assignment writing decoration

Decoration Templates

With the new MyDecs Reimagined, decoration guidance has changed… A couple of these changes include:

• Line minimum/maximums (for MSM, ASCOM, and ASAM) no longer exist. They must not be longer than 1350 characters.
• Numbers: Nine and below will be spelled out (unless space is limited). All numbers above nine are not required to be spelled out.
• Abbreviations/Acronyms: Authorized if they are found on the approved DAF abbreviations and acronyms list.
• Font: Courier New at font size 11.

Dec Workbench is a decoration drafting tool that builds the opening and closing sentences based on selected options and indicates the number of characters for the 1350 myDec character limit. Please send any edits to TSgt Hansen at [email protected] . Last updated 5 June 2024.

Here are 2 templates made by friends at Nellis:

Template Decoration Narrative Builder

Published Sep 2020. Updated May 2024.

Air Force Hub

The views and opinions presented herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its Components. Appearance of, or reference to, any commercial products or services does not constitute DoD endorsement of those products or services. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute DoD endorsement of the linked websites, or the information, products or services therein.

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The following Air Force Achievement Medal (AFAM) Template for has been taken from a Word file.  Feel free to copy the template.  Simply highlight the text, copy (CTRL-C) and paste it (CTRL-V) into a Word Document.  Please be aware the templates can be used for Outstanding Achievement, Meritorious Service or Posthumous.  Additionally, pay attention to the notes below the template. 

If you have anything you would like to submit , please do so.  Also, if you have found this information useful, please let me know. Everyone of these items has taken considerable amount of time to put together.  Please use the Amazon.com ads on this site to help support it.  All money gathered pays for hosting fees and domain fees.  (HONESTLY, when I see money come in it also prompts me to work harder on the site.)

(INSERT OLC HERE) STAFF SERGEANT JANE A. DOE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT 30 OCTOBER 2001 TO 30 DECEMBER 2001

Opening Sentence. First Lieutenant Jane A. Doe distinguished herself by (meritorious service) OR (outstanding achievement), as (duty assignment, and office location) OR while assigned to (office location). OR First Lieutenant Jane A. Doe distinguished herself by outstanding achievement (at or near). Narrative Description (Achievement or Service). Lieutenant Doe’s outstanding professional skill, knowledge, and leadership aided immeasurably in identifying problem areas in the field of _____ and in developing and implementing research projects capable of solving these problems. Note 1: IAW with the AFI, there's no required format for the closing statement on the AFAM. However, there is nothing wrong with adding that specific closing to AFAM, but it's not mandatory. Must use Times New Roman 10 or 12 point font Note 2: Text must fit (without touching) between the words “ACCOMPLISHMENTS” and “GIVEN UNDER MY HAND”. Note 3: No more than 13 lines when using 10 Pt Font for the AFAM.  

Copyright © 2007 AFWriting. All rights reserved.  View Terms and Conditions of Use . Revised: 10/21/09.

How To Make A Cover Page For An Assignment? An Ultimate Guide

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Level Up Your Assignment Game!

What if you made a shiny assignment but forgot to make the cover page? Remember that first impression in 'The Devil Wears Prada'? Well, your cover page deserves a standing ovation, not a silent groan from your teacher. But don't worry! Here's an ultimate guide on how to make a cover page for an assignment that will transform your cover page from 'blah' to 'wow' in no time!

What is a Cover Page in an Assignment?

The cover page, your essay's first impression, sets the stage for professionalism. It's where your name, course details, and due date greet your instructor. Though not always obligatory, its polished presentation can earn you favour. Following a good format often leads to higher scores, making it a smart academic move.

Why is a Cover Page Important?

As students, we all know the adage - you never get a second chance to make a first impression. That's where the cover page comes in - it's the gatekeeper to your assignment, and trust us, you don't want to drop the ball here. Mess it up, and your professor might write you off before they even start reading. But nail it? Well, that's like hitting a home run before you've even stepped up to the plate. 

If you are thinking about how to make a cover page for an assignment, a well-formatted, error-free cover page is the key to unlocking your instructor's curiosity. Following the institution's template is just the cherry on top, showing you're a team player who respects the rules of the game. 

How to Make a Cover Page for an Assignment?

When it comes to assignments, the cover page is our chance to grab the professor's attention right off the bat. Why settle for a drab intro when you can learn all about how to design the front page of an assignment? Let's dive into the essential elements of the cover page.

1. Running Header

A running header goes on top of cover pages, separate from the main text. It's often used for APA style. Keep it short, 50 characters max, all uppercase.

