Close
Being able to write reports is a valuable professional skill. Getting your learners to write a report also allows you to assess whether they've understood your course content.
Learners attending CPD (continuing professional development) will probably be used to writing reports.
However, the range of reports and writing styles is huge. So you need to be clear about the type of report you want learners to write. It may be different from reports they've written before.
When assessing the reports your learners write, your assessment criteria should relate to important features of a good report.
For example:
- is the report's purpose clear?
- is it structured clearly?
- is the language appropriate for the intended audience?
How to design your course activities
Start by giving learners some examples of the type of report you want them to write.
Get learners to analyse each example. You can use your assessment criteria to suggest a list of questions your learners could ask.
Writing group reports
Writing a report can take learners a long time on their own. So you could ask them to write a report collaboratively.
You could get them to do this:
- online, for example by using a wiki
- by giving each learner responsibility for a different section of the report
Make sure that each group:
- checks for consistency in their report – for example, in the writing style
- writes a conclusion that fits with what they've written in the rest of their report