VALUE Assignment Design and Diagnostic Tools
Designing Assignments that Reveal Student Learning
VALUE Assignment Design and Diagnostic (ADD) Tools help faculty and instructional designers create assignments that produce meaningful evidence of student learning.
Aligned with the VALUE rubrics, these tools support the intentional design and revision of assignments so that students can demonstrate the learning outcomes instructors want to assess—such as critical thinking, written communication, and other essential skills.
By strengthening the alignment between learning outcomes, assignments, and assessment, VALUE ADD tools help ensure that student work accurately reflects the knowledge and abilities institutions aim to develop.
How VALUE ADD Tools Strengthen Teaching and Assessment
Meaningful assessment begins with well-designed assignments. VALUE ADD tools help faculty and instructional designers:
- Design assignments aligned with essential learning outcomes
- Ensure alignment between assignments and VALUE rubrics
- Create opportunities for students to demonstrate complex learning
- Strengthen the quality of student work used for assessment
- Improve transparency for students about expectations and performance criteria
By focusing on assignment design, ADD tools help institutions generate clearer evidence of student learning while improving teaching and learning experiences.
How VALUE ADD Tools Work
VALUE ADD tools guide instructors through the process of designing or revising assignments so they produce meaningful evidence of student learning.
- Identify the Learning Outcome. Faculty begin by identifying the learning outcome they want students to demonstrate, typically aligned with a VALUE rubric.
- Design or Revise the Assignment. The ADD tool provides structured prompts to help instructors design assignments that intentionally elicit the desired student performance.
- Align Assignment and Rubric. Faculty review the assignment to ensure it provides students with clear opportunities to demonstrate the dimensions of learning described in the VALUE rubric.
- Improve Student Learning and Assessment. The resulting assignment produces student work that more accurately reflects student learning and can be used for both classroom evaluation and institutional assessment.
Available VALUE ADD Tools
AAC&U is developing a series of VALUE Assignment Design and Diagnostic (ADD) tools aligned with specific VALUE rubrics. These tools are freely available resources designed to help faculty and instructional designers strengthen assignment design and improve the alignment between teaching, learning outcomes, and assessment.
Currently available tools are listed below. Download them to begin designing assignments that reveal meaningful evidence of student learning.
Critical Thinking VALUE ADD Tool
Aligned with the Critical Thinking VALUE Rubric, this Assignment Design and Diagnostic Tool supports the creation or revision of assignments intended to produce student work that develops and accurately demonstrates a student’s critical thinking abilities.
Written Communication VALUE ADD Tool
Aligned with the Written Communication VALUE Rubric, this Assignment Design and Diagnostic Tool supports the creation or revision of assignments intended to produce student work that develops and accurately demonstrates a student’s written communication abilities.
Using and Citing VALUE Resources
AAC&U provides guidance on referring to, citing, and reproducing VALUE rubrics, VALUE ADD Tools, and related materials in scholarly and institutional contexts.
Part of the VALUE System
VALUE Assignment Design and Diagnostic Tools are part of AAC&U’s Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) system for authentic assessment. Institutions use them alongside additional resources that define shared learning expectations, support faculty development, and enable collaborative scoring of student work.
Explore other parts of the VALUE system:
Ready to Learn More About Using VALUE ADD Tools?
AAC&U works with faculty leaders, assessment offices, and institutions to support effective use of VALUE ADD Tools and authentic assessment practices.