Assessing Student Reflections

Reflective practice is a cornerstone of experiential learning, offering students a chance to make meaning of their experiences and deepen their disciplinary understanding. Below are some key insights into effective strategies for assessing student reflections.

Align the Importance of Reflection 

Reflection allows students to connect theoretical knowledge with practical experiences, fostering critical thinking and personal growth. It's essential to ensure that reflective activities are closely tied to learning outcomes and assessment criteria. 

Frameworks for Reflection 

Several frameworks can guide the reflective process, here are two to consider: 

1. Experiential Learning Cycle: This model encourages students to engage in a continuous cycle of experiencing, reflecting, thinking, and acting. It helps students move from abstract concepts to concrete experiences and back again.
2. Reflective Practice Cycle: This cycle involves challenging assumptions, incorporating new thinking, and evaluating beliefs. It’s a dynamic process that can be entered at any point, making it adaptable to various learning contexts. 

Designing Reflective Activities 

When designing reflective activities, it’s crucial to consider the following: 

• Purpose: Clearly define why students are being asked to reflect. Is it to deepen their understanding, connect theory to practice, or develop self-awareness? 
• Context: Align reflective activities with the course content and learning outcomes. Ensure that the reflection is relevant to what students are learning and experiencing. 
• Feedback: Provide timely and constructive feedback to guide students in their reflective practice. This helps them understand what they are doing well and where they can improve.  

Tools and Techniques 

Several tools and techniques can facilitate and assess reflections. Consider your purpose before you choose a tool or medium for the reflection.  

Why am I asking students to reflect (what do I hope they gain from it)?  What does doing well on this assignment/activity look like?  What will not be sufficient to pass?  What questions/aspects must be addressed for this work to be acceptable?

Design for Reflection 

• Digital Storytelling: This method allows students to create narratives that integrate their experiences and learning. It’s particularly effective for capturing personal and emotional reflections. 
• Graffiti Walls: Using tools like Padlet, students can collaboratively reflect on a topic by adding comments, images, and links. This fosters a sense of community and shared learning. 
• Social Annotation tools: Tools such as Perusall, enable students to engage with texts and each other’s reflections. Perusall integrates with Canvas and has an automated grading feature helpful for large classes. 

Rubrics and Checklists 

To ensure clarity and consistency in assessment, rubrics and checklists are invaluable. They provide students with clear criteria for what constitutes a good reflection and help instructors assess reflections systematically. Tools like the AI Learning Design Assistant (ALDA) and Copilot can generate rubrics and checklists, which can be customized to fit specific course needs. Assessment tools from Canvas Commons, vetted by other USask or global Canvas users, can be imported into a Canvas course. 

Challenges and Considerations 

Assessing reflections can be challenging, especially in large classes. Here are some key considerations: 

• Authenticity: Encourage genuine and personal reflections by creating a safe and confidential environment. Make it clear who will read the reflections and how they will be used. 
• Scalability: Use tools like Perusall to manage and assess reflections in large classes efficiently. Grouping students and using automated grading features can help. 
• Alignment: Ensure that the reflective activities and assessments are aligned with the learning outcomes. This helps maintain the focus and relevance of the reflections. 

Conclusion 

Assessing student reflections is a powerful way to enhance learning in higher education. By using structured frameworks, clear criteria, and innovative tools, educators can support students in developing deeper insights and connecting their learning to real-world experiences. These strategies provide a valuable roadmap for integrating reflective practice across the curricula.

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^{Title image credit: Pixabay from Pexels}

^{This article is a summary of a webinar delivered by Aditi Garg on January 15, 2025. This article was created with the assistance of AI tools, as described in the GMCTL AI Disclosure Statement. Here are the slides from the original session.} 

This resource is shared by the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning (GMCTL), University of Saskatchewan, under a CC BY-NC-SA license.