Assignment Annotation Tools

Owned by Kelsey Hall (Unlicensed), created
Last updated: Aug 14, 2023 by Stuart McCulley
4 min read

The Annotation tool allows instructors to add comments, circle content of interest, highlight text, and more. Adding feedback to the students work online is a great way to reduce the need to print physical copies of student work, and can also the make sharing feedback a faster experience.

Access the Annotation Tool

Go to Assignments > locate the assignment to grade and select the drop-down arrow to access more options> select Grade Assignment> Select student submission file or folder > select document to grade, then use the Annotation tool to add detailed feedback.

The Annotation toolbar is accessible in the document viewer page appearing across the top of the document. Features of the Annotation tool include highlighting, striking through, and underlining, as well draw free hand, add text and notes.

Student Submission folder. The submitted document is highlighted with all the annotation tools on a row along the top of the document
Document Viewer and Annotation Tools

Please note that by default the Annotation tool is turned on for all assignments. It is not required for instructors and Teaching Assistants to use this feature, leaving it on will not change the experience for assigning a grade. Course Instructors can choose to turn off the Annotation tool at any time.

Expand the section below to review steps to disable the annotation features on the assignment.

Turn off the Annotation Tool (optional)

Go to Assignments Tool select the drop-down arrow on the assignment you wish to edit. Select the Edit Assignment option.

In the settings under Evaluation & Feedback uncheck the Annotation Tool and select Save and Close to enact the change.

 

 

Annotation Tool List and Functions

Listed are the Annotation tool features and their functions. The tool list is organized from left to right as it appears on the Annotation tool bar in the Assignments Grading page.

Annotation toolbar
Annotation Toolbar

Sidebar Navigation View

  • Choose from three sidebar options — Thumbnails, Outline, or Bookmarks — to alter the overview view of the document content.

Page Navigation

  • Use the Page Navigation tool to quickly browser and locate specific pages within the document.

Page Layout (Cog)

  • Select this button to alter the Page Mode, Page Transitions and Page Rotation.

Pan Mode (Hand Icon)

  • Use this feature to use your mouse to move the document in the annotation tool.

Zoom out and Zoom In (magnifying glasses)

  • Use these buttons to zoom in and out in the document.

Document Width

  • Alternate between “Fit Page” or “Fit Width” page view options

Pencil Icon

  • Use this feature to add dynamic feedback, via drawing, and highlighting.

Notes

  • Add text notes to the document anywhere. Also move, resize and change the appearance of the notes.

Text

  • Use this feature to configure the annotation tool text settings, including fonts, size and colors.

Line

  • Add lines to the document.

Undo and Redo Buttons

  • Undo or redo the last edit made.

Print

  • Print the document

Search

  • Search document using keywords

Download

  • Download document to device

Expand

  • Expand document and annotation tool to full Browser View

Using the Annotation Features

Steps

  1. On assignment submission page, click on a student’s assignment.

  2. If there are multiple files, select a file to grade. When the page loads the annotation tool bar will automatically load on the document viewer page.

  3. Choose one of the many options to leave inline contextual feedback for students.

    1. Select the Pencil Icon to

      1. Draw Freehand - Draw anywhere on a document. Move and resize, and change appearance — including color, thickness, and opacity.

      2. Text Highlighting- Easily mark up text on a document via an intuitive highlight menu with support for highlighting, strikethrough, and underlining.

    2. Select the Text Icon to add Text Annotations

      • Add text anywhere on a document. Move and resize, and change appearance — including font, size, alignment, and color.

    3. Select the Note Icon to add Collapsible Notes

      • Add longer comments, which can be collapsed or expanded, to a document. Change appearance with a variety of shapes and colors.

Sharing Feedback with Students

Be sure to save the edits and the grade. Once the assignment feedback has been published to all students all feedback added via the annotation tool will be visible via the assignment tool. Students can then download, print, or review the annotated feedback after the assessment grade is released.

 

For a video guide, please see Assignments - Grade Submissions in Assignments - Instructor

 

Please contact CPI at edtech@brocku.ca with any questions or comments about the contents of this site.