Resource

Reflective Journal

Author: ATU Galway

What is it?

A reflective document kept through the period of a learning detailing day to day activities, learnings, and challenges i.e., work placement journal or laboratory journal.

Advantages & Challenges

Advantages

Challenges

Advantages

Challenges

Tips for Use

Give clear guidance around structure of the reflective journal. Include prompts for what you require them to talk about.
In such briefings it’s important to open dialogues about how confidentiality matters (for example, patient data) and how personal details should be treated in an assignment that is likely to be seen not only by the marker but also by other academics and the external examiner.
It’s a good idea to provide a framework for students’ reflections which allow them to write a limited number of words on each of the following headings:
1. Title
2. What was the context?
3. What did you do?
4. What was your rationale for doing what you did?
5. What literature did you use to underpin your actions? Please give full citations.
6. What were the outcomes?
7. What would you do differently next time?
8. What did you learn about yourself from this experience?
It’s particularly useful to give a framework like this for students undertaking their first reflection in a programme, but maintaining a fixed structure with restricted word counts is beneficial even towards the end of a programme.

Resources

Sambell, K., & Brown, S (2023). Choosing and using fit-for-purpose assessment methods. Heriot Watt University.(Page 19) Link: https://sally-brown.net/download/3496/
University College Dublin (UCD): Reflective Assignment (ucd.ie)
University of Warwick: Reflecting: journals and learning (b)logs (warwick.ac.uk)

Sample Rubrics

The University of Edinburgh: Assessment rubrics | The University of Edinburgh
The State University of New Jersey: https://effectiveness.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/journal_reflection_rubric_generic.docx
Read Think Write: Reflective Writing Rubric (readwritethink.org)

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