Journals are a place for students to privately communicate with you or as a self-reflection tool. Students can not view each others entries.
Students can make unlimited entries.
- Creating a Journal
- Journal settings
- Setting up a Graded Journal
- Commenting on a Journal
- Marking Journals
Creating a Journal
To add a journal, hover over the area in the Course Content you wish to insert the journal and click the plus sign. From the Add Content menu select create.
The Create Item panel will appear on the right-hand side of the screen. The Journal option is listed at the bottom of this panel.
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When the journal is created, there are two optional actions:
- Add a name to your journal will make it easier for students to locate
- Add a prompt to tell students what the purpose of this journal is.
The journal name and prompt can be edited at anytime.
Journal Settings
Click on the settings cog icon in the top right-hand corner to open the Journal settings. The settings options are:
- Grade journal – This Journal counts for a mark
- Allow users to edit and delete entries
- Allow users to edit and delete comments
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Setting Up a Graded Journal
Ticking the Grade journal box will allow for the journal to be marked. The will reveal further options in the panel.
- Due date
- Mark category (leave as journal)
- Mark using (Points, Percentage, letter, complete/incomplete)
- Maximum points
- Add a Rubric
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By making your journal a graded journal a marking column will automatically be added to the Gradebook.
Journals are private between Instructors and Students on a course. They are unable to be viewed by other students on the module.
They are suitable for individual assessment but not group or class discussions.
Commenting on a Journal
Students can make journal entries and add images and links to them as well by either clicking on the plus sign or paperclip icon.
Once an entry has been written up, it can be posted to the students journal by clicking post in the bottom right.
You can make navigating a students multiple journal entries easier by changing the number of items per page that you can see.
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Marking Journals
When a Journal has been set up as a grading journal you will be able to mark it via the Journal or the Gradebook.
Add Marks
Marks can be added in the Gradebook Marks tab, the Journal page Marks and Participation tab or in the individual student’s Journal.
In the Gradebook Marks tab
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In the Journal page – Marks & Participation tab
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In the individual student’s Journal
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Add feedback
Feedback is provided in the individual student’s Journal, accessed via the Course Content or the Gradebook.
For formative feedback you can make comment on the students’ entries.
For summative feedback you can use the plus sign icon to open a feedback panel. All the text editor formatting functionality is available to you for leaving your feedback include voice or video feedback.
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Guide last updated on February 12, 2025