Next is the title, explaining your work's content. Write it in the title case, capitalising most words. Avoid abbreviations and aim for 15-20 words. Centre the fully written title on the cover page.

3. Institution/ University Name

Your university or institution name belongs on the cover page, too. Different from the title, it shows readers where you're from and did the research. For reports or presentations, include your workplace or school.

4. Student’s Name and ID

Clearly state the author(s) name(s) and id(s) on the cover page. Include affiliations for multiple authors. For group projects, list all students' names and universities before the title. This ensures proper author credit.

Including the date on your cover page tells readers when you finished the work. Use the exact publication date. This also helps for future reference if someone needs to find work within a certain timeframe.

6. Instructor’s Information

Providing your instructor's details, such as name, designation, and department, shows you completed the work for their specific class. It ensures the assignment reaches the right person and department, avoiding any confusion.

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How to Make A Front Page of an Assignment: APA Format

The APA (American Psychological Association) format heavily emphasises the cover page details. To know how to make a cover page for an assignment in an APA format, follow these specific guidelines.

1. Page Number Placement: Start by placing the page number in the upper-right corner, always as 1, aligning it with the one-inch margin. This will be part of your running head, a feature in APA format, but for student papers, it's just the page number.

2. Title Placement: Move down three or four lines (double-spaced) from the top and centre of your paper's title. Make it bold and use proper capitalization rules for titles.

3. Author's Name: After the title, leave an empty line, then write your name. Keep it simple without any special formatting. If there are multiple authors, separate their names with commas and use "and" before the last author's name.

4. Department and School: Below your name, write your department or division, followed by your school's name, separated by a comma.

5. Course Information: Directly below your school's name, include the course name along with its numeric code.

6. Instructor's Name: Under the course information, write your instructor's full name, including any titles like 'Dr.'

7. Date: Finally, on the last line, write the date. Spell out the month for clarity.

How to Create a Cover Page for an Assignment: MLA Format

In MLA (Modern Language Association) style, you usually don't need a cover page; instead, you list essential details at the start of the first page. If you are wondering how to make an assignment front page in MLA style, here are the instructions.

1. Student’s Name: Begin with the first student’s name on the top-left corner of the page, double-spaced.

2. Additional Authors: If there are more authors, list each on a separate line following the first student’s name.

3. Instructor’s Name: Below the last author’s name, including the instructor’s title, like “Professor Willow,” on a new line.

4. Course Details: Write the course name along with its numeric code on the next line.

5. Date : Following the course details, write the date in full, avoiding abbreviations for months. You can use either day-month-year or month-day-year format.

6. Title of the Paper : Centre the title four or five lines below the date, maintaining double spacing. Remember to capitalise the title according to standard rules, avoiding bold or italics.

How to Design Cover Page for Assignment: CMS Format

CMS (Chicago Manual of Style), a citation method for acknowledging sources in academic papers, grants ownership rights to authors, preventing plagiarism and aiding readers in locating sources. However, mastering one style isn't sufficient due to varying rules.

1. Margins: Leave one-inch margins on all sides of your cover page to give it a neat look and provide space for your text.

2. Font: Stick to Times or Times New Roman font in 12 pt size for a professional appearance that's easy to read.

3. Spacing: Double-space the text on your cover page to make it clear and readable.

4. Text Alignment: Align your text to the left to create a clean, organised appearance, avoiding fully justified text.

5. Indentation: Start paragraphs, block quotes, and bibliography entries with a 1/2" indent for a structured layout.

6. Page Numbers: Number your pages in the top right corner, excluding the cover page. Include your last name to avoid confusion if pages get mixed up.

7. Two-Sided Printing: Confirm with your teacher if you can print on both sides of the paper for eco-friendly printing.

8. Title: Centre the title of your paper halfway down the page for prominence and clarity.

9. Name: Centre your name under the title to identify yourself as the author.

10. Teacher's Information: Write your teacher's name, course title, and date at the bottom, centred in three lines.

11. Font Consistency: Maintain consistency by using Times or Times New Roman font in 12 pt size for the cover page. Avoid using bold, underline, or decorative fonts.

12. Page Numbering and Count: Exclude the cover page from page numbering and total page count. It's not necessary to add a page number to the cover page.

Tips and Tricks to How to Make a Good Cover Page for an Assignment? 

Now that you have understood how to make a cover page for an assignment, it is also necessary to understand the basic tips and tricks before you start writing one. To make a great cover page, follow the steps outlined in the guide.

