Planning for your assignment or research project will help you get better marks and reduce any anxiety you may feel.

Before you begin, make sure you know:

• the due date
• what you have to do and what you must submit for grading (e.g. write an essay or a report; present a marketing strategy, a video, or a graphic design; build a model)
• any limits on what you must submit for grading (e.g. page limits, or word counts, of any writing; time limits for presentations or videos)
• the course learning objectives (you can find these in your course outline).

If anything about the assignment or research project is unclear to you then contact your tutor or lecturer.

For more help visit Te Taiako Student Learning website.

Understanding your assignment question or research project instructions will help you find the right information sources and structure your answer correctly.

1. Identify instructional words – these words indicate what you should do and how you should structure your answer (e.g. analyse, assess, outline).
2. Identify topics and keywords – these words will help you search for information sources that help you understand the topic and create your answer.
3. Paraphrase the question or instructions – re-writing in your own words will help you better understand what you need to do.
4. Identify any implied limits for the topic (e.g. teenagers not children; causes not effects; date ranges).

Example

Briefly discuss the opportunities and threats which globalisation poses for the economy over the coming decade

Instructional words: discuss

Keywords: opportunities / threats, globalisation, economy

Limits: coming decade; which country's economy?

The goal of brainstorming is to let your ideas flow freely and ultimately find a point of focus for answering your assignment question or research project. Use brainstorming to make connections between ideas and concepts. Try to avoid being too critical and simply include all your ideas. There is no "right" way to brainstorm but it might be helpful to consider the following questions:

• What do you already know about the topic, based on lectures, tutorials, and course readings?
• What concepts or theories do you want to include?
• How will you link your ideas?
• What argument are you making?
• Do you need to provide balance to the argument?