Published on: 06/10/2026 · Last updated on: 06/10/2026
Introduction
Reflective tasks ask students to do something a finished essay or lab report rarely captures: show their thinking. Done well, they surface the process behind an outcome: the false starts, the decisions, the moments where feedback led to a change of direction. Done badly, they become a box-ticking exercise nobody, including the student, takes seriously.
This case study looks at three colleagues who have each taken a different route to embedding reflection in their teaching: an ePortfolio built into a first-year Bioscience skills unit, a Moodle blog used for low-stakes self-assessment, and a video reflection paired with a written learning log in a research methods unit. Throughout each example, quoted comments are provided by the staff member leading the activity, unless otherwise indicated.
Background
Authentic assessment – tasks that mirror real-world practice and require students to demonstrate their own thinking – is often assumed to be naturally resistant to GenAI misuse. Recent evidence urges some caution here: a 2025 study found that markers could not reliably distinguish GenAI-assisted work from students’ own writing, even in authentic tasks (Kofinas, Han-Huei Tsay & Pike, 2025). What does seem to help is asking students to reflect on their own, specific, first-hand experience, in their own voice. That’s the thread connecting the three different approaches below.
Case Study 1: Zehra Onen Dumlu, School of Management — Research Methods Video Reflection and Written Learning Log
“Video reflections can provide a stronger sense of students’ authentic voices, ownership of their learning, and genuine engagement with the research process.”
Aims
The written assignment shows the outcome of a student’s research thinking; it rarely captures the process behind it.
“The video reflection was introduced to encourage students to think critically about their development as independent researchers and to provide a more authentic account of their learning journey.”
GenAI was an explicit consideration:
“Reflective assessments are most valuable when they capture students’ own experiences, challenges, and insights.”
Approach
Students record a short video alongside a written learning log, with prompts covering how their research question developed, challenges in the literature review, how feedback shaped their thinking, and what they’d do differently.
“We encourage students to move beyond simply describing what they did and instead focus on what they learned.”
Benefits
For students, the format reinforces that research is iterative, and feeds directly into planning their Semester 2 project. For staff, it surfaces challenges and turning points not always visible in written work — insights that shape how the unit is taught in future.
“Compared with written reflections, students were often more willing to discuss uncertainties, setbacks, changes in direction, and moments of insight that shaped their research journey. The format seemed to encourage them to focus less on producing a polished academic narrative and more on explaining how their thinking evolved over the semester. This often resulted in richer reflections that provided greater insight into their development as independent researchers.”
Challenges
“Very clear guidance and assessment criteria are essential. Students need to know the expected length, format, and technical requirements, as well as what constitutes effective reflection. I found myself not being able to access the videos while marking and emailing students each time they have forgotten to give me access to their videos.”
To help avoid issues with video access, we recommend following our workflow for Panopto audio and video assessments, linked below.
Some students are a little apprehensive about being on camera and can rely heavily on scripts. However, many appreciate the opportunity to communicate in a more informal way.
Recommendations
- Be explicit about what’s being marked: criteria should prioritise critical reflection and self-awareness and students should be told the assessment doesn’t evaluate presentation or production quality.
- Set out length, format and hosting/access requirements in detail, and before launch.
- Pair the video with a shorter written log to separate the academic output from the personal reflection on process.
Case Study 2: Cressida Lyon, Life Sciences — Bioscience Skills Mahara ePortfolio
“Mahara provides a centralised, flexible space where students can collate and organise evidence of their learning and development.”
Aims
The Bioscience Skills ePortfolio is embedded in the first-year Core Skills in Bioscience unit as a 0%, must-pass component, with continued use encouraged in the second-year Advanced Skills unit. The aim is structured, developmental reflection on skills, feedback and employability, built up gradually rather than left to a single end-of-year task.
Approach
The ePortfolio has four linked strands: SMART goal-setting each semester; a Feedback Engagement Tool (FET), adapted from a University of Bristol model, for logging and reflecting on feedback against the Bath Employability Skills; a practical skills log; and an employability profile with CV, supported by careers input. This is scaffolded by a full teaching programme which includes an introductory workshop, a feedback-literacy lecture, a goal-setting session, a skills audit, careers sessions, and timetabled Academic Advisor meetings.