1. Correct Information

The main tip for knowing how to design a cover page for an assignment is to ensure that the cover page includes accurate details such as your name, assignment title, course name, date, and any other required information to avoid confusion and errors.

2. Formatting

Use consistent formatting throughout the cover page, including font style, size, and spacing, to present a polished and organised appearance that aligns with academic standards.

3. Relevance

If you’re wondering how to write thea front page of an assignment, then include relevant details that provide context. This would help the reader understand the purpose and scope of your work. 

4. Clarity and Conciseness

Keep the content of the cover page clear and concise, using simple language and avoiding unnecessary information to communicate your message effectively.

5. Professional Tone

Maintain a professional tone on the cover page by using formal language and addressing the recipient respectfully, reflecting your commitment to the assignment and your academic integrity.

6. Proofreading

Carefully proofread the cover page for any grammatical errors, typos, or inconsistencies to ensure it reflects your attention to detail and presents a polished final product.

A well-crafted cover page can make your assignment shine like a diamond in the rough. Follow these tips for how to write the front page of an assignment, and you'll impress your professor right off the bat. Don't drop the ball on this crucial first impression; knock their socks off with an A+ cover page material!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do cover pages for an assignment have pictures, what is the difference between a cover letter and a cover page for an assignment, how long should a cover letter for an assignment be, is a 2-page cover letter for an assignment too much, what is the difference between the front page and the cover page.

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28+ Best Free Assignment Cover Page Formats for MS Word

What is an assignment cover page, key elements for a comprehensive front page.

• Institution Details: Begin by prominently featuring the name of your school, college, or institute. This establishes credibility and provides context for your assignment.
• Personal Information: Include your own name to indicate authorship and ownership of the assignment. This adds a personal touch and facilitates easy identification.
• Assignment Title: Clearly state the title of your assignment, conveying its purpose and focus. A concise and informative title sets the tone for your work.
• Course Information: Specify the relevant course title or code to indicate the academic context in which your assignment was completed. This assists in proper categorization and organization.
• Instructor’s Name: Acknowledge the teacher or professor who will be evaluating your assignment by including their name. This demonstrates respect and professionalism.
• Due Date: Clearly indicate the deadline or due date for the assignment submission. This ensures timely assessment and helps you stay organized.

What are the basic tips?

• Font style : It is always in the best interest to use bold, simple, and clear text instead of using fancy text fonts and styles. This helps the reader understand things in a better way.  Moreover, the usage of pictures behind texts must be avoided as it creates poor visibility for the reader when reading the text printed on it.
• Presentation: Presentation plays an important role in expressing what you need to convey to someone and how you need to communicate it. Presenting the title page in the most effective manner is essential as this leaves an impression on the teacher reading the assignment. It also acts as a decisive tool for the teacher whether or not he/ she interestingly goes through the whole document.
• Spell Check: Before handing over the assignment, one should take a brief review of all the spelling and also look for any grammatical errors.
• Avoid plagiarism: A student must always be honest in what he writes. He should avoid copying material or texts from anywhere.
• Personal detail: One should never forget to mention his/her name. The font size used for writing the name must be bigger so that it makes the name visible to the teacher.

Advantages of an Impressive Assignment Cover Page

• Showcasing Professionalism: By meticulously designing your cover page, you demonstrate a strong commitment to professionalism. This attention to detail reflects positively on your work ethic and sets you apart as a dedicated student.
• Creating a Positive Impression: A well-crafted front page sets the tone for your assignment, capturing the attention of your teacher or professor. It establishes a positive first impression, arousing their interest and encouraging them to delve further into your work.
• Enhancing Visual Appeal: A visually appealing cover page enhances the overall presentation of your assignment. With carefully chosen fonts, colors, and layouts, you create an engaging and aesthetically pleasing introduction that captivates the reader’s attention.
• Communicating Pertinent Information: It provides a concise summary of essential details, such as the assignment title, your name, and the due date. This ensures clarity and facilitates seamless identification and organization of your work.
• Reflecting a Professional Attitude: By dedicating time and effort to creating an impressive cover page, you exemplify a professional attitude towards your academic pursuits. This level of dedication and care leaves a lasting impression on your teacher or professor.

