INS-10001 Journal Assessment

Your reflective journal assessment is designed to give you an opportunity to analyse and reflect on the materials we cover in class, encourage you to seek further information via your own research and to express and share opinions. As outlined in the Week 1 lecture, this reflective journal is effectively YOUR story of learning about Indigenous cultures, peoples and histories.

The topics we discuss in INS 10001 can elicit various responses in students. While we feel that it’s important that you all feel comfortable being honest and sharing whatever opinions you may have, it is crucial that these opinions are shared in a respectful, mature and calm way. All students (and staff) must feel culturally safe and respected in our classroom environment at all times.

Your journal submission is an accumulation of your learning throughout the semester. It is a narrative for your experiences in the unit it is YOUR story. Much like story and story-telling is a vital part of Indigenous cultural learning and sharing, your journal is your way of connecting with the material and sharing what you have learned, and how you have engaged with it.

To do this, each student should:

• Complete both the short pre-semester survey and the Pop Quiz on Canvas
• Submit a weekly or (at least) fortnightly reflection (via Canvas) that addresses the questions asked, including personal opinion
• Regularly respond to and contribute to other students' posts
• Submit a final journal in Week 12 that summarises your learning journey over the semester

Each of your discussion submissions can be anywhere between 50 and 400 words this is up to you - and be submitted to your allocated tutorial group’s discussion board on Canvas. These discussions should reflect your understanding and views on the tutorial discussions we have. Your tutor will also provide comments and prompts to some of these discussions. While these are not compulsory per se, they collectively form 10% of your final journal mark. They will also inform your final submission, so we strongly encourage all students to submit them. Completing the quiz and these reflections will greatly help with formulating your journal submission.