Reflective Journal Guide

Learning is a very personal endeavor; often the level of learning is not revealed through course assessment processes. Charlie Collins, the former director of the Center for Research in Higher Education at the University of California at Berkeley said, “We measure what we can measure, not necessarily what is important.” The reflective journal is one tool that taps the more personal dimensions of learning. It is not a diary and it is not a log of daily events, although some elements of each may be present to ground the writing in the reflective journal. The reflective journal, for a course, should have as its focus the primary topic of the course. For example, a course on leadership should focus on leadership, one on the community college on community colleges, etc. The entries are dated and are more personal than in a formal paper. The general outline below may be used as a guide, but the student should not feel constrained by it.

Reflective journal basic outline:

* Introduction – opening comments, including the intent of the author

* Entries by date (entries for each day are not required)

- Topic for the entry.

- Thoughts

- Feelings

- Behaviors (observations of other’s and one’s own behavior)

- Key Learnings

* Summary of Key Learnings