Design Statements
Why Do I Have to Write a Design Statement?
Remember back to your earliest math classes? Your teacher wanted you to "show your work." At the time, you may have thought this was useless. Looking back now, you probably realize that knowing what process you were using was critical for your teacher to help you learn. A Design Statement is a similar tool.
At Tiffin University, we encourage you to use generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT. You also may choose different paths to interact with data and information around you by visiting the Tiffin Library, doing a Google search, etc. Getting the correct response is not as important as your ability to know where and how to derive accurate information. This is an aspect of critical thinking, and it's one of the most important things you will learn at TU.
We want to see how you went about writing and creating every assignment. It's an informal method of citing that generalizes your process in relation to your sources. It does not replace formal citation when that is required.
As long as you are honest, there is no risk to you. As long as you follow the assignment requirements, you are free to write or create any way you see fit. Just include your process in the Design Statement. At TU, you will not be penalized for using GenAI tools ethically in your coursework.
How Do I Add a Design Statement?
A design statement is a quick paragraph or two at the end of your work explaining the process and tools you used. A Design Statement is typically a requirement in online courses for every assignment where you create something, such as a paper, forum, presentation, etc. Design Statements may also be required in an on-campus course.
It does not have to be formal writing. In fact, we'd rather it be "in your own words." It does not have to be detailed unless you want. It should include how you gathered information for the assignment and created the assignment.
In practical terms:
- For a paper or discussion post, add a sub-head after your references and include your Design Statement.
- For a presentation in PowerPoint, add a slide at the end of your presentation and list your Design Statement.
- For other activities, use your best judgment or submit a separate document with your Design Statement.
Design Statement Examples
Do not copy these. These example statements should give you an idea of what we’re looking for. Design statements should be in your own words.
I used ChatGPT to generate an outline. I then wrote a draft of the paper. I then used Grammarly to help identify any grammatical or punctuation issues, and Zotero to create a reference list before submitting the final version.
I reviewed the readings in the textbook and wrote based on the information in the textbook. I searched the library for two articles that supported my ideas. The writing is what I came up with.
I wrote a few ideas down and asked Google Bard to write a couple of paragraphs about the ideas. Some of what Bard wrote sounded strange, so I edited some words and sentences and submitted this.
This is a personal reflection and, while based on our coursework and readings, it's entirely what came to me.
I wrote some bullet points for my slides then had Tome.app create the presentation for me. I made a few edits, but liked what I saw.
I googled the question and found websites with information on them. I used the information plus the textbook to write my paper.
I just reworded what the textbook had to say on the question. Since it required resources, I wrote my paper and then found three resources using Google Scholar. With these resources, I adjusted my paper slightly.
I came up with an idea for the paper and searched for articles on the Tiffin library web site. Once I found a couple of articles, I went to their resource list to find some more. I copied all the articles onto my computer, skimmed through each one, and made notes. I then came up with an order for everything and wrote my paper from these notes.