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Versatile Designs and Layouts for Every Purpose

• Assignment Types: Our templates are designed specifically for different types of assignments, such as case studies, critical reviews, essays, syllabi, and business projects. Each template is tailored to suit the requirements and objectives of its respective assignment type.
• Academic Disciplines: Our collection includes templates suitable for various academic disciplines like biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, English, geography, mathematics, physics, and social studies. Each template aligns with the themes and aesthetics of its corresponding discipline.
• Purposes: Whether you are a student, educator, or professional, our templates serve multiple purposes. They can be used for university assignments, school projects, research papers, or any academic or professional endeavor that requires a polished cover page.
• Designs, Layouts, and Styles: Our templates offer a diverse range of designs, from minimalistic and clean to visually captivating and sophisticated. You can choose from different layouts that creatively arrange text, images, and graphics. Our templates cater to a variety of styles, ensuring there is something for everyone’s preferences.

User-Friendly Customization: Make It Your Own

• Easy Modifications: We believe in keeping things simple. With just a few clicks, you can effortlessly modify our templates to suit your specific requirements. Change colors, fonts, and layouts with ease, and watch your cover page transform before your eyes.
• Colors and Themes: Infuse it with the perfect color scheme and themes that truly represent your assignment. Our templates offer a wide range of options, so you can find the ideal palette and theme that resonate with your content.
• Font Selection: The right font can make all the difference. Choose from our diverse selection of fonts to enhance the visual appeal and readability. From elegant and professional to modern and bold, we have fonts to suit every style.
• Layout Flexibility: It should reflect your unique presentation style. With our templates, you have the freedom to experiment with different layouts, arranging titles, subtitles, images, and text blocks in a way that best suits your assignment.

Benefits of Using Professionally Designed Templates: Make an Impact with Ease

• Time and Effort Saving: Our professionally designed templates eliminate the need to start from scratch. With pre-designed layouts, styles, and graphics, you can save valuable time and effort in creating visually appealing front pages. Simply customize the template to suit your assignment’s requirements, and you’re ready to impress.
• Consistency and Professionalism: Using our templates ensures consistency in your assignment submissions. The standardized design elements and formatting guidelines help maintain a professional appearance throughout your work. Presenting your assignments with a polished title page enhances the overall quality and credibility of your content.
• Visual Appeal: A visually appealing title page grabs attention and sets the tone for your assignment. Our templates are thoughtfully crafted by design professionals, incorporating aesthetically pleasing elements, color schemes, and typography. By leveraging these designs, you can effortlessly create eye-catching cover pages that captivate your professors or readers.
• Positive Impression: First impressions matter, and a well-designed cover page leaves a positive impact on professors and readers alike. Showcasing your assignment in a professional and visually appealing manner demonstrates your dedication and attention to detail. It sets the stage for an engaging reading experience, encouraging your audience to delve deeper into your work.
• User-Friendly Customization: Our templates are designed to be easily customizable, allowing you to add your personal touch without technical expertise. You can modify text, colors, images, and other elements to align with your assignment’s theme and requirements. This flexibility ensures that your cover page reflects your unique style while maintaining a professional look.

Tips for Maximizing the Impact: Make Your Cover Page Stand Out

• Choose Colors Wisely: Select colors that complement your assignment’s theme and evoke the desired emotions. Vibrant colors can grab attention, while muted tones create a sense of elegance. Maintain consistency with your assignment’s overall design and avoid using too many colors that may distract from the main message.
• Opt for Legible Fonts: Use clear and readable fonts to enhance the accessibility and professionalism of your cover page. Avoid overly decorative or complex fonts that may hinder readability. Opt for fonts that align with your assignment’s tone and maintain consistency throughout the document.
• Incorporate Relevant Graphics: Graphics can enhance the visual appeal of your cover page and reinforce the assignment’s subject matter. Choose images or icons that are directly related to the topic or convey the assignment’s main concept. Ensure that the graphics are high-quality and appropriately sized to maintain clarity.
• Organize Information Effectively: Arrange the information in a logical and visually appealing manner. Use headings, subheadings, and bullet points to break down content and make it easier to read. Highlight key details such as the assignment title, your name, course information, and submission date.
• Maintain Simplicity: While it’s important to make it visually appealing, avoid cluttering it with excessive elements. Keep the design clean and uncluttered, allowing the key information to stand out. Remember, simplicity often has a greater impact than complexity.
• Preview and Proofread: Before finalizing, preview it to ensure that all elements are properly aligned and visually balanced. Proofread the content to eliminate any spelling or grammatical errors. A polished and error-free cover demonstrates your attention to detail and professionalism.

