Chapter 8. Journals

Journaling is a popular educational tool to encourage student self-reflection as they engage in the learning process. Like personal diaries, journaling assignments are meant to encourage reflection by forcing the student to write down his thoughts and reflections about a topic. The act of writing the journal entry encourages deeper reflection and more formal thought.

Moodle's journal tool is an electronic journal where students can record their thoughts and reflections. You can use journals to encourage students to reflect on the course and the content in ways which are difficult to do with other tools. The privacy of the journal and the open-ended nature of the response give students a safe space to explore new knowledge.