Grading Your Social Reading (PDF Annotation) Assignments

Overview

This article explains how to grade a Social Reading activity in Harmonize. Social Reading activities can be graded manually or with Auto-Grading.

In Social Reading, Auto-Grading is based on milestone completion. Instructors can create milestone requirements for:

• Top-level annotations
• Replies to annotations

Social Reading milestones do not include minimum word count requirements.

If you need help creating a graded Social Reading activity or configuring Social Reading settings, see Graded Social Reading (PDF Annotation).

Review Milestone Due Dates & Auto-Grading Settings

To review or update Auto-Grading settings:

• Open your Social Reading activity.
• Click Edit near the top right of the Harmonize window.
• Select Milestone Due Dates & Auto-Grading.

• Review or update the following settings:
  1. Participation Auto-Grading
  2. Late Participation
  3. Milestone requirements
• Click Publish when finished.

For full setup information, see Creating Graded Social Reading (PDF Annotation) Assignments.

Grade Social Reading in Canvas

In Canvas, instructors can grade Social Reading activities in SpeedGrader.

To open SpeedGrader:

• Navigate to the Canvas assignment for your Social Reading activity.
• Click the action menu next to the assignment title.
• Select SpeedGrader.

The Social Reading activity will appear in the left side of SpeedGrader. Click the Annotations Panel button to open the annotations panel.

The student activity summary includes:

• [1] Student’s Annotations: A summary of the student’s top-level annotations. Click View to see an annotation in the context of the reading.
• [2] Student’s Replies: A summary of the student’s replies to annotations.
• [3] Student’s Milestones: A summary of the student’s milestone completion and, if applicable, how points were awarded.
• [4] Student’s Activity Totals: The student’s total number of top-level annotations, total number of replies, and percent of annotations viewed.

You can use this activity summary to review the student’s work and enter or adjust a grade in SpeedGrader.

When Does Student Work Appear in Canvas SpeedGrader?

When student work appears in SpeedGrader depends on whether milestones are configured.

If milestones are configured

Student work appears in SpeedGrader when:

• The student completes all milestones, or
• The due date passes, even if the student has not completed all milestones

If a student does not participate in the activity, Harmonize sends nothing to SpeedGrader.

If no milestones are configured

Student work appears in SpeedGrader when:

• If a student creates a top-level PDF annotation, Harmonize sends the student’s work to SpeedGrader at that time.
• If a student creates a reply but does not create a top-level PDF annotation, Harmonize sends the student’s work to SpeedGrader when the due date passes.
• If a student does not participate in the activity, Harmonize sends nothing to SpeedGrader.

Grade Social Reading in Blackboard, Brightspace, or Moodle

In Blackboard, Brightspace, and Moodle, instructors can grade Social Reading activities from Grades & Activity.

To grade a Social Reading activity:

1. Open the Social Reading activity.
2. Click Grades & Activity in the top right of the Harmonize window.
3. Select a student from the list.

The student activity summary includes:

• [1] Student’s Annotations: A summary of the student’s top-level annotations. Click View to see an annotation in the context of the reading.
• [2] Student’s Replies: A summary of the student’s replies to annotations.
• [3] Student’s Milestones: A summary of the student’s milestone completion and, if applicable, how points were awarded.
• [4] Student’s Activity Totals: The student’s total number of top-level annotations, total number of replies, and percent of annotations viewed.

Use the student activity summary to review the student’s work, then enter or adjust the student’s grade.

How Auto-Grading Works in Social Reading

Auto-Grading is disabled by default. If Auto-Grading is enabled, Harmonize automatically awards points based on whether students complete the milestone requirements for the activity.

For each milestone, instructors can:

• Set the number of points available
• Set requirements for annotations and/or replies
• Adjust the Complete By date

By default, late participation does not earn points. If you want late participation to count toward the student’s grade, you can allow late participation when configuring Auto-Grading.

Grades pass back to the LMS gradebook when either:

• The student completes all milestone requirements, or
• The activity due date passes

If Auto-Grading is enabled, instructors can still manually override or adjust a student’s grade.

How Do Milestones Impact Grading, especially Auto-grading?

Milestones have several impacts on grading:

• If you set up auto-grading using the wizard, your points will automatically be divided equally between the two milestones. At the end of the wizard setup, you can choose to Configure Additional Settings if you wish to allocate points differently.
• If you set up auto-grading using the editor, you will need to allocate points manually between the two milestones. See Update Milestone Due Dates & Autograding.
• If you're using auto-grading, grades will pass back to the gradebook for a particular student when the student completes all milestones or when the assignment due date passes.
• If you're operating in the Canvas LMS, student submissions will appear in the SpeedGrader for a particular student when the student completes all milestones or when the assignment due date passes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I require minimum word counts for Social Reading annotations or replies?

• No. Social Reading milestones do not include minimum word count requirements.

Q. Does late participation earn points?

• By default, late participation does not earn points. If Auto-Grading is enabled, instructors can allow late participation to earn points.

Q. Can I manually change an Auto-Grade?

• Yes. Auto-Grading can be manually overridden or adjusted.

Q. Can I use a rubric to grade Social Reading activities?

• Canvas only. Social Reading does not currently include native Harmonize rubric grading. However, Canvas instructors can use a Canvas rubric by adding the rubric to the Canvas assignment. For more information, see Adding Rubrics to Harmonize Discussions (Canvas).

Q. Can I extend a due date for one or more students?

• Yes, but only in Canvas. See Extending a Due Date for One or More Students (Canvas).