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Tips for designing a Professional Assignment

• April 30, 2020
• Academic Help , Assignment help , Assignment Writing Service , Education

At times, there are some situations that make you worry about the assignment submission process and the reason behind its rejection. You might wonder how your friend’s assignment got accepted, and yours rejected? Well, there could be many reasons behind this rejection, but the one you failed to notice was its outlook or say the styling pattern.

These days, teachers prefer assignments that are not just well-presented with its content and information but the ones who look great with its cover and overall styling pattern. Simply writing the content for your assignment would do no good to you, until and unless you make it look a bit presentable in nature with its designing and styling features. The obvious question that might arise here is that why designing is important for your assignments? Well, this is a task that every student needs to perform, and this is what makes your work stand out from others. No matter how good you are at writing, it won’t score you well if you do not make it worth a look.

Teachers usually have to scroll through a number of assignments in a day, so if your work is a bit clumsy or unorganized, the teacher would just avoid it or won’t concentrate his attention well on your assignment. So, it becomes very important for students to make their work look well-organized with its great designing features to avoid any kind of hassles on the path of scoring well.

Still, there are some students who fail to present their assignments in a desirable manner that makes them score really bad in their overall semester. Well, they can also go for the online assignment writing help that provides high-quality assignments to their clients that can make them score well in their academics. Apart from that, take a look at this blog further, where we have presented some tips that can make your assignment look both professional and desirable with its context.

If you follow these below-mentioned steps for your assignment, then it becomes quite easy for you to design a professional assignment that can help you grab the attention of your teachers.

Stick to the guidelines : Students are always told to follow the university guidelines or the prospects mentioned by the teacher before submitting their assignments. So, while preparing your assignments for submission, make sure that they abide towards the rules mentioned in the guideline, or else this mistake might cost you a lot during assessments.

Note that less is more : Overly presented assignments are not just clumsy in nature, but they also make the teachers think that the assignment was only written for the sake of writing and nothing else. Though the practice of providing information in your assignment is a good one, but it would only be considered the healthy one, when it’s appropriate and relevant to the context.

Make it look simple and presentable : Designing assignments does not mean that you simply adhere to the concept of over-decoration. Everything would then seem a bit tacky and overly presented; even the words would mean nothing if they are not structured well. So, make sure that you make it simple and presentable in nature because simplicity is the key to score well.

Choose the right typeface : The fonts that you choose for your assignment should be simple and well-presentable in nature. Teachers mostly prefer the ones that are formal in context and are also understandable while reading.

Emphasize on font color and size : Sometimes, the wrong font size of your content would just ruin the motive of presenting it before the teacher. Don’t make it look too large or too short while writing; just go with the ones that stand well before the structuring ethics. There’s no need to add tacky colors to your font as well, as this might also ruin the concept of serving a professional assignment.

Go well with the alignment process : Remember that alignment is very important for your assignment because if there’s no sequence of presenting the content, then there’s no point of scoring well in academics as well. So you need to make sure that proper alignment is presented between every sentence and paragraph of your assignment.

Focus on punctuation : If the right punctuation is not inserted well at the position, then it could change the whole meaning of the sentence, and you’ll fail at dispersing the right message to your audience with the help of its content. So, in order to convey the right meaning of your content, make sure that you do include punctuation in the right place.

End the paragraphs well : If there’s no proper ending to the last sentences of each paragraph, then there’s no point of ensuring a great rhythm or sequence to your content. You might also fail to link the two paragraphs and even the whole context if you do not end your paragraphs well with the correct meaning.

We do hope that these tips were beneficial enough for you to know the importance of designing and styling of an assignment. If you are really facing difficulties in making your assignment look professional in nature, then these tips would surely come to your rescue whenever needed. But still, if this all seems a bit daunting and tedious to perform, feel free to contact our online assignment writing services that not only serves the purpose of providing a high-quality assignment to their client but also makes sure that students score well in academics with phenomenal grades.

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8 Ways to Create AI-Proof Writing Prompts

C reating 100 percent AI-proof writing prompts can often be impossible but that doesn’t mean there aren’t strategies that can limit the efficacy of AI work. These techniques can also help ensure more of the writing submitted in your classroom is human-generated. 

I started seeing a big uptick in AI-generated work submitted in my classes over the last year and that has continued. As a result, I’ve gotten much better at recognizing AI work , but I’ve also gotten better at creating writing prompts that are less AI-friendly. 

Essentially, I like to use the public health Swiss cheese analogy when thinking about AI prevention: All these strategies on their own have holes but when you layer the cheese together, you create a barrier that’s hard to get through. 

