Create a journal

This guide provides information for staff about the journals tool in MyBeckett.

What is the journals tool?

The journals tool provides an online space in which students can record and reflect upon their progress and achievements. This can also be useful as evidence for portfolio based work.

PebblePad also offers an alternative option to the journals tool. You can find out more about PebblePad in our guides.

Before you start

• Will your module contain more than one journal? If your module will contain multiple journals, you may wish to display these to students on a journal page. This is useful as it provides additional information about visibility, date last modified and entries.
  
  
• Will journal entries be private? When setting up a journal, you can decide if entries will be private (visible to instructors and individual students) or available to all instructors and students enrolled on the module.
  

You can create a journal using the module management menu / control panel, and then decide where in your module you want to deploy this to students. 

Alternatively, you can create a direct link to a journal within a module content area, as described in section 4 of this guide.  

a. Expand the Module Tools section at the bottom left of the screen, then click Journals.

b. Click Create Journal.

c. Type a Name and some Instructions. Make sure the name is descriptive, so that it is clear what the journal is about. We recommend that you include information about the module visibility so that students know if it is public or private.

d. Set Journal Availability to Yes, and enter Date and Time Restrictions if required.

e. Apply Journal Settings. We recommend not allowing users to delete anything so that there's a record of all contributions. 

f. Apply Grade Settings to allow grading of contributions if the students' journal forms part of an assessment. If so, choose the points possible. It's best to mark out of 100 and weight assignments etc. later in the Grade Centre.

g. Click Submit. The journal is created.

h. To add the journal to a content area, navigate back to the Module Content page you want the journal to display in, and hover your mouse over Tools and click Journals.

j. Type a Name for the link and a brief description, then set Availability to Yes if you want students to see it. You can also Track Number of Views and set Date Restrictions. When you're done, click Submit.

k. A link to the journal is created in the content area. Click it to view the journal.

If your module will contain multiple journals, you may wish to display these to students on a journal page. This is useful as it provides additional information about visibility, date last modified and entries.

a. Turn edit mode on using the switch in the top right corner of the page.

b. In a content area, hover your mouse over Tools and click Journals.

c. Click Link to the Journal Page, then click Next.

d. Type a name e.g. 'Journal page', and description such as 'a list of journals within this module'.

e. Set Availability to Yes if you want students to see it. You can Track Number of Views and set Date Restrictions. When you're done, click Submit.

f. A link to the journal page is created in the current content area.

This link will be empty until you create at least one journal within your module.

You may wish to provide a direct link to a specific journal within a module content area. We recommend that you add information to the journal name and instructions, letting students know what the journal is for and who it is visible to. 

a. Turn edit mode on using the switch at the top right corner of the page.

b. In a content area, hover your mouse over Tools and click Journals.

c. Click Create New Journal.

d. Type a Name and some Instructions. Make sure the name is descriptive so that it is clear what the journal is about. It is also a good idea to state if the journal is public or private. 

e. Set Journal Availability to Yes, and enter Date and Time Restrictions if required.

 

f. Apply Journal Settings. We recommend not allowing users to delete anything so that there's a record of all contributions. For a private journal, leave Permit Module Users to View Journal unticked. If you tick this box, the journal will be visible to all module users.

g. Apply Grade Settings to allow grading of contributions if the students' journal forms part of an assessment. If so, choose the points possible. It's best to mark out of 100 and weight assignments etc. later in the Grade Centre.

 

h. Click Submit. The journal is created. 

i. Next, you're asked to Link to a Journal, select the one you just created and click Next.

j. Type a Name for the link and a brief description, then set Availability to Yes if you want students to see it. You can Track Number of Views and set Date Restrictions. When you're done, click Submit.

k. A link to the journal is created in the current content area. Click it to view the journal. 

When you have set up a journal in your module, you may find it helpful to test this from a student perspective using Student Preview mode. 

Student support for using MyBeckett is available via the Library. You may find it useful to provide a link to this student guide to using the journals tool in MyBeckett.

When creating a journal, you can add Marks and Rubrics. 

To assign a Mark

a. Click a students name that has a number in brackets(1) which indicates a new entry. 

b. Type a point total in the Mark field, or if you associated a rubric for this marked journal, expand and complete the rubric.

c. Alternatively, type Comments in the Feedback in the Marking Notes - Private, which appear to the Instructor only.

Marking with Rubrics. 

d. If set up with a Rubric associated, click the rubric title to open it.

e. Select each criterion to apply that point value to the mark.

f. Optionally, select the boxes to Show Descriptions for criteria and to Show Feedback text boxes.

g. A running total score will be displayed as point selections are made.

h. Either, type a score in the Change the number of points box to override the selected score, and/or give Feedback.

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