As an exercise in writing for a diversity of audiences, this task involves the condensing of arguments developed in an initial essay assessment piece into a briefer article suitable for the online platform, The Conversation. Developed as part of a holistic approach to assessment, this task is strategically delivered following a major essay assessment item in which students develop and mount an extended argument in some 2000-2500 words. In this task, students are to write a short (1000 word) article on the same topic as their major essay, but adapted for an open audience. This technique not only sees students actively build upon feedback from their essay piece, but also offers an opportunity to refine and reassert their approach in accessible language. As honing an extended piece of writing is often a difficult task, this activity introduces students to this complex threshold capability in a simplified (and potentially less daunting) way. Well suited to third or final year courses, this technique gives insight into just one of the variety of ways in which scholarly professionals engage with mainstream media to communicate their research, hence it is highly valuable as a form of authentic assessment.

PLEASE NOTE: The academic integrity information displayed on this page is currently under review. Some examples and descriptions were developed before the widespread availability of generative AI tools and may not reflect current approaches to assessment security. When adapting an assessment idea, staff should consider how the design supports authorship, verifies student achievement of learning outcomes, and mitigates inappropriate use of AI and other forms of academic misconduct.

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