The eight strategies here may not prevent students from submitting AI work, but I find these can incentivize human writing and make sure that any work submitted via AI will not really meet the requirements of the assignment. 

1. Writing AI-Proof Prompts: Put Your Prompt Into Popular AI tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and Bard 

Putting your writing prompt into an AI tools will give you an immediate idea of how most AI tools will handle your prompt. If the various AI chatbots do a good, or at least adequate, job immediately, it might be wise to tweak the prompt. 

One of my classes asks students to write about a prized possession. When you put this prompt into an AI chatbot, it frequently returns an essay about a family member's finely crafted watch. Obviously, I now watch out for any essays about watches. 

2. Forbid Cliché Use

Probably the quickest and easiest way to cut back on some AI use is to come down hard on cliché use in writing assignments. AI tools are essentially cliché machines, so banning these can prevent a lot of AI use. 

Equally as important, this practice will help your students become better writers. As any good writer knows, clichés should be avoided like the plague. 

3. Incorporate Recent Events

The free version of ChatGPT only has access to events up to 2022. While there are plugins to allow it to search the internet and other internet-capable AI tools, some students won’t get further than ChatGPT. 

More importantly, in my experience, all AI tools struggle to incorporate recent events as effectively as historic ones. So connecting class material and assignments to events such as a recent State of Union speech or the Academy Awards will make any AI writing use less effective. 

4. Require Quotes

AI tools can incorporate direct quotations but most are not very good at doing so. The quotes used tend to be very short and not as well-placed within essays. 

Asking an AI tool for recent quotes also can be particularly problematic for today’s robot writers. For instance, I asked Microsoft's Copilot to summarize the recent Academy Awards using quotes, and specifically asked it to quote from Oppenheimer's director Christopher Nolan’s acceptance speech. It quoted something Nolan had previously said instead. Copilot also quoted from Wes Anderson’s acceptance speech, an obvious error since Anderson wasn’t at the awards .  

5. Make Assignments Personal

Having students reflect on material in their own lives can be a good way to prevent AI writing. In-person teachers can get to know their students well enough to know when these types of personal details are fabricated. 

I teach online but still find it easier to tell when a more personalized prompt was written by AI. For example, one student submitted a paper about how much she loved skateboarding that was so non-specific it screamed AI written. Another submitted a post about a pair of sneakers that was also clearly written by a "sole-less" AI (I could tell because of the clichés and other reasons). 

6. Make Primary or Scholarly Sources Mandatory

Requiring sources that are not easily accessible on the internet can stop AI writing in its tracks. I like to have students find historic newspapers for certain assignments. The AI tools I am familiar with can’t incorporate these. 

For instance, I asked Copilot to compare coverage of the first Academy Awards in the media to the most recent awards show and to include quotes from historic newspaper coverage. The comparison was not well done and there were no quotes from historical newspaper coverage. 

AI tools also struggle to incorporate journal articles. Encouraging your students to include these types of sources ensures the work they produce is deeper than something that can be revealed by a quick Google search, which not only makes it harder for AI to write but also can raise the overall quality.  

7. Require Interviews, Field Trips, Etc. 

Building on primary and scholarly sources, you can have your students conduct interviews or go on field trips to historic sites, museums, etc. 

AI is still, thankfully, incapable of engaging in these types of behavior. This requires too much work for every assignment but it is the most effective way to truly ensure your work is human- not computer-written. 

If you’re still worried about AI use, you can even go a step further by asking your students to include photos of them with their interview subjects or from the field trips. Yes, AI art generators are getting better as well, but remember the Swiss cheese analogy? Every layer of prevention can help. 

8. Have Students Write During Class

As I said to start, none of the methods discussed are foolproof. Many ways around these safeguards already exist and there will be more ways to bypass these in the future. So if you’re really, really worried about AI use you may want to choose what I call the “nuclear option.” If you teach in person you can require students to write essays in person. 

This approach definitely works for preventing AI and is okay for short pieces, but for longer pieces, it has a lot of downsides. I would have trouble writing a long piece in this setting and imagine many students will as well. Additionally, this requirement could create an accusatory class atmosphere that is more focused on preventing AI use than actually teaching. It’s also not practical for online teaching. 

That all being said, given how common AI writing has become in education, I understand why some teachers will turn to this method. Hopefully, suggestions 1-7 will work but if AI-generated papers are still out of hand in your classroom, this is a blunt-force method that can work temporarily. 

Good luck and may your assignments be free of AI writing! 

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