Purpose
Reflection is one of the most important steps in learning, yet one that is often overlooked by teachers and students. By thinking back on what we have learned and how we have learned, we can actually reinforce that learning as well as make ourselves more open to learning in the future. Although it may seem that these reflective activities have limited impact, if taken seriously, they will enhance all of your learning in this class.
These journal entries are designed to help you think more purposefully about your own involvement in our class. Instead of me assigning you points based on what I see happening during class, they empower you to evaluate your own engagement. This also allows for a more expansive and inclusive definition of engagement, which is particularly important for an asynchronous class.
Connected Course Outcomes
- Demonstrate personal accountability & effective work habits.
Task
After completing all the other assigned activities, create a new thread in your personal journal. Your entry should contemplate the effort you put into learning for this class during the past week while also considering what you can do differently to be more engaged going forward. You should also describe what you feel you learned during the week for this class and if you managed to achieve the specified learning outcomes for the week. Please remember that only you and I will be able to read your posts in your Learning Journal.
These self-assessments are set up as private journals in Brightspace. Only you and I will be able to access what you post each week. Please be sure to follow the directions. You can either post your journal entry as text, audio, or video.
Getting Started
Please remember that this is an exercise in self-regulated learning. The more seriously you take this activity, the more meaningful it will be for you.
Things to Avoid
- Don’t forget. This kind of reflective activity is only meaningful if done in a timely manner. Set yourself an alarm or reminder to do this at the end of every week!
Evaluation
You will not receive a grade for your annotated readings. On the Grades page, you will receive one of the following designations:
- Completed, meets all expectations
- Completed, does not meet all expectations
- Not completed
Instead of a grade or score, I will give you feedback either in writing or through a short video. My feedback will focus on how well I think your work demonstrates your efforts with the learning outcomes listed above.
EXPECTATIONS
Your annotated readings must meet all of the following in order to be considered complete:
- Be completed on time.
- Respond to all parts of the prompt.
- Demonstrate your honest efforts to reflect upon your learning.