To varying degrees, all instructors have experienced the frustration of receiving student assignments that have clearly been commenced and completed, at a very superficial level, just days prior to the submission date. The lack of engagement in the assignment task is often symptomatic of a lack of real engagement in the unit as a whole. This Postcard describes Rhonda Ryan's own experience of poor student engagement with an assignment task and the intervention which she and her colleagues designed and implemented to assist students to understand what they needed to do to complete the assignment thoroughly and on time. The hope is that the Ryan's experience will offer some insight for readers, which may facilitate them to design appropriate interventions for their students.