Perusall Student Instructions

FES3753

Perusall Student Instructions

Overview

This course makes use of a collaborative annotation tool called Perusall.

Perusall helps you master readings faster, understand the material better, and get more out of your classes. To achieve this goal, you will be collaboratively annotating readings with others in your class. The help you’ll get and provide your classmates (even if you don’t know anyone personally) will get you past confusion quickly and will make the process more fun. While you read, you’ll receive rapid answers to your questions, and help others resolve their questions (which also helps you learn).

Scientific research about Perusall Links to an external site. shows that by annotating thoughtfully, you’ll learn more and get better grades, so here’s what “annotating thoughtfully” means: Effective annotations deeply engage points in the readings, stimulate discussion, offer informative questions or comments, and help others by addressing their questions or confusions. To help you connect with classmates, you can “mention” a classmate in a comment or question to have them notified by email (they’ll also see a notification immediately if online), and you’ll also be notified when your classmates respond to your questions.

For more information on Perusall, please review Students – Perusall Links to an external site..

All Perusall assignments should be launched through your Canvas assignments. This ensures your grade will sync with the Canvas Gradebook. When you access your Canvas assignment, read your specific assignment directions, then scroll to the bottom of the screen and look for the button that directs you to load the assignment in a new window. You will complete your annotations in the new window that opens.

You can start a new annotation thread in Perusall by highlighting text, asking a question, or posting a comment; you can also add a reply or comment to an existing thread. Each thread is like a chat with one or more members of your class, and it happens in real time. Yellow highlights indicate comments or questions by you or other students; blue highlights indicate comments from your instructor.

Your goals in annotating each Perusall assignment are to stimulate discussion by posting good questions or comments and to help others by answering their questions.

For further details about submitting Perusall annotations, review the help guide: How do I submit my assignment? Links to an external site.

[ID: Customize to match the grading scheme set up for this course.]

Your participation will be graded based on your contributions within Perusall.

Effective annotations deeply engage points in the readings, stimulate discussion, offer informative questions or comments, and help others by addressing their questions or confusion.

[ID: Choose one option below based on course settings. Remove the text in brackets.]

[If grades are released throughout the assignment window] Note: You can continue to add annotations and contribute to assignments until the posted deadline. Your scores will automatically update as you add annotations. If you open an assignment but do not complete it, the system will generate a partial participation score. Your participation score will automatically update as you add additional annotations.

[If grades are released after the assignment closes] Note: You can continue to add annotations and contribute to assignments until the posted deadline. Any annotations added before the posted deadline will contribute to your overall score on the assignment.

[ID: Customize this section to match the grading scheme defined for this course in Perusall.]

Based on the overall body of your annotations, you will receive a score for each assignment as follows:

  • 3 = demonstrates exceptionally thoughtful and thorough reading of the entire assignment
  • 2 = demonstrates thoughtful and thorough reading of the entire assignment
  • 1 = demonstrates superficial reading of the entire assignment OR thoughtful reading of only part of the assignment
  • 0 = demonstrates superficial reading of only part of the assignment

For further details about how Perusall scores annotations, review the help guide: How is annotation quality defined in Perusall? Links to an external site.

The following list contains information on troubleshooting the two most common technical issues when submitting Perusall assignments.

  • Issue: Assignment Grade Not Synching
    You must access your assignments by clicking the button at the bottom of the assignment page in Canvas. If you access the assignment through any other route, your grade will not sync with Canvas.
    Solution: If you accidentally access your assignments through another route, you may sync your grade by reentering the assignment using the button at the bottom of the assignment page. The grade recorded in Perusall will then sync to the Canvas Gradebook. Following this method will not overwrite any previously recorded grade in Perusall (i.e., you will not be required to re-do your assignment).
  • Issue: Assignment Button Has Disappeared
    Once you click the assignment button at the bottom of the page, the button will disappear and be replaced with the following text: "This tool was successfully loaded in a new browser window. Reload the page to access the tool again."
    Solution: To make the button reappear, simply reload the page.

Please review other frequently asked questions by visiting Perusall's Student Support Links to an external site. page.

If you have technical difficulties using Perusall and have tried the solutions above, please submit a request to Perusall Support Links to an external site. before contacting the UF Help Desk at 352-392-HELP or helpdesk@ufl.edu.

You can review information relating to accommodations and privacy using the links below: