depending on student competencies, familiarity with the subject matter, and the purpose of the assignment, you may choose to supply research topics or help students narrow or limit their chosen topics.
Strategies for Success
When providing topics to students:
- Choose a variety of topics that could appeal to diverse students.
- Test out each topic with a few quick searches in library databases or other search tools.
- Ask your librarian for feedback and suggestions.
When asking students to define their own topics:
- Provide some general guidelines. For example, topics should be related to course content, should solve personal problems or help attain personal goals, should examine a specific cultural perspective, etc.
- Discuss appropriate scope of topics. What is manageable within the time frame and word count requirements?
- Provide strategies for further narrowing a topic. Your librarian may be able to provide a workshop or recommend additional learning materials.
- Offer class time for students to conduct background research to explore possible topics.
- Offer examples of successful topics.
- Require students to submit their topics before they begin writing.
- Encourage students to modify their topic even after submitting it, if needed.
- Emphasize that picking a topic IS research (rather than a precursor to research) and therefore part of an iterative process of exploration and learning.
Academic Integrity Strategies: Encourage students to draw unique connections between two or more ideas discussed in class or relate their topics to personal experiences. Randomize your topics every semester and avoid reusing the same topics year over year. Keep a detailed list of topics chosen by students.
Indigenization Strategies: Encourage students to respect and engage with diverse ways of knowing, or consider how colonialism, systemic discrimination, or other aspects of their personal context impact their topics and personal perspectives.
Universal Design Strategies: Offer students a variety of choices in the topics they can explore.
Example Topics
Common Phrasing
- Analyze the impact of ____ on ____.
- Analyze the philosophies/theories/arguments of ___.
- Analyze the cause/determinants/risk factors of ___.
- Analyze the advantages/disadvantages of ___ for ___.
- Analyze the historical context of ___.
- Trace the development of ___.
- Compare/Contrast two or more aspects of ___.
Topics to avoid
| Avoid | Examples | The Problem | Instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topics that can’t be proven |
|
Sufficient evidence is lacking. | Explore philosophies or theories related to these types of topics, public reports of sightings, cultural or artistic expressions. |
| Topics that are too technical |
|
Students will become frustrated and may learn to conduct surface research, potentially reinforcing misconceptions about academic standards of research practices. | Stick with topics within the subject area the student is studying. In cases like Communications or Composition courses, encourage students to explore topics familiar to them from everyday life. |
| Legal or moral topics |
|
Often too complex for students to do well. Students may rely on their preconceived ideas or bias to generate an argument instead of exploring new ideas. | Ask students to look at specific groups and how they justify their actions or beliefs, or examine the impact of a specific behaviour (e.g., illicit drug use) on a specific group of people (e.g., children). |
| Topics that are too recent |
|
There may not be enough evidence or appropriate sources for students to explore. | Choose events or trends from two or more years ago. |
