Make This My Own Course
Learning Journal
> 1 hour
How to use the tool?
Integrate your favourite LM Tools and additional reflection exercises in a customized Course Learning Journal.
Student experience
“In a way it was like having a workbook again! I love workbooks. Why do we stop with workbooks in college. They are so useful in keeping all the course material together and remembering what you have to do and seeing what you did.”
If you would like students’ to do a combination of different tools, it will really help them to keep track if they can do it all in one place. This will also really help them keep the course together.
What to Do?
As you are preparing your syllabus for your course:
Step 1: Make some space in the assessments for this Course Learning Journal assignment. Students will appreciate getting credit for the effort this requires. Our suggestion is to make it part of Participation grade (if you can) and to grade it on effort rather than content.
Step 2: Download the template. Read through it and choose the LM exercises you like and that work for your course.
Step 3: Add any additional reflection exercises that are valuable for your course.
Step 4: Change the text to match your course and your instruction. Change the colors and pictures to make it have your look.
Step 5: Assign it and distribute it to your students. We highly recommend taking time in the first class to introduce and explain the Course Learning Journal and the specific exercises they are expected to do.
Example:
“I have done several different versions of a Course Learning Journal for different courses I teach. During COVID times I used Teams and they had a digital journal that I could also access. This was really powerful in giving me insights to their learning process but also a little intense in the time it required of me to stay on top of it. I also had a few technological mishaps. I have settled into a practice where they keep a Word document Course Learning Journal and they submit it at the end towards their participation grade. Students seem to really appreciate having this kind of scrap book of their learning and I love to see their trajectories.”
