Better oral history

After reading the first half of the oral history research papers my students did I realize I need to structure the assignment better. About 80% of the sources they use are not primary (except the interview). The stories are interesting and at times touching, so they seem able to find reliable informants. Their other sources tend to me the textbook and/or web sites and material published recently. For the future I need some additional guidelines:

• Pick the last date for an event, maybe five or six years ago
• Approve the informant (use this to find out what the connection is between the informant and the event)
• Have an assignment focused on finding an appropriate primary source

For one class a few years ago I made each step in writing a paper a separate assignment (topic, research, thesis, outline, final draft); I might have to do that again.