Methods and Tools of Assessment in a Digital Environment

Metacognition, or students’ ability to think about their own thinking, is closely linked to self-regulated learning, which includes planning, monitoring, and directing one’s own learning process (Zimmerman, 2002). In a digital learning environment, teachers can actively foster metacognition and self-regulation by using tools that support reflection, progress tracking, and goal setting. Activities such as Journals, individual Wikis, blogs, and self-assessment tools (e.g., Choice or Feedback) give students space to reflect on their acquired knowledge, achievements, and challenges. Through regular use of such tools, students develop skills of self-assessment and accountability for their own learning, which strengthens their independence and contributes to their long-term ability to learn effectively – an essential element of modern, competency-based higher education.

E-portfolios allow students to document their learning process, progress, and final outcomes in a structured format. They may include various digital formats – text, images, infographics, videos, and links to external resources. In Moodle, portfolios can be implemented using the Database resource or the Assignment activity with clear guidelines on the expected content. At the institutional level, a dedicated system for creating, storing, and assessing e-portfolios may also be organized (Balaban et al., 2013).

Reflective practices support the development of metacognition, i.e., students’ ability to think about their own learning, which is a prerequisite for effective self-regulated learning. Activities such as Wikis, blogs, journals, or feedback tools enable students to regularly record their thoughts, questions, and insights.

The Journal in Moodle is an individual digital notebook where students regularly write personal entries, reflecting on their learning, progress, and difficulties. Teachers can review these entries, comment on them, and – if required – assess them. The Journal activity is a valuable tool for both formative and self-assessment and for developing reflective thinking and metacognition. Although in some Moodle versions it is an optional (non-core) module, its pedagogical value is very high.

The comparison of selected tools for fostering metacognition and self-regulated learning is presented in Table 2.

Recommendation:

Weekly or thematic prompts can be added to the Journal (Moon, 2006). Example prompts include: What was the most challenging part of this lesson, and why? How would you apply this knowledge in real life? Evaluate your engagement in the group task – what would you do differently next time? Students may also use the Journal to record their observations about required readings or MOOCs (Bralić & Divjak, 2018).