Journaling (diary) and supervision

Journaling (diary or logbook) and supervision are methods often used as a form of assessment for students doing, for example, an internship. You can use both methods to help students reflect on their experiences and learn from their work in practice.

For journaling, students keep a daily or weekly diary or logbook in which they describe their experiences, thoughts and feelings about their learning process or internship. In supervision, students have regular discussions with a supervisor about their experiences during the internship. So these two methods can be combined well by having the student periodically submit the diary and evaluate it together. You can use both methods to evaluate, for example, the following:

• Reflection - how well does the student reflect on his or her experiences during the internship?
• Problem solving - how effectively does the student solve problems that arise during the internship?
• Independence - is the student able to work independently and take responsibility for his or her work during the internship?
• Communication skills - how effectively does the student communicate with the supervisor and others at the internship site?
• Professionalism - how professionally does the student behave during the internship?

Want to know more?

• 10 ways journaling benefits students - University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
• Journaling: An Assessment Tool for Student Engagement Experiences (pdf) - PennState University

See also: Zelfreflectie, Onderzoek, Projecten en Producten, Productontwerp, Casusopdracht.