How to annotate student submissions (Moodle Assignment)

As a first step we recommend bulk download of Moodle submissions.

• Download the files in folders, extract the folders, and make sure that your annotated file is saved into the correct folder.
• Then zip up all the files and reupload to Moodle.
• Manage your folders carefully.
• See Moodle Assignment: Marking and uploading feedback/marks individually and releasing marks.

Contents of this page

Annotating PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

Installing Adobe Acrobat Reader DC

You can add annotation to student submissions using your preferred annotation software.

Here we describe how to use Adobe Acrobat Reader DC to annotate on a pdf document.

This software is free to download for Windows and Mac from Get Adobe.

You can also refer to these comprehensive instructions from Adobe.

Annotating documents

• Once installed, first download the submission, then open the file by right clicking on it and selecting "Open with" and choose 'Adobe Acrobat Reader DC' from the list.

You can permanently associate Adobe Acrobat Reader DC with pdf files if you wish. On a Mac, there is a Change all option on the Open with menu to associate all files of this type with the application.

• Open the file and select the Comment option:

•  There are options to highlight and add inline text and a Sticky Note feature.

• Select the part of the document where you want to comment and add your feedback into the box.
• This will then appear when you hover over the Sticky Note but also in the bar along with any others comments to the right of the screen. 

• To save the work, select the disk icon (or file -> save), then give your file a different name from the original submission.

Annotating PDFs with Edge: Digital Inking

Video of Chris Roche from Microsoft demonstrating Digital Inking (from Coates A10) 

If you have a tablet or surface device, submissions can be marked by hand. One way that works well is to use the browser in Microsoft Edge.

1. First step is to open the document in Microsoft Edge by right clicking on the document, select "Open with" and choose 'Microsoft Edge'
   (In many cases a PDF will automatically open in Microsoft Edge).
2. When you are in Microsoft Edge, select the Draw option.

3. The digital inking toolbar will appear. Select the pen icon to begin drawing,

OR select the highlighter and start highlighting text.

4. Click on highlighted text. You can add a 'sticky note' with text comments, which remains attached to the highlighted text in the document.

5. Once you have finished marking, select the disk icon to save your annotated file. Remember to give it a different file name to the original.

Annotating Word using Track Changes and Comments

In the Office365 version of Word, there are a few ways to annotate a document.

Inserting comments

1. Highlight the text you wish to associate the comment with and then right-click to bring up a pop-up menu. Select the last option 'New Comment'.

2. A text box will now appear where you can add your comment. You will also notice that the text is highlighted while the comment box is active. A small speech bubble icon will also appear to the side of the text to indicate that there is a comment associated with some of the text.

Adding track changes

1. It is possible to add changes to a document which can either be approved or rejected. To do this select the Review tab at the top.
2. Click the Track Changes drop down and select the preferred option from the dropdown menu. icon From the dropdown menu select 'Track Changes' again.

3. Once enabled when you enter text or remove it, it will still be in the document but in a different colour (usually red). 

Freehand annotation

1. If you access the Word document on a touch-enabled device then the Draw option will be available on the top of the screen.
2. Select the Draw tab and you will be able to then pick types of pens to freehand annotate with.

See the linked Help page How to annotate in Word using a Surface Pro.