{"id":847,"date":"2019-05-08T10:28:57","date_gmt":"2019-05-08T10:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/tel\/?page_id=847"},"modified":"2025-06-26T16:41:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T16:41:54","slug":"journals","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/tel\/journals\/","title":{"rendered":"Journals"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What is a Blackboard Journal?<\/h2>\n<p>Learning journals have emerged as a way for students to reflect on their learning (and can be relevant to theory and practice) and, subsequently, help in replicating ideas and facts, improving learning and communication skills and developing abstract thinking. (Langer, 2002).<\/p>\n<p>Journals can be set up in the following ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Graded assignments<\/strong>: Journals can be used as formative and summative assignments.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Date and time restricted<\/strong>: You can set up a journal to display after\/until a specific date and time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can find useful guides about setting up and marking a Blackboard Journal.<\/p>\n<h2>Why would you use a journal?<\/h2>\n<p>Journals are a simple way to publish online and allow the author to offer a personal perspective on a topic. Journals are equally effective used to record academic ideas or responses as they are to document and evaluate practical processes or results. Journals are highly customisable and allow students to personalise their work and embed visual forms of communication such as images and video. Alternatively, journals can be more prescriptive and based on templates.<\/p>\n<h2>Types of learning journals<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Unstructured<\/strong> \u2013 Allows students to develop their own format and this encourages students to write freely and creatively.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Structured<\/strong> \u2013 The form and style is imposed and can benefit the teacher and student. The instructor is able to easily compare students\u2019 work and students are able to follow a template style.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dialogue<\/strong> \u2013 A method to encourage the exchange and development of ideas between two writers, e.g. teacher and student (Peyton, 1993).<\/p>\n<p>The use of journals can help students develop reflection in Kolb\u2019s experiential learning cycle (1984) and <strong>it can help develop students in these key areas<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Promote critical reflection<\/li>\n<li>Force students to replicate ideas and facts<\/li>\n<li>Develop abstract thinking that allows further conceptualisation<\/li>\n<li>Clarify ideas and thoughts<\/li>\n<li>Better able to link theory to practice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>For teachers\/tutors<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Form a useful device that can be used in self-scheduled, scheduled or independent study, within techniques such as flipped learning.<\/li>\n<li>Identify learners\u2019 understanding of key topics and reduce pressure on teaching.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Assessment and feedback<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Journal entries are easily available for future reference and provide a library evidencing student progression.<\/li>\n<li>Journals can be linked to the Gradebook, and feature online marking\/feedback tools.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to get started<\/h2>\n<p>If you would like to speak to a TEL colleague about using journals in your teaching, please <a href=\"mailto:it@reading.ac.uk?Subject= FAO CQSD TEL 1-to-1&amp;Body=Please provide details of your request and the specific questions you'd like to discuss with a member of the TEL Team, including a suitable time to meet. Please note we can\u2019t meet you at short notice. Example topics include: using Blackboard effectively for communication; designing learning activities; or preparing for e-assessment. Please note that these sessions are not intended as a replacement for attending the face-to-face or online TEL training sessions, or to cover an overview of Blackboard. Once booked, you will be contacted by the TEL team to provide details of your query in advance of the session.\">email dts@reading.ac.uk with a summary of your query<\/a> to request a TEL 1-2-1 Consultation. For self-access support, see guides about setting up and marking a <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/tel\/sample-page\/learning-activities\/journals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Blackboard Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Case studies:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4715\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/33\/2019\/08\/Nicola-Abram.jpg\" alt=\"Image of Nicola Abram\" width=\"235\" height=\"210\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"letter-spacing: 0px\">Read and listen to <a href=\"http:\/\/sites.reading.ac.uk\/t-and-l-exchange\/2019\/08\/20\/using-online-learning-journals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr Nicola Abram discussing how she has successfully used online journals<\/a> as part of the assessment in one of her English modules.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Further information\/reading<\/h2>\n<p>If they are well embedded into a Course, Journals can be a useful teaching and learning tool and can be used in a variety of ways across difference disciplines. Journals encourage learners to reflect on their practice so a good starting point is to look at Kolb\u2019s use of reflection in the experiential learning cycle (1984) and research-in action (Sch\u00f6n, 1983). Arthur Langer\u2019s 2002 article about using learning journals in higher education gives a detailed account of the way journals can be a useful reflective tool and also outlines some of the pitfalls in their use.<\/p>\n<h2>References<\/h2>\n<p>KOLB, D (1984) Experimential Learning as the Science of Learning and Development (Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall).<\/p>\n<p>LANGER, A M (2002) Reflecting on Practice: using learning journals in higher and continuing education, Teaching in Higher Education, 7:3, 337-351, DOI: 10.1080\/13562510220144824<\/p>\n<p>PEYTON, J K (1993) Dialogue Journals: interactive writing to develop language and literacy, Research Report (ERICDocumentReproductionServiceNo.ED354789).<\/p>\n<p>SCH\u00d6N, D (1983) The Reflective Practitioner: how professionals think in action (New York, Basic Books).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is a Blackboard Journal? 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