This article is for instructors looking to create Journals in Ultra Course View. Journals are a way for students to privately communicate with instructors through entries and responses that can optionally be graded.

Overview

• The journal tool is a useful tool for instructors who wish to have students submit multiple entries into an assignment.

• Journal prompts can be edited and added upon from the instructor side making a “living” or reoccurring assignment.

• Journal entries can be commented upon by instructors which could be utilized during individual projects where feedback is crucial.

Creating a Journal

1. Navigate to your HuskyCT Ultra Course.

2. Hover over the location where you want to create your Journal. Click the plus sign at the left of the line.

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3. On the dropdown that appears, click Create.

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4. Under Participation and Engagement, click Journal.

5. By default, the form will be named according to its creation date. To change the name of the assignment, click the default name.
   
   

6. Enter a prompt or what you would like the students to focus on.

7. Once a prompt has been entered, you can either Edit or Delete the prompt by clicking on the ellipses next to the prompt.

8. Click on the Gear Icon to change the Journal’s settings.

9. Select the settings you would like to have for the journal.

   1. Grade journal allows the journal to be graded and have a gradebook column.

      1. Adds the option to set a due date, change the grade category, the method of grading, as well as the number of points the journal is worth.

      2. A rubric can be attached.

   2. Allow users to edit and delete entries allows students to edit or delete previous responses in the journal.

   3. Allow users to edit and delete comments allows students to edit or delete comments within their journal, i.e., communicating with an instructor outside of the response.

10. Click Save.

11. Change visibility of assignment in the top right corner.

Auto-Generate Journal

When creating a journal, Ultra Course View gives you the option to auto-generate prompts using AI computer generated technology.

1. When creating a journal, in the top right is Auto-Generate Journal.

2. Contextualize what prompt you are looking for. This can be done through a description, selected course items, or a combination of both.

3. Change the Desired cognitive level which changes the type of questions you would like generated.

4. Change the complexity slider depending on how in-depth or specific you would like the prompt to be.

5. Checking Generate Journal Title will also generate titles for the journal assignment.

6. Select the prompt you like best and click Add to add the prompt to the created journal.

7. The selected prompt will update the title as well as fill in the prompt text box. Once satisfied click save.

Viewing Journal Responses

Instructors are able to view a student’s response in a journal as well as make comments or respond to comments housed within the journal.

1. Navigate to the created journal.

2. Click on Grades & Participation.

3. Here you can view journal responses and the rate of participation in the class, to view individual responses click on the name of a student.

4. Here you are able to view the student’s response.

5. To make comments or view comments click on Comment or Show Comments. New comments will show up with the NEW notification.

6. To enter a comment, type in the text box and click Comment.

Grading and Feedback in Journal Responses

Instructors are able to edit, grade, and provide feedback to a student’s journal response.

1. If you would like to directly edit a journal response to fix mistakes, while viewing a journal response, click on the ellipses of the specific student’s response and click Edit.

2. The pill icon in the top right allows you to enter a grade based on the maximum points if the journal is gradable.

3. The plus icon allows you to write feedback to the specific student, the ellipses to the right allows you to edit the feedback.

4. To provide feedback, click the plus icon in the top right. In the box, enter the feedback. Once done click Save. Feedback will be released once grades are posted.

5. Icons will update accordingly once feedback or a grade has been given.

6. Grades and feedback must manually be posted under the Grades & Participation area in the journal. To post grades and feedback, click Post for the individual or Post all grades for all students that have been graded.