Rhetoric and Assignment Instructions

An interesting observation I made when designing an assignment for my FYS class is how important rhetoric is even in instructions. I realized how difficult it must be as a teacher to create assignments with concrete learning goals and being able to explain the assignments thoroughly and concisely on paper. It is also difficult to know how to lay out the instructions for an assignment making sure that every aspect is explained and easy for the student to refer back to at a later date. I know we have all had professors who give little guidance on assignments and you are left with so many questions that you feel you will just be annoying the professor. Then there are professors that write a couple of pages explaining the assignment and evaluation criteria. I would rather have the latter because you are not left making assumptions about the professor's expectations.