Use of Journal Writing in the Assessment of CSD Students' Learning About Diversity

Abstract

This article describes the first stage of a multistep project that examined whether and to what degree journal writing provides information about students' achievement of desired learning outcomes in diversity training. Participants were 18 communication sciences and disorders graduate students enrolled in a 2-course, interinstitutional, Web-based instructional sequence derived from experiential learning models. Examples of written reflections from student journals used in the first course illustrate how students applied course materials to their personal and professional experiences. Results suggest that journaling is a viable approach to assessment and that the content and level of reflection in student journals may provide evidence relative to specific learning outcomes and levels of achievement.