---
title: "Creating Journals in Ultra Course View"
canonical: "https://kb.uconn.edu/space/TL/26934509587/Creating%20Journals%20in%20Ultra%20Course%20View"
format: markdown
---
This article is for instructors looking to create **Journals** in Ultra Course View. Journals are a way for students to privately communicate with instructors through entries and responses that can optionally be graded.

> 📝 For Original Course View, refer to: [https://uconn.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TL/pages/10933731711](https://uconn.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TL/pages/10933731711)

# **Overview**

- The journal tool is a useful tool for instructors who wish to have students submit **multiple entries** into an assignment.
- Journal prompts can be **edited **and added upon from the instructor side making a “living” or reoccurring assignment.
- Journal entries can be **commented **upon by instructors which could be utilized during individual projects where **feedback **is crucial.

---

:plus:  ***Click the sections below to expand them.***

<details>
<summary>Creating a Journal</summary>

1. Navigate to your HuskyCT Ultra Course.
2. Hover over the location where you want to create your Journal. Click the plus sign at the left of the line.

3. On the dropdown that appears, click **Create**.

![Screenshot of Blackboard Create in the dropdown menu](media://e55f341e-a8dd-420b-9061-1fc493b14af8)

4. Under **Participation and Engagement**, click **Journal**.

![Screenshot of Blackboard Journal in Create Item](media://55d32563-7d4b-4244-bf12-bbe6c2270d80)


5. By default, the form will be named according to its creation date. To change the name of the assignment, click the default name.
6. Enter a prompt or what you would like the students to focus on.

![Screenshot of Blackboard description textbox](media://64f92296-378b-4a9e-ad5b-8ee05f1e339e)


7. Once a prompt has been entered, you can either **Edit** or **Delete** the prompt by clicking on the ellipses next to the prompt.

![Screenshot of Blackboard Edit and Delete options accessed from the three dot icon](media://088b833c-55dd-4dc2-975b-93e5e205c45a)


8. Click on the **Gear Icon **to change the Journal’s **settings**.

![Screenshot of Blackboard gear button to access settings](media://59905e7b-f6c0-45a4-9d89-c9c088ffa449)

9. Select the settings you would like to have for the journal.
  1. **Grade journal** allows the journal to be graded and have a gradebook column.
    1. Adds the option to set a **due date**, change the **grade category**, the **method of grading**, as well as the **number of points **the journal is worth.
    2. A **rubric **can be attached.
      
  2. **Allow users to edit and delete entries** allows students to edit or delete previous responses in the journal.
  3. **Allow users to edit and delete comments** allows students to edit or delete comments within their journal, i.e., communicating with an instructor outside of the response.
10. Click **Save**.

![Screenshot of Blackboard journal settings](media://d5f1cd8e-a834-496c-98ce-7878b7578e3e)


11. Change **visibility **of assignment in the top right corner.

![Screenshot of Blackboard visibility](media://0abe9d58-3bda-4b04-ac72-fbc00d72e6c9)
</details>

<details>
<summary>AI Generating Journals</summary>

> ℹ️ For more information on AI Generated journals, navigate to: [https://uconn.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TL/pages/27757052008](https://uconn.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/TL/pages/27757052008).
</details>

<details>
<summary>Viewing Journal Responses</summary>

Instructors are able to view a student’s response in a journal as well as make comments or respond to comments housed within the journal.

1. Navigate to the created journal.
2. Click on **Grades & Participation**.

![Screenshot of Blackboard Grades and Participation tab](media://c353c406-bb4b-4423-8fcd-8b61fc216a3c)

3. Here you can view journal responses and the rate of participation in the class, to view individual responses click on the name of a student.

![Screenshot of Blackboard Grades and Participations](media://381c111f-f3e0-4f5a-acb0-68c75e3023e5)


4. Here you are able to view the student’s response.

![Screenshot of Blackboard journal prompt](media://feb713af-c355-410c-8bd8-81aaebe45c03)


5. To make comments or view comments click on **Comment** or **Show Comments**. New comments will show up with the **NEW **notification.

![Screenshot of Blackboard view comments](media://7522ce81-6c7f-481b-a3d2-9ab9cc23349f)

6. To enter a comment, type in the text box and click **Comment**.

![Screenshot of Blackboard leaving comments](media://395e8a8e-7d94-4833-afc6-1ef817779ba9)
</details>

<details>
<summary>Grading and Feedback in Journal Responses</summary>

Instructors are able to edit, grade, and provide feedback to a student’s journal response.

1. If you would like to directly edit a journal response to fix mistakes, while viewing a journal response, click on the ellipses of the specific student’s response and click **Edit.**

![Screenshot of Blackboard Edit and Delete options accessed from the three dot icon](media://7215692f-1970-48cd-9ce2-e0a1135a722f)

2. The pill icon in the top right allows you to enter a grade based on the maximum points if the journal is gradable.

![Screenshot of Blackboard grade pill](media://70a5205b-4a42-429d-afd4-b2bd6c6a6fab)

3. The **plus icon **allows you to write **feedback **to the specific student, the ellipses to the right allows you to **edit **the feedback.

![Screenshot of Blackboard feedback icon](media://0d670ca1-ea8f-473a-8cea-f17f66d64716)

4. To provide feedback, click the **plus icon **in the top right. In the box, enter the **feedback**. Once done click **Save**. Feedback will be released once grades are posted.

![Screenshot of Blackboard feedback textbox](media://1420c5ed-04fe-47e4-a276-e1770dcc6fe3)

5. Icons will update accordingly once feedback or a grade has been given.

![Screenshot of Blackboard grade and feedback that has been given](media://38428a46-0abd-41ee-bab9-733eb872832a)

6. Grades and feedback must manually be posted under the **Grades & Participation** area in the journal. To post grades and feedback, click **Post** for the individual or **Post all grades **for all students that have been graded.

![Screenshot of Blackboard post all grades button](media://3f3c0b8d-019e-4d9a-8d8e-e224c6af6bbe)
</details>


> ℹ️ For more information or assistance with HuskyCT, please contact the** Educational Technology Office** at [edtech@uconn.edu](mailto:edtech@uconn.edu) or **(860) 486-5052 **