Assignments for college and universities students are part and parcel of their academic life. Some assignments are based on work place which is more meaningful for the students. They will learn more and reap more benefits from such assignment.
Other types of assignment are purely academic. Good for getting the students to do research and more readings. Unfortunately,most students don't reap much benefits from these types of assignments. However, these are the norms rather than the exception.
I have always advocate that universities should allow input from the local deans, tutors and professors as they are the closest people to the students and they are in the best position to understand what is needed and what is redundant. However, university's system are bureacratic in nature and very conservative in thinking and in action, despite what they are teaching about managing change and adaptability to environment. There is however one university which is different from the others, ANU in Kentucky, which strives for performance for their students. ANU has the lowest fees structure, most flexible modules system and continuous registration to cater to the needs of working professional. For more details, please contact freescholarshipanu@gmail.com.