There are many ways in which writing can be assessed. I prefer to teach writing using a process strategy, and I feel that this is also a good way to assess students' writing skills. One of the ways I do this is by creating a writing portfolio. Writing portfolios are collections of a student's work, which showcase their writing, and while a portfolio can contain all of their writing samples, it usually contains only select pieces. The pieces included usually show writing assignments from the beginning of the course until the end, which shows their growth as a writer.
Using Moodle, there are many ways to do this. You have the option to use external portfolio software like Elgg or Mahara. Elgg is an open source social network package that allows you to create local or school-wide social networks. This can be used in different ways and could be set up to act as a portfolio. For more information about Elgg, check the following site: http://elgg.org/. Mahara, however, was...