Elon University Home

Gather feedback and promote deeper learning with a Moodle journal

Journal Image

Did you know that Moodle’s journal tool has lots of creative potential?

Journals are an opportunity for students to reflect on issues at a deeper and more personal level, and they provide a private means of communication between the instructor and student.  Let’s discuss several creative journal uses for your classes.

One-minute paper

One-minute papers are a quick method to acquire informal feedback from students about a lesson, assignment, test, or activity. Posing these questions in the journal area daily can provide valuable information which can be addressed at the beginning of the following class:

  • What was the murkiest point in the lesson or reading?
  • What was the most important point in the lesson, discussion, or reading?
  • What would you like to learn more about?

Reflection on content

Assigning students a reflection paper encouraging them to think specifically about the course content and real world connections, rather than self-reflection or interpretation, may promote deeper learning.

Such assignments can be effective before, during, or after class.

Before a lesson ask:

  • students to write what they know about the topic
  • how previously discussed course material may tie in with the topic

During a lesson ask:

  • students to summarize what they are learning
  • identify one area of their life that connects with the material
  • how they feel about the material at that moment

After a lesson ask:

  • specific questions about controversial or interpretive issues and to discuss their position on the topic

Brainstorming

Brainstorming can assist students in organizing their thoughts as a precursor to a final product such as a research paper.  Help students to organize their thought process and writing style by requiring them to:

  • develop a thesis statement
  • outline their research design
  • discuss their research
  • discuss their data gathering process
  • discuss their evidence

Instructors can provide detailed feedback regarding each of these individual writing chunks to assist students in becoming better writers and ultimately producing higher quality products.

Photo by Flickr user [E]mmanuel17 / Creative Commons licensed BY-NC 2.0


About the author

Cheri Crabb, PhD, Academic Technology Consultant with TLT, has a career in academia focused on instructional design and development using integrated electronic media systems for blended learning.

This entry was posted in feedback, journal, Moodle, Moodle Musings, Teaching and Learning. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.

Categories