Drew University Writing Instructor Guidelines:  Designing writing assignments that are accessible to all students  The strategies listed below are especially helpful for students with learning disibilities--although in fact they are also helpful for all students.  They are, in short, sound pedagogy.  We recommend them to teachers regardless of whether they know they have any students with special needs in the class. Work out exactly what you want the writing assignment to achieve, write this out, and be ready to discuss it orally with the class. Work out exactly how you will evaluate an assignment, write this out, and be ready to discuss it orally with the class. Work out exactly what stages the students need to follow to complete the assignment, write those out, and be ready to discuss them orally with the class. Work out how long it should take to complete the assignment, and make sure to allow the students at least that much time. (Two weeks for a standard college paper;  at least four weeks for a paper requiring library research.) Write out the assignment clearly and simply and make sure that each student has a clear copy.  Typed is better than handwritten. If you need to provide written explanations, stages, goals, etc., clearly identify what they are using bullets, subheadings, and straightforward explanations. Go over the assignment orally in class the day you give out the written version, emphasizing what is required (comparison, analysis, etc.) and explaining the goals.  Be clear and direct and try to make connections to other parts of the course and to skills students have already learned. Offer more than one version of the assignment (each written out), allowing a more creative approach if that is possible

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Sandra Jamieson
Drew University