“Students are required not only to summarise feedback but also to identify what went well, what needs improvement, and specific actions for future work.” (on how the FET pushes reflection beyond description)
Benefits
Mahara gives students one centralised space to collate evidence across two years. A live version can be shared continuously with an Academic Advisor, while a snapshot is submitted via Moodle for formal assessment, supporting both ongoing dialogue and sign-off. The platform itself has not caused many problems:
“We have been using Mahara for a few years now, and haven’t encountered any major challenges with the platform […] I have had less than a handful of students contact me with problems.”
Challenges
Depth of reflection varies. Some students produce detailed, thoughtful entries, while others stay descriptive and need extra guidance.
Recommendations
“Setting up an ePortfolio requires initial time investment, so it is helpful to draw on existing templates and colleague experience.”
- Keep templates clear and structured, with built-in prompts rather than blank boxes.
- Make it low-stakes (e.g. a must-pass, 0%-weighted component) to secure engagement without adding grading pressure.
- Integrate it into existing touchpoints, such as Academic Advisor meetings, rather than leaving it standalone.
Case Study 3: Leah McCue, Skills Centre — Moodle Blog for Self-Assessment
“Students seem to have an easier time reflecting when they see it’s a ‘blog’ activity. I feel their reflections come across more honestly.”
Aims
“I wanted to create a space where students could reflect on their experiences and compare their growth over time.”
Earlier activity types didn’t let students see their own past submissions once handed in, making it hard to track how their thinking had changed. A blog gives them continued access to their own earlier entries.
Approach
Students are given “points for reflection” — prompts tied to the material covered — rather than being asked to reflect with no structure at all. The activity is ungraded, keeping the stakes low.
Benefits
The informal, blog-like framing appears to lower the barrier to honest reflection, and continued access to past entries supports genuine comparison over time rather than a one-off snapshot.
Challenges
“They can also come across more casually, so they may benefit from guidance when the blog activity requires an academic tone.”
As the task isn’t formally assessed, there’s also less structural incentive for consistent engagement. It’s worth weighing this up before deciding whether to attach any credit.
Recommendations
“Include clear instructions for blog use and effective prompts/models for students to use when writing their blogs.”
Comparing the three approaches
| Format | Best suited to | Key strengths | Watch out for |
| ePortfolio (Mahara) | Longitudinal, multi-year skills and employability development. | Centralised showcase for digital evidence collected over time. Structured prompts curb superficial reflection. Supports live advisor dialogue + formal submission. | Significant upfront setup time. Variable depth without scaffolding. Needs sustained teaching support to embed. |
| Blog (Moodle) | Low-stakes, ongoing self-assessment; light-touch formative reflection. | Low setup and marking burden. Encourages honest, informal tone. Students can revisit and compare past entries. | Tone can be too casual for academic register. Little incentive to engage if ungraded and unscaffolded. |
| Video reflection + written log | Capstone or milestone reflection on a substantial piece of work (e.g. a research project). | Harder to convincingly outsource to GenAI. Surfaces process, not just outcome. Often more candid than written reflection. | Instructions for video hosting/access logistics need to be clear. Not all students confident on camera. Presenter confidence can be conflated with quality — guard against this in criteria. |
Practical Takeaways
- Ask for analysis, not just description. Prompts built around what went well, what didn’t, why, and what happens next produce richer reflection than open-ended prompts.
- Match the stakes to the purpose. Low-stakes or ungraded reflection lowers anxiety and encourages honesty; higher-stakes reflection needs very clear criteria.
- Tell students what they’re being marked on. For example, reassuring students that reflection quality rather than on-camera confidence is what counts.
- Favour a personal, first-hand voice. Formats asking students to narrate their own specific experience can reduce over-reliance on GenAI compared to generic written reflection.
- Plan the logistics early. Hosting/access, marking workflow and template design all take real time; adapting an existing template or framework is a reasonable shortcut.
References
Kofinas, A. K., Han-Huei Tsay, C., & Pike, T. (2025). The impact of generative AI on academic integrity of authentic assessments within a higher education context. British Journal of Educational Technology, 56, 2522–2549. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13585
University of Bristol. Assessment and Feedback Portfolio project. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, School of Biological Sciences. https://www.bristol.ac.uk/biology/teaching/scholarship-of-teaching-and-learning/research-projects/assessment-and-feedback-portfolio-/