Graded Social Reading (PDF Annotation)

Overview

Graded PDF Annotations allow instructors and students to have a discussion right inside the text. With Graded PDF annotations, you can:

• Encourage students to read by making reading itself a class activity.
• Increase content retention by inviting students to think and reflect while they read.
• Discuss a wide variety of documents. What can you turn into a PDF? Just about anything! In addition to course readings, you can invite students to annotate the course syllabus, assignment sheets for major projects or papers, sample assignments, lecture slides, and more.

Wondering what to do with Graded PDF Annotations? Check out these Teaching Tips:

• Enhancing Content Retention with Polling and Social Annotations
• Enhancing Learning with Course Document Annotations

See also: Ungraded PDF Annotations.

Set up PDF Annotations in Canvas

• Within your course, navigate to Assignments and click the + Assignment button. This will open the Create New Assignment Page in Canvas.

• Give the assignment a name and set the appropriate number of points.

• Scroll down the page until you see Submission Type. In this section, select External Tool from the drop down menu. Under "Enter or find an External Tool URL", click Find.

• In the Configure External Tool dialogue that appears, click Harmonize Assignment.

• In the Link Resource from External Tool dialogue that appears, click PDF Annotation. 

• In the next window, click +Add File to upload a single PDF for annotation. Once completed, click Create PDF Annotation.

• The dialogue window will close automatically and return you to the Configure External Tool dialogue. An automatically generated URL will appear in the URL field of this window. Please do not alter this URL in any way. Click the Select button.

• This dialogue window will close automatically. Scroll down to the Assign section. Set Due, Available From, and Until dates. Scroll to the bottom of the Create New Assignment page. Click either the Save or Save & Publish button located in the bottom right corner.

• Your graded PDF Annotation is now created and the Edit PDF Annotation page will open in a new browser tab. In the Instructions tab, use the Harmonize Editor to create text instructions and add images or other media. Click Publish.

• Your Graded PDF Annotation is now ready for student participation.

Set up PDF Annotations in Blackboard, Brightspace, and Moodle

• Follow the steps for Adding a Harmonize Component to Your Course. Come back to this guide once you've reached the Harmonize Component Selector. Select PDF Annotations from the Harmonize Component Selector. Click Create New to create a new PDF Annotation component.

• Enter a title for your PDF Annotation component. Use the provided Add File dialogue to upload a single PDF for Annotation. Select the Graded option. Assign the number of possible points for your Graded PDF Annotation. Click the Create PDF Annotation button.

• Your graded PDF Annotation is now created and the Edit PDF Annotation page will open in a new browser tab. In the Instructions tab, use the Harmonize Editor to create text instructions and add images or other media. Click Publish.

PDF Annotation Settings

• Navigate to your PDF Annotation and click the title to open it.
• If this is your first time opening the PDF, you will be presented with the Edit PDF Annotation window. If not, click the Edit button near the top right of the Harmonize window.
• From the Edit PDF Annotation window you may:
  • View the PDF Annotation Due Date. (To change this date, please see Setting Assignment Dates)
  • Click the PDF file name to view the PDF file
  • Update discussion Instructions.
  • Update Annotation Settings

• Click Annotation Settings to set Visibility Settings for your PDF Annotation. Depending upon your LMS, these options include:
  • Visible to Everyone (Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, and Moodle)
  • Students in Same Sections (Canvas only)
  • Students in Same Group (Canvas and Blackboard only)
  • Private Between Students & Instructors (Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, and Moodle)

• After editing is completed, click the Publish button.

Creating Annotations

Once the PDF Annotation is created, instructors and student can add new annotations as well as respond to the annotations of others.

Section 1: Navigation and Filtering Options

	Show / Hide Annotations
	Previous / Next Annotation
	Zoom In, Zoom Out, Select Magnification

Section 2: Annotation Tools

	Create a Highlight
	Drop a Pin
	Move / Pan

Section 3: Annotation Menu

Open / Close Annotations Panel

The Annotations Panel

Here is an example of how top-level student annotations and replies appear in the Annotations Panel:

	Previous / Next Annotation
	Annotation Action Menu Edit Annotation Delete Annotation
	Reply to Annotation

Grading PDF Annotations

Canvas SpeedGrader

To view SpeedGrader, click the action menu next to the title of your PDF Annotation and click SpeedGrader.

The Graded PDF Annotation will appear in the left window. Click the Annotations Panel button to open the annotations panel.

1. This is a summary of the individual student's activity for this graded PDF Annotation. It includes the number of annotations created, the number of replies created, and the total number of annotations viewed.
2. Use the arrows to navigate between annotations and replies. To only view the student's work, toggle the switch to ON.
3. Only the student's annotations will be shown in this view so it's easy to see the student's work.

Here is the expected grading behavior for Graded PDF Annotations:

Blackboard, Brightspace, and Moodle

To grade your PDF Annotation activity, click the Grades & Activity button in the top right of the Harmonize window. Select a student from the list.

• [1] Grade Field. Grades may be entered in the provided Grade field. To view another student's work, select a different name from the student drop down menu.
• [2] Summary. This is a summary of the individual student's activity for this graded PDF Annotation. It includes the number of annotations created, the number of replies created, and the total number of annotations viewed.
• [3] Document. Use the arrows to navigate between annotations and replies. To only view the student's work, toggle the switch to ON. Only the currently selected student's annotations will be shown in the PDF content area to make it easy to see the student's work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I use Milestones with PDF Annotations?

• Milestones are not available for use with PDF Annotations at this time.

Q. Can I use Harmonize's Group Visibility setting with PDF Annotations?

• Yes! Click the Harmonize "Edit" button and click the Annotation Settings tab. Choose "Students in Same Group" and select your desired group set from the Group Set drop down menu.
• Please note that the groups settings is only available to LMSs that support the use of groups with external tools.