Study Skills & Learning Strategies: Assignment Planning

Take Inventory of Your Assignment Planning Strategies

In this section, think about the strategies you use to tackle your assignments. Ask yourself how well those strategies are working and why.

Do you feel swamped by the amount of work you have to do in a term? Consider creating a term plan and a weekly schedule.
Do assignment deadlines make you feel anxious? Try chunking.
Are you sometimes unsure of where to begin? Use a checklist.
Do you avoid asking for help because it takes up too much time? Practice your help-seeking skills.

If you feel unsure about where to start or completing your assignments on time, having a personalized plan in place can alleviate the anxiety and provide you with a road map to tackle even the toughest tasks.

Complete this short survey to gain a better understanding of the steps involved in assignment planning.

Assignment Planning Survey

Personalize/Plan Your Approach
Reflect on the strategies you use to complete your assignments. Do they enhance, extend and empower your learning? Explore the resource links below and adopt strategies that you can easily apply and adapt to suit your learning needs.
ADOPT	APPLY	ADAPT

Strategies that enhance your ability to plan and meet assignment deadlines	Strategies that extend your ability to manage your assignment load and track your progress	Strategies that improve the quality of your assignments through self-assessment and feedback
Assignment Planning from Leeds University provides several tips on how to approach the planning process. Strategies and Steps for Understanding an Assignment can help you get started. How to Write in University (TrentU) provides planning strategies for different types of writing assignments. Using an Assignment Planner describes how to plan backwards from the assignment deadline	Make a habit of using *USask's Assignment Planner for help with developing completion timelines and finding resources for stages of the writing process. TrentU's 10 Steps to Complete Your Assignments describes the steps in the planning process. Try using UCalgary's Assignment Planner to make action plans for Lab Reports, Book Reviews, Oral Presentations, etc.	Use the University's Writing Centre for free 1-on-1 support and to get feedback on your organization skills and writing style. Use the feedback your receive to improve your writing process by Making a Feedback Action Plan. Try this Planning for Assignments tutorial by Algonquin College to master your ability to chunk/break up assignments into smaller, more manageable parts. Handout: Five tips to Improve through Feedback