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Creating a Journal Using the Forum Tool

Although Moodle doesn't have a journal tool, a forum can be set up to mimic a journal using groups. Following the instructions below will create a separate section of the forum for each individual student. The instructor will be able to view all students' journals, but students will only be able to view and contribute to their own (unless set otherwise).

1. Set up Groups:

  1. From the course toolbar at the top, choose Participants.
  2. From the dropdown menu labeled Enrolled Users, choose Groups.
  3. Towards the bottom of the Group tool, click Create Group.
  4. Enter an individual student's name in the Group name field.
  5. Click Save changes.
  6. Create a group for each student that needs a journal.

2. Set up a Grouping:

  1. From within the Groups tool, choose Groupings from the dropdown menu at the top.
  2. Click Create grouping.
  3. Enter something like "Journal Groups" in the Grouping name.
  4. Click Save changes.
  5. Click the person icon to the right of the new grouping that you just created.
  6. From the Potential members box on the right, select every student journal group that you just created and click the Add button.

3. Set up the Journal:

  1. Navigate to the section of the course where you would like to set up the journal and click Add an activity or resource.
  2. Choose Forum.
  3. Give the forum a name like "Journal".
  4. Set the Forum type to Standard forum displayed in a blog-like field.
  5. Within the Common module settings section, set Group mode to Separate groups. This will ensure individual journals are not able to be seen by other students. If you want students to be able to see and comment on each other's journals, set this to Visible groups.
  6. Set the Grouping to the grouping that you just created.
  7. Click Save and return to course.

Items to Note:

  • Students can only edit the posts that they make in this journal within 30 minutes of posting.
  • Instructors can comment on students' posts by clicking Discuss this topic within the post.
  • If you would like to grade the journal holistically (one grade at the end of the semester), use Whole forum grading within the forum settings. If you would like to grade the journal entry by entry, use Ratings within the forum settings.
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