On the university learning platform, click on the Blog Site link to get started setting up your student blog for the course.

We will use a very basic setup to get started and make use of more features as we continue in the course. For now, just take the following steps¹⁾:

1. Click the Customise link in the menu at the top of your new site.
2. Under Site Identity, change the Site Title to your name in the format Firstname-Lastname.
3. Click the Activate & Publish button in the top left of the page.
4. In the top menu, you should see your name as the name of the blog. Click on this to open the dashboard.
5. In the menu on the left, click Posts. You will see a sample post. Hover over it and click the Bin option to delete it.
6. Likewise, go to Pages and bin the sample page. We will use the Pages feature for assembling your assessment.
7. To start posting, go back to Posts in the dashboard and click Add New to begin a new post. Click Publish when you are done for now (you can always edit later). Try starting with a brief post introducing yourself and discussing some of your goals for the course!

After tutorials begin in week 2, your blog will be your main place to receive out-of-tutorial support and feedback from your course tutor. To receive feedback, simply make some posts! Remember that as the end of term approaches there will be more and more demands on your tutor's time, so the earlier you post the more feedback you will be able to get and the more time you will have to act on it.

By default, comments from your tutor are not visible on your blog. From your email notification or using your blog dashboard (accessible from the top toolbar on your site in the drop-down menu under your blog's name), be sure to approve comments that are marked as pending. This lets your tutor know that you have successfully viewed your comments and it enables them to post more without requiring approval each time.

During the last few weeks of the course, you will begin preparing your blog for submission.

First, make sure your blog is set up (see above) and be sure to approve the comments your tutor has left for you.

Next, you will prepare your submission by using the Pages feature of your blog.

1. From the menu at the top of your website, hover over the + New button and select Page.
2. After your page is created, you can access and edit it from your Dashboard (accessible from the menu at the top of your website from the drop-down under your blog name). You can also create pages from this menu, and delete the Sample Page that came with your blog.
3. You will need to create three pages: your Self-Evaluation, Proofs of Learning, and Bibliography.
4. After creating each page, remember to press the blue Publish button on the right of the editing window (or Update if you are making updates)!

For your Self Evaluation, title your page Self Evaluation and include the four sections explained in the Self Evaluation guidance: Goals, Activities, Outcomes, and Mark. Make the section headings stand out by formatting them using a Heading style from the drop-down menu on the left of the formatting options in the edit window (by default the format will be Paragraph).

Remember to press Publish or Update when finished editing!

For your Proofs of Learning, you will identify a collection of posts from your blog totaling no more than 3500 words (most submissions will be between 2000 and 3000, depending on your goals and the mark you are evidencing). Remember to include correct parenthetical citations in your posts that show your use and understanding of the items in your Bibliography! The kinds of posts you include will depend on the mark you are aiming to demonstrate (if in doubt, discuss with your course tutor before the end of tutorials at the start of April), but every student is expected to show a breadth of engagement with the course.

Title your page Proofs of Learning.

To include a post in your list of proofs of learning:

1. Click the Numbered List icon from the editing menu or press Shift+Alt+O on your keyboard.
2. For each entry, click the Insert Link icon from the editing menu (or Ctrl+K)
3. Start typing the title of the post you would like to include and select your post when it appears. You can see a full list of posts that can be included if you click the Link options gear wheel on the right end of the link insertion tool.
4. Following each link, indicate the course units to which the post relates and put the final number of words for that post in parentheses. For example, 2. My Short Response Link, Unit 4 (276 words) or 4. My Essay Link, Units 2, 5, 7 (1402 words).

Depending on how you used your blog during the semester, you probably will not include every post you made. You will still get credit for the work you did in those posts by discussing your learning strategies and outcomes in your Self Evaluation, but only posts listed on this page will be evaluated for your understanding of course readings, ideas, and methods. Be sure to spend some time revising and polishing the posts you include so that they show your learning in the best light, without distractions!

Beneath your numbered list, put the total word count for your proofs of learning (adding up the word counts from your list). Make sure it is below 3500!

Remember to press Publish or Update when finished editing!

Give your Bibliography page the title Bibliography.

Each bibliography entry should have its own line. You can use bullet points or not. Make sure every source listed has actually been cited in one or more of your proofs of learning. Conversely, make sure every source cited in your proofs of learning appears in your bibliography. Make sure your citations are full and accurate, and remember that citation managers and automated citation tools often get things wrong.²⁾ You are responsible for making sure your citations are complete and in an appropriate academic format.

Separate your bibliography entries by unit according to the course Resource List, with a heading for each one, plus a section at the end for any sources you used and cited that did not come from the Resource List.

Remember to press Publish or Update when finished editing!

When you are ready for your assessment to be marked, make your pages visible on your site.

1. Click Customise from the menu at the top of your site.
2. From the options in the left column, click Menus and then Create New Menu
3. In the New Menu window that appears, give your menu any name (e.g. Menu), tick the box that says Side menu, and click the Next button. Confusingly, this will appear to reset the form, but your menu has been created. At the top of the left column, click the big < button to go back to the Menus controls.
4. Back on the Menus controls, click your new menu from the Menus menu.
5. Now click the Add Items button that has appeared under the controls for your new menu.
6. A new column will pop up with things you can add. Under Pages, add in your Self-Evaluation followed by your Proofs of Learning and your Bibliography.
7. Then at the top of the left column, click the blue Publish button!
8. You should now see a side menu on your site with links to your Self Evaluation, Proofs of Learning, and Bibliography.
9. Any blogs that have menus set up by the deadline will be considered submitted. You can continue to update your submission until the deadline, but changes are not permitted after the due date.