Let’s be honest and fair to each other. Being a student, what’s your biggest problem? What’s that one thing you sincerely want to get rid of if you had a gene? Well, it’s been more than 23 years that I am into formal education. So, I know the answer to both of these questions- ‘Assignments’!! ‘‘The biggest dilemma that a student faces everyday is- Should I do my assignment or go off to sleep?’’
I still remember the first weekend of my college. We were assigned with some 7 assignments to complete over the weekend. Being a newbie to the world of ‘real life’, I had remarked- ‘‘I wish assignments never existed.’’ A senior who was present in my hostel room passed a wicked smile. She then started explaining me about the importance of assignments. Later when I confessed that I hate doing assignments because of the fact that I find them to be tedious and disgusting, she explained me the ways to make it interesting and funny.
Recently, I came across Roger, a young student in my neighborhood, who was struggling with his daily assignments. Since both of our families are very attached to each other, I had this inner call that I should help him. Since I still abide by my senior’s tips on how to make my assignments interesting in my own way, I helped him with those strategies. And this morning, when Roger came to thank me, I decide to help several other students like him who want to cope up with the struggles of assignment solving!
Tips to make your assignments interesting:
There is definitely no secret to success. But there are some ways through you can aim for success. To achieve academic success, it is of utmost importance that you make your assignments interesting. Look for the tips below-
- Research on the topic of your assignment–
Before answering or solving your assignment, it is important that you derive the necessary information vital for your topic. An assignment done with lack of information is not at all accepted in your level of education. Thus you need to research on the topic of your assignment so that you have a crystal clear picture of what you are supposed to do while answering it.
You can do your research through any online or offline resources. You can consult offline resources like reference books, magazines, newspapers, etc. In this age of high and advanced technology, there are students who prefer availing online resources for conducting their research. You can join educational forums for individual subjects. You can even refer to various online educational websites.
- Understand the topic of assignment–
The more you research, the more will you be able to derive a basic understanding of the topic of your assignments. Those of you, who are attentive in class, will have an extra advantage here. You will see that the topics of your assignment are related to what your teachers have taught in the class.
Teachers give assignment on topics or concepts which they have covered in class. If you are attentive in your class, you will no problem in understanding what your teacher is expecting from you through the assignment.
- Think of making it informative–
Teachers prefer correcting assignments which are informative in their approach. Once they find that the work lacks information, they overlook it and give average grades. Thus, if you have done q good research, you can make your assignment informative in several ways. Try to think of ways through which you can keep your readers engaged.
For this, you need to make it attractive and subjective. A work which carries several facts, statistics, observations, comparisons can easily catch the attention of the reader.
- Write an abstract–
Once you derive a basic idea of the topic, you need to write what you are going to do in your assignment. Within a word count of 200-300 words, you need to provide a summary of the various steps, research methodology and the aim of your assignment. Writing an abstract from before helps you to stay focused in your approach towards the assignment.
Some of you may say that when teachers have not specified the inclusion of abstract to your assignment, why I am advising you. Teachers in our time too didn’t specify this criterion. But there were some of us who did write an abstract and it was indeed appreciated by the teachers.
- A good introduction–
In order to keep your reader engaged, you should know how to make your assignment appealing. The first and foremost way to appeal your reader is by providing a strong introduction. You need to provide content which is catchy and interesting so that your reader stays glued to your work till the end. Once you are able to grab your reader’s sight, he will automatically move to the next part of your assignment. Teachers too love to read and correct an assignment which has a catchy introduction.
- Have a SWOT Analysis–
Before you move any further with your assignment, you should conduct a SWOT analysis of the topic. By this I mean that you should do an analysis of the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats you have in relation to the assignment topic. Once you derive these, you will know how to deal with each of them while doing the work. This analysis will help you in having an understanding of the topic.
- Begin with the part which interests you–
It is quite natural that since you are a student, you are in the process of learning. Thus, it is impossible for you to know each and every aspect of the assignment. However, if you start with the part which you think to be interesting, it will be easy for you to deal with the difficult areas. By starting with the interesting part, you have more energy to tackle the tough areas later.
- Divide your assignments into parts–
The best way to simplify your work is by dividing it into manageable sections so that you find it to be convenient. Most of the assignments that you get are lengthy. At once you find it to be difficult and impossible for you to solve. Thus, the best way to tackle this problem is by dividing assignment into various parts and sub-parts so that you don’t get bored or find it to be tough.
In case, you want to know the importance of threes assignments, refer to 7 reasons how assignment is related to students’ profitable career.
- Focus only on one section at a time–
Suppose if you have been assigned with a topic on making an Advertisement of a particular product. You need to divide it into various sections like the definition of advertisement, the target audience, the ad campaign, the jingles, etc. You should focus on one part only at a time. This is because if you focus on all aspects together, you will not be able to do any of it efficiently.
- Take breaks and reward yourself–
To avoid the work getting tedious, you need to take small breaks of 5-10 minutes after you complete a section. This will refresh your mind. You can even introduce the system of rewards. Set a target that if you can complete a part successfully, you will reward yourself with small gifts like a candy or a snack.
- Give a strong conclusion–
It is important that along the introduction, your conclusion should be strong too. This will show that you have a sound knowledge on the topic and that you are successful in the work. Remember, ‘‘All is well, that ends well.’’
Now quickly try these tips and make your assignments interesting!
