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  4. Creating reflective assessments in Moodle: which tool should you use?
  5. Creating reflective assessments in Moodle: which tool should you use?

Creating reflective assessments in Moodle: which tool should you use?

Published on: 06/10/2026 · Last updated on: 06/10/2026

Introduction

Reflection can help students develop self-awareness, evaluate their learning, connect theory with practice, and identify future actions. Moodle offers several tools that can support reflective activities, ranging from short self-reflection checkpoints to ongoing reflective journals and multimedia submissions. 

This guide will help you choose the most suitable Moodle tool for your reflective assessment (formative and summative) by considering:

  • the type of reflection you want students to undertake
  • whether reflections should be private or shared
  • the level of structure and scaffolding students need
  • whether learners should capture their reflections using text, audio or video

E-portfolios for reflection

An e-portfolio is a digital collection of reflections and artefacts (such as documents, images, blogs, resumés, journal entries, plans, CPD activities etc.). E-portfolios are feature-rich and flexible, and can support group collaboration and feedback from staff and peers. To help you decide whether an e-portfolio is a best fit for your reflective activity, see planning for e-portfolios using Mahara. It is worth considering whether an e-portfolio meets your needs, or whether the simpler Moodle tools explored below are more suitable for your activity.

If you and your course team plan to introduce an e-portfolio activity or assessment, or you need help choosing between tools, please contact the TEL team.

Which Moodle tool is right for your reflective activity?

Tool Best for Pros Considerations 
Moodle Blog Personal reflective writing across a unit or course Chronological entries encourage ongoing reflection and development Can be graded but limited tutor feedback and assessment functionality 
Moodle Assignment Formal reflective submissions for assessment Supports grading, feedback, rubrics and submission of supporting evidence Typically captures reflection at a single point in time rather than throughout a learning journey 
Moodle Quiz Guided reflection checkpoints and self-assessment Structured prompts, automated feedback, multiple attempts possible Less suitable for lengthy or ongoing reflection 
Moodle Database Reflective learning journals and logs  Flexible structure, supports text, audio and video, can be private or shared Takes more time to set up and design 

Further details on each activity type

Choose this when… you want students to maintain an informal personal reflective record across a module or programme. 

Best practices: 

  • Set a regular posting schedule to encourage ongoing reflection. 
  • Provide reflection prompts to guide students beyond descriptive writing.
  • Encourage students to revisit earlier posts and identify changes in their thinking.
  • Use blogs for developmental reflection rather than high-stakes assessment.
  • Establish clear expectations around privacy and audience. You can choose specific settings which mean a blog is only visible to the student and their teacher.

How to create and use a Moodle Blog 

Example prompt: Looking back at your previous post, what has changed in your understanding of this topic?

Choose this when… you want students to submit a final assessed reflection, often drawing on previous reflective activities. 

Best practices:

  • Use assignments for summative or milestone reflections rather than frequent journal entries.
  • Provide a clear reflective structure or framework to support students.
  • Consider using rubrics to clarify how reflective thinking will be assessed.
  • Encourage students to draw on evidence from activities completed throughout the unit.
  • Focus assessment criteria on analysis and learning rather than description alone.

Example prompt: Drawing on evidence from your learning activities this semester, evaluate how your approach has developed and identify priorities for further development.

Choose this when…you want students to reflect through a series of guided questions or self-evaluation prompts. 

Best practices:

  • Keep reflective prompts focused and specific rather than asking broad questions such as “What did you learn?” 
  • Combine self-rating questions with open-text responses to encourage deeper reflection. 
  • Use automated feedback to signpost resources, next steps or further reflection. 
  • Consider multiple attempts if reflection is intended as a developmental process rather than a graded submission. 
  • Limit the number of reflection questions to avoid survey fatigue. 

Example prompt: Rate your confidence in applying this technique (1–5). What contributed most to your rating? 

How to set up a Moodle Quiz 

Choose this when…you want students to keep an ongoing learning log or placement log. 
NOTE: This could also be supported using a Mahara journal.

Best practices:

  • Create a small number of structured fields using a recognised reflective framework (for example: What happened? What did I learn? What will I do differently?). 
  • Encourage regular, low-stakes entries rather than infrequent lengthy submissions. 
  • Decide early whether entries should be private or shared with peers. 
  • Consider allowing media uploads where audio or video reflections may be more appropriate than written responses. Where multimedia submissions are used, ensure digital accessibility requirements are met, for example by guiding students to provide captions or transcripts. 
  • Provide exemplars so students understand the expected depth of reflection. 

Databases can be a little complex to set up. We are here to help! Please get in touch with the TEL Team if this is something you’d like to explore further. 

Example prompt: Describe a challenge you encountered this week and explain how it has influenced your future approach. 

Panopto for Audio or Video Reflection 

Students and teachers may find that audio or video reflections allow for more authentic, personal responses. Talking through processes out loud can be beneficial for students, and they can sometimes find it easier to describe challenges and turning points that they may struggle to include in written work. 

When asking students to create audio or video reflections, it’s important to give clear instructions to ensure files are accessible and stored correctly. 

Moodle is not recommended for audio and video as there is a 50MB upload limit. 

Please follow our recommended workflows for using Panopto for assessments: 

Panopto audio and video (summative) 
Panopto audio and video (formative) 

Further Resources

Find out more about Reflective Learning.

Read our case study, Making Reflection Count: Three Practical Approaches, for examples of reflection in action at the University of Bath.

Explore the Planning for e-portfolios guide.

Contact the TEL Team if you would like to discuss setting up a reflective activity in Moodle in more detail and we are happy to help.

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