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New way to capture student narratives and reflection in Moodle

By Dan Reis | Published May 16, 2012

Image of applesThe journal in Moodle has a lot of fans. Moodle’s decision to remove it in Moodle 2 (Elon is upgrading to Moodle 2 on May 21, 2012) left a lot of people scratching their heads, TLT included. The rationale behind this decision by Moodle was that the journal was redundant because similar functionality is available from other features in Moodle, specifically the online text assignment.  For the most part, it’s true. Moodle still has a tool for student journaling and reflection; it’s the online text assignment.

Below is a run-down of what is the same and different between the journal and the online text assignment.

What’s the same between journal and online text?

  • Both feature private 1-1 communication between professor and student
  • Both are a great way to gather student assignments, reflection and feedback
  • Both give professors an option to grade entries and leave feedback on student’s writing
  • Both give professors the option to allow students to edit and refine an entry or build upon a previous entry (with Online text, check “Allow resubmitting”)

What’s better with online text?

  • Timed-release: Professors have an option to pre-populate assignments and hide them until a certain date
  • Due date: An option to specify an exact due date
  • Inline comments: Professors have the option to leave text feedback within the student’s writing
  • Rubrics: option to associate a writing assignment with a rubric

What’s better with the journal?

In the Journal activity, instructors were able to view and leave comments to all the journal entries from a class on one screen. In Online text, the instructor must click on individual students to read their entry and leave feedback. Reading all assignments from the class will likely take more clicks using online text.

What will happen to my journal activities after the upgrade?

Unfortunately, any journal assignments created in Moodle will disappear after the upgrade on May 21, 2012. Any journals you currently use in your courses will be deleted and will need to be replaced with an alternative method for collecting individual student narratives, like the online text assignment. If you need an archive of previous students’ journal entries or have a concern about losing journals, contact TLT.

Want more information?

For ideas on using journaling in your courses, check out our previous blog entries.

What do you think – is online text a good replacement for the Journal? Have you found a better way to capture student writing in Moodle? Let us know in the comments.

Image by Flickr user msr / Creative Commons licensed BY-NC-SA 2.0

About the author

Dan Reis is an Instructional Technologist with Elon University’s Teaching and Learning Technologies.

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Elements of successful journaling

By Cheri Crabb, PhD | Published April 18, 2012

Image of a stack of journalsThe Moodle Journal feature is the end of carrying home and sifting through a pile of notebooks! Journals are a means self analysis and reflection.  Journaling requires students to synthesize materials, compose their thoughts, and write their opinions about specific topics.  Entries are only visible between the student who wrote the submission and the instructor.  This allows instructors to build relationships with students individually.

Key elements

There are several key elements identified in the research for successful journaling:

  • Identify what a journal is to you, and the various types of formats used in your particular class.
  • Provide specific guiding questions for journal writing, such as:
    • What did you learn in class today and how will you apply that knowledge into practice?
    • Identify an individual who has heavily influenced you; journal a written conversation between you and he/she discussing their impact on your life.
  • Allow students to explore topics in a role playing format, such as the president of a company, a historian, Editor of a column, an actor, or a parent.

Additional resources

Faculty at the University of Nebraska at Kearney published an article titled, Using Reflective Journaling in the College Course (PDF). This article discusses the benefits of reflective journaling, considerations for classroom usage, strategies, and how it can influence student engagement with the course.

See our previous Moodle Musings post with creative ways to use Moodle Journals, including one-minute papers, reflections on content and brainstorming activities.

Photo by Flickr user yelahneb / Creative Commons licensed BY-NC-ND 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.

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Gather feedback and promote deeper learning with a Moodle journal

By Cheri Crabb, PhD | Published February 15, 2012

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.

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