Critical reflection is an integral part of experiential education. After engaging in an experiential learning opportunity, students reflect on on the experience, identifying any connections, inconsistences, or alignment between the experience and their prior knowledge. By engaging in reflection, students are encouraged to think not only about subject matter, but about how they acquire knowledge. This page features downloadable resources to help instructors integrate reflection as a method of assessment in undergraduate courses.
“We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.” – John Dewey (1933)
Resources
Critical Reflection as Assessment Learn more
Critical reflection is a metacognitive process whereby learners articulate connections between their own experiences and course content. This resource explains the benefits of critical reflection, as well as how to incorporate critical reflection as a method of assessment.
Assessing Reflection Using Rubrics Learn more
Assessing reflection is key because it signals to students the importance of experiential learning and the value of thinking about how they acquire knowledge. This resource explains how to grade reflection assessments using rubrics.
Prompts for Critical Reflection Learn more
There are many different frameworks that can help structure reflection. Regardless of the framework, providing students with prompts can ensure they are moving beyond summary to critically examine their learning experience. This resource provides a series of prompts that
Reflective Writing for Students Learn more
Reflection helps students think about how they acquire knowledge, but often students do not know how to write reflectively. This resource is intended for instructors to share with students as an introduction to writing reflectively.
Rubric templates
Reflection Rubric - 3 Levels Learn more
Download this sample rubric designed specifically for marking critical reflection. This rubric features three levels of assessment.
Reflection Rubric - 4 Levels Learn more
Download this sample rubric designed specifically for marking critical reflection. This rubric features four levels of assessment.