I have not settled on specific assignments for any class. I know professors who offer the same assignments in the same classes every semester. I think you would be hard-pressed to find consecutive semesters in which any classes contained the same assignments.
Sure, I try new assignments based on contemporary issues but as the news cycle moves on, so too do those assignments. I have not used Multiple Choice or any non-writing assignments in years. So all of my assignments are writing.
Some are formal: from longer research papers (10 pages) to short essays (500-750 words). But I also do informal writing such as blogs, Twitter, Instagram, and other types of social media. There are other ways to write and to demonstrate writing skills than a 10-page paper. Besides, students both know and are attracted to social media and so my theory is that when I offer social media assignments, I am more likely to get a larger number of students to complete those assignments.
But what I really like is when students decide what they will do. There were classes in which they could do whatever they wanted -they were only limited by their imagination. In other classes, I present them with a general assignment, but they come up with a specific topic (something about the Civil War or Houston hip hop).
Finally, whatever assignments I offer, there's always my offer for students to come up with their own assignment(s) in exchange for whatever assignment I came up with. Ultimately, I am not interested in how they demonstrate knowledge of history but rather that they demonstrate knowledge of history.
In the meantime, I continue to create/try new assignments, tweak old ones, and provide students with the opportunity to follow their own interests. Maybe that's the key to education: following your interests.
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