Collaborative Annotation Guide, or, How to Use Perusall

This is a modified version of the guide developed by Dr. Amy Kahrmann Huseby.

We will take advantage of our online environment to discuss our texts virtually around the texts themselves on the platform Perusall, which you will access through links on the module. You will need to sign up for a free account.

You will be annotating and discussing the texts we read together “in the margins” of your reading, offering explanations, asking questions, suggesting interpretations, adding additional insights, making connections, and responding to one another’s ideas.

[Instructors using the Perusall LTI may remove the following statement.]

If you are a student in [Course Title], use course code [insert Perusall Course Code here] when you register for your account.

[Instructors - Read through the FAQs and customize to the specifications of your course]

FAQs

What is an annotation?

An annotation is a comment or a question tied to a particular word or phrase or section of the literary text we are reading. Annotation is “capturing” your thinking about what you read as you read it. Many of you might do this already when you write in the margins or take notes as you read. Annotating thoughtfully promotes active reading and helps you develop your critical reading skills.

What does “annotating thoughtfully” mean?

Effective annotations deeply engage elements of the texts we are reading. Your goals in annotating each reading assignment are to stimulate discussion by posting good questions and/or comments; to engage in close reading by offering your thoughts about and interpretations of textual details; to help clarify difficult parts of the reading by providing explanations or insight into context; and to help others by addressing their questions or confusions. See “What should an annotation do?” below for more.

How do I add annotations?

You can start a new annotation thread in Perusall by highlighting text and then 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. Because of this, you’ll want to annotate as you read each text and not wait until the “deadline.” To help you connect with classmates, you can “mention” a classmate in a comment (by @name them) 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. Perusall itself will give you a little “tour” when you first start using it so that you can learn your way around. Take a look at the Getting Started Guide on the Perusall website for more tips.

When should I write my annotations?

[Instructors may adjust the following to meet their Perusall grading scale and due dates- The goal is to annotate the text together so that you can help one another better understand and interpret it, so you can go ahead and start adding comments and questions as you read. In fact, I strongly recommend that you read and annotate simultaneously. Try not to wait until the last minute, because it is likely you will run out of time and not benefit from the collaborative nature of the annotation process. ]

What should an annotation do?

Annotations might do many different things. Here are some examples:

Ask a question. Asking probing questions is key to critical reading. See the Strong Interpretive Questions document in Canvas under Readings. Some questions might be straightforward ones with right or wrong answers, but even stronger questions will call for more complex, interpretive answers about a particular element of the text. Aim for questions that do not have a “yes” or “no” answer. Aim for questions that do not ask “what if” questions, such as “what if I knew this character and fell in love with them,” or “what if X or Y happened after the book.” You want to ask questions that send your reader back to the text as it is for further interpretation and thinking. For these, I suggest you explain your question: why do you ask this, what do you think, or what interests you about this element of the text? This is a great way to get discussion going on Perusall. If you have the same question as someone else, you can “upvote” that question (click on the little question mark icon), but try engaging in a conversation about it, too!
- (Note that Perusall will automatically turn your comment into a question if you add a question mark, but you can also mark any type of comment as a question. This will allow you to signal to other members of the class that you would like a response. Occasionally I might pose some questions in annotations, too.)
Answer questions posed by other students. Offer your own interpretations. Offer additional textual evidence (direct quotations).
Debate a point. Don’t agree with someone else’s analysis? Respectfully acknowledge their ideas but disagree and suggest an alternative reading. Offer additional textual evidence (direct quotations) to support your alternative reading.
Explain your thoughts about the significance or your interpretation of a word or phrase
Explain the meaning of a word or phrase and put it in context
Suggest a connection to another text we have read (or another text you have read outside of class). You can even embed images or other media in your annotations! Just be sure you provide a link to your source.
Suggest the significance of a formal element (rhyme, meter, allusion or image, punctuation, pause, line break, narration, etc.)
Link to a source that provides context for a word or phrase. You might do this if you looked up a word that was unfamiliar and you wanted to save others the time. Don’t just look up a word in the dictionary; give your thoughts about how the definition might alter how we read the text or understand the phrase in which it appears.

Regardless of its focus, a strong annotation will indicate thoughtful and thorough engagement with the text. If you ask a question, that’s great, but try to hazard a guess at an answer or make sure you generate that question from your own critical interpretation of the phrase, line, or word. No element of a literary text is too small to annotate. Avoid duplicating what other students have already written. Our goal is to annotate as much of these texts as we can collaboratively.

Can I look things up?

Yes, of course! However, you need to use your own words and ideas for this assignment. If you do want to look things up to better understand references in the text, be sure that you cite them in your annotation to avoid plagiarism. You can provide citations either by creating a hyperlink to an online source or by providing a citation at the end of your annotation. You do not need to use other sources for this assignment unless you feel it will help. Posting material that you have copied from the internet (exact language or other people’s ideas) is plagiarism and will, at a minimum, result in an engagement score of zero for the assignment. If in doubt, always cite.

How many annotations do I need to add? How long should they be?

Your annotations reflect the effort you put into your study of the text. It is unlikely that this effort will be reflected by just a couple of short annotations in which you explain the definition of a word or just a question or two about what certain words mean. On the other extreme, 10+ annotations on a short poem are probably too many, but 10+ substantive annotations of a scholarly article might be necessary. While some of your annotations might just be short questions or glosses, you should make sure that some of your annotations are substantive and thoughtful engagements with the text. In most cases [Instructor may change the following - I will ask you to write at least 4-6 substantive annotations (in addition to any short comments or questions), but be sure you pay attention to the instructions on Canvas for each Perusall Annotation Assignment.]

How do I discuss the texts with my classmates?

Remember that in addition to adding your own annotations, you should be engaging with and responding to others’ annotations. Instructor may change the following I will ask you to write at least 2-3 substantive response annotations to your classmates. To add to a conversation started by one of your classmates, simply click on the highlight in the text to open up the conversation panel, type your comment, and then press Enter. You can also do things like “upvote” a comment (click on the checkmark icon in the comment bubble) to tell the author of the comment that it helped your understanding. You can upvote a question by clicking on the question mark in the comment bubble. This tells the author of the question that you have the very same question they do, which can help attract other students (or me!) to spend some time answering this question.

How are annotations and engagement graded?

For each assignment you will be evaluated on the thoroughness and quality of your annotations, along with your engagement with other students. Perusall also pays attention to some things automatically, like whether you are reading the text, but don’t worry; I monitor these auto-graded portions carefully and will be reading all of your annotations and conversations to make sure you are getting credit for your work. Grades will be updated on Canvas regularly throughout the semester.

[Instructors may adjust the following to meet their Perusall grading scale -

3 = demonstrates exceptionally thoughtful and thorough engagement with the entire reading

2 = demonstrates thoughtful and thorough engagement with the entire reading

1 = demonstrates superficial engagement with the entire reading Or thoughtful engagement with only a small part of the text

0 = student did not turn in work

I have another question about how to do something in Perusall. Help!

First, check out this list of Perusall FAQs for students. Your question will probably be answered on this page. But if you still have a question, reach out to me via email for help!

Instructions developed by Dr. Anna Gibson (2020) and Dr. Amy Kahrmann Huseby