麻豆传媒

Gone are the days when professors assigned coursework with minimal guidance, expecting students to navigate the process on their own. Today, we recognize that transparency in teaching isn鈥檛 about spoon-feeding students, it鈥檚 about providing clarity and structure that supports learning. When students understand what is expected of them and why an assignment matters, they are more likely to engage deeply, perform better, and feel more confident about their capabilities.

Transparency in teaching improves communication between instructors and students, creating a more equitable environment where all students, regardless of background, understand what is expected of them. One of the more widely recognized frameworks for implementing transparency in education is the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework, developed by Mary-Ann Winkelmes. ^[1] TILT helps students understand why they are learning something, what they need to do, and what the final product should look like.

Many instructors are already practicing elements of transparency in their teaching without realizing it. The TILT framework simply refines and structures these efforts to maximize student success. To use this framework, consider and articulate these three core components:
1. Purpose: Why is this assignment important? What skills or knowledge will students gain from completing it?
2. Task: What exactly should students do? What steps should they follow to complete the assignment successfully?
3. Criteria: How will the work be evaluated? What does a successful outcome look like?

Benefits for Students

Transparency in teaching is beneficial for all students, particularly for first-generation students and those from underrepresented backgrounds, as it clarifies the norms and practices of higher education. ^[2] It also aligns with 麻豆传媒鈥檚 Student First approach to teaching and learning.

Students will gain:

• Increased Confidence and Motivation: When students understand why an assignment matters, they are more likely to see its relevance and engage with it.
• Reduced Anxiety and Frustration: Unclear instructions can be a significant source of stress. Transparency minimizes confusion and allows students to focus on learning rather than guessing what is required.
• Greater Equity in Learning Opportunities: When expectations are explicit, all students鈥攔egardless of prior academic experience鈥攈ave the same information to succeed.

Benefits for Instructors

Transparency doesn鈥檛 just benefit students鈥攊t also makes life easier for instructors. By adopting a transparent approach, educators often find that they:

• Receive Fewer Questions and Complaints: When students know exactly what is expected, they are less likely to seek clarification or dispute grades.
• Reduce Frustration for All Involved: Misunderstandings decrease, allowing instructors to spend more time on meaningful discussions and engaging activities rather than troubleshooting confusion.
• Optimize Time and Effort: Transparency doesn鈥檛 require a big lift or complete overhaul. Often, it鈥檚 just a matter of making small adjustments, or a 鈥渢ilt,鈥� to existing practices, such as providing rubrics or explicitly stating assignment purposes.

Instructors can extend the concepts to other areas of course design. Transparency can be incorporated into syllabus layout, assignment formats, and approaches to feedback. ^[3]

Transparency in teaching is not about making things easier, it鈥檚 about making learning more accessible and meaningful. As Linda Bloomberg noted, 鈥淲eak performance is often less about the content and more about not having clarity or direction with regard to the processes in which you are asking learners to engage.鈥� ^[4] By implementing simple transparency strategies, educators can enhance student learning experiences, reduce confusion, and create a more equitable academic environment.

This post was based on the ideas from a chapter by Brianne Markowski and Stephanie Ward, Using the Transparency in Teaching and Learning Framework to Improve Communication, ^[5] and drafted with help from ChatGPT.

Selected References

^[1] Mary-Ann Winkelmes, 鈥淚ntroduction,鈥� in Transparent Design in Higher Education Teaching and Leadership: A Guide to Implementing the Transparency Framework Institution-Wide to Improve Learning and Retention, ed. Mary-Ann Winkelmes, Allison Boye and Suzanne Tapp (Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing, 2019),

^[2] Linda Dale Bloomberg, Designing and Delivering Effective Online Instruction: How to Engage Adult Learners (New York: Teachers College Press, 2021),

^[3] Mary-Ann Winkelmes, 鈥淲hy it works,鈥� in Transparent Design in Higher Education Teaching and Leadership: A Guide to Implementing the Transparency Framework Institution-Wide to Improve Learning and Retention, ed. Mary-Ann Winkelmes, Allison Boye and Suzanne Tapp (Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing, 2019),

^[4] Bloomberg, Designing and Delivering Effective Online Instruction, 101.

^[5] Brianne Markowski and Stephanie Ward, 鈥淯sing the Transparency in Teaching and Learning Framework to Improve Communication,鈥� in Teaching the Whole Student: Compassionate Instruction in the Academic Library, ed. Elena Rodriguez, (Chicago: ACRL, In Press).