TILT & Your Instruction
What Is TILT?
Developed by MaryAnn Winkelmes and colleagues, TILT (Transparency in Learning and Teaching) is an evidence-based instructional approach. Its central idea is:
Students are more likely to succeed when we clearly explain:
- What students are expected to learn,
- Why they are learning it, and
- How to do it successfully.
Contrary to typical complaints about inclusive teaching practices, TILT does not lower standards, simplify content, or prescribe teaching methods. Instead, it makes expectations explicit, which is consistent with Chickering and Gamson’s 6th principle of good practice in undergraduate education (1987). This also intersects with Universal Design for Learning in that TILT promotes engagement, self-regulation, and promoting multiple means of expression. This is particularly true with assignments, activities, and classroom routines where faculty often assume students already understand, and do not provide needed information and scaffolding for some students (Meyer, Rose, and Gordon, 2025).
Research across disciplines and institution types shows that transparent teaching practices:
Improve student academic confidence and sense of belonging
Increase persistence and retention
Reduce performance gaps for first-generation, transfer, and historically underserved students
Help all students focus their effort more productively
In addition, faculty report benefits such as:
- fewer confusing drafts,
- higher quality student work, and
- more meaningful engagement with course material.
In short, TILT supports metacognitive skills that help students learn how to learn in college.
AT ITS CORE
TILT provides a three-part framework that can be applied to virtually any assignment or learning activity.
1.Purpose
Explain why students are doing the work.
This includes:
What knowledge or skills the assignment builds
How it connects to course outcomes, the discipline, or professional practice
How it prepares students for future work in the course or beyond
Making purpose visible strengthens motivation and metacognition because students understand the value of the task.
Example:
“Completing this policy brief will help you practice synthesizing research for nonacademic audiences. This is an essential skill in public policy and related fields.”
2.Task
Describe what students are expected to do step by step.
This supports students who may be unfamiliar with disciplinary conventions or implicit academic norms, such as first-generation students.
Effective task descriptions:
- Break complex assignments into manageable parts (bite-sized chunks)
- Clarify formats, audiences, and submission expectations
- Anticipate common points of confusion
This reduces ambiguity and allows students to spend more energy learning, rather than decoding instructions.
Example:
“First, identify a current policy issue.
Second, summarize two peer reviewed sources.
Third, make a recommendation supported by evidence.”
3. Criteria for Success
Make visible how students’ work will be evaluated.
This does not require a detailed rubric (though rubrics work well). Transparency can also include:
- Checklists
- Sample annotations
- Descriptions of strong vs. weak responses
- Explanations of what “analysis,” “argument,” or “evidence” look like in your field
Transparent criteria help students self-monitor, revise, and produce higher quality work.
Example:
“A successful brief presents a clear recommendation, uses sources appropriately, and explains implications for stakeholders.”
Small Changes – High Impact
TILT is a flexible framework that is compatible with rigorous coursework that can apply to any discipline through any teaching modality (face-to-face, online, hybrid). It doesn’t require faculty to completely overhaul their entire course. Instead, it allows instructors to start with one assignment at a time. Frequently, instructors who apply even one transparent assignment or clarified activity observe immediate effects.
A few examples of low-effort yet high-impact changes include:
- Adding a brief “Why are we doing this?” section to major assignments
- Sharing exemplars (with permission) of previous successful student work
- Explaining grading logic aloud, in writing, or sharing the grading rubric prior to the assignment
- Having students reflect on how an assignment connects to learning goals
Takeaway
When applying TILT, ask one essential question of your teaching:
Would a motivated, capable student—new to college or to this discipline—understand what success looks like here?
Making learning expectations transparent enables students to focus their efforts where they matter most: engaging in deep learning, developing critical thinking, and participating meaningfully in our disciplines.
References
Chickering, A and Z Gamson (1987) Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin, p.3-7.
Meyer, A, Rose, D, and D. Gordon (2025) Universal Design for Learning: Principles, Framework, and Practice. 3rd ed. Cast Inc., Lynnfield, MA.
Winkelmes, M et.al. (2023) TILT HigherEd. Transparency in Learning & Teaching.
