Journaling on Blackboard

Because I just can't get enough of distance education, I'm taking an online writing class over the summer that, as  many other courses do, uses Blackboard as the main form of course delivery and student/instructor interaction.  This time, however, I've learned something new about Blackboard that I haven't used before.  It has a 'journal' function which creates a virtual journal where a student can submit assignments privately to the instructor and get feedback, discuss the assignment etc with the instructor in a private area of Blackboard that other students can't see.  I wonder if there would be law school applications for this or if anyone else has tried it.  I suspect it could be useful in some practical classes and seminar classes involving drafting exercises and instructor feedback.

Comments

[Beth Haas]

Yes, Jacqueline, I use BB's journal function in my online courses. It gives the students a break from standard, public discussion boards and some topics, at least in PR and Evidence, lend themselves better to individual, reflective writing assignments than to large or even small group discussions. My students understand that the journal entries are read only by me and this seems to encourage them to share views that they might not otherwise share in a public forum. It also gives the more introverted students a chance to add their thoughts. I have learned that it is important to give a maximum paragraph or word count because some students write way too much.

[Jacqueline Lipton]

That makes a lot of sense and it does seem a good way to encourage more introverted students to add their thoughts more freely than they might in a more open discussion.