The purpose of this article is to present the author's anecdotal findings from using a grade defense assignment as a supplemental aspect of an ePortfolio assignment. This is not a full research study, but the author did a few semesters of testing with the assignment before implementing the grade defense in all sections of the University Seminar…

There is a large gap between minority representation in the field of dietetics and the United States population, and nutrition students need advanced cultural competence training in preparation for future work with diverse populations. Universal recommendations for delivering and evaluating cultural competence training in nutrition programs are…

Educational immersions provide opportunities for students to experience a lot in a short time. How do instructors aid students in processing and meaningfully reflecting on their experiences? I describe the development of an immersion--and an accompanying pre- and post-trip class--to sites along the U.S.-Mexico border. Then, I analyze student…

In this essay we discuss an iterative, reflective writing assignment (the "learning charter") as a way to understand how high-achieving students experienced an ungrading learning environment. Working with evidence from student written reflection and in-class conversations, we chronicle how students articulated their perspectives on this…

This narrative inquiry study explored the transformational learning experiences of students who attended Christian colleges and universities in the United States. The problem addressed in this study is the need for Christian colleges and universities to identify what constitutes and contributes to the transformative experiences conveyed by…

In this conceptual paper, borne from the experiences of two academic literacy lecturers at the NWU, we ask, regarding elements of assessment, how we can sensibly adapt an intervention-style writing course in a post-COVID higher education context. We propose a course correction model, applicable to academic literacy writing courses, to address the…

This study investigates (1) the impact of structuring versus reflection-provoking support on university students' adoption of socially shared metacognitive regulation (SSMR) during face-to-face peer tutoring (PT) and (2) the relation between SSMR and group performance. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, involving 72 educational sciences…

Over the last several years, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA) has worked with faculty from around the country to build an online library of assignments that both foster and provide evidence of student learning. The Library is now approaching 80 entries and growing. A number of those assignments include an explicit…

E-journaling invites students to reflect upon and synthesize their experiences, readings, discussions, and presentations in a series of electronic entries, usually viewed only by the student and the instructor. E-journaling assignments have become easier to complete and grade in the last few years because they are now supported by learning…

In this article, we argue that using students' reflective writing to understand specific aspects of their classroom experience requires that researchers systematically integrate into the curriculum reflections that responsibly attend to both students' learning and the focus of classroom research. Informed by recently published articles on…

This article discusses the value of an ethnographic interview assignment in an introductory-level anthropology course for stimulating intercultural engagement among college students. While colleges often seem to offer an ideal social environment for intercultural engagement, intergroup avoidance is a widespread problem. The assignment that I…

While reflection has long been held to be central to learning, not all reflection leads to insight or learning. Drawing on distinctions in psychology between 'constructive self-regulation' and 'rumination' and educational literature that distinguishes descriptive from reflective writing, this article employs a novel approach to assign student…

Information systems tools, techniques, and technologies are changing at an ever-increasing pace. Technical skills with operating systems, applications, and hardware are important to learn in an information systems curriculum so that students can be immediately productive upon graduating, but these skills may have a shelf life. Technical skills…

In some fields, written reflection is commonplace whereas in others it is uncommon. While athletic therapy education aims to produce reflective practitioners, written reflection is not a typical pedagogy employed. In 2014, the athletic therapy program at our institution began the implementation of a clinical presentation (CP) approach to…

Reflection is a necessary component of learning. Through reflective assignments and tasks, students are given opportunities to evaluate their learning and analyze strategies they use while acquiring and applying course material. Reflections also help students assess and think deeply about the information presented in class and thus better retain…