Speed Grader free draw annotations

[JBPhilly]

Hello,

I'm new to Canvas and to this forum. I have the following question:

Students submit homework to Canvas as docx, jpeg, and pdf files. I've been using the drawing tool on speed grader to comment on the files, as if I'm handwriting with a pen.

My questions:

1. Do students receive notifications about these "free draw annotations"?

2. Are these annotations saved? I just drew some comments on a student's DOCX file. Then I went back to her homework in a few minutes and saw the same file displayed as it was before -- without my drawings on it.

Any suggestions how to better use the Speed Grader tool -- how to save the teacher's feedback or make it directly visible to the students would be appreciated.

Thank you.

-Joseph

[Steven_S · Accepted solution]

There should be a check mark in the upper right corner of your drawing that you can use to accept the drawing.  That should make it stick.  Students will see the drawing when the grades are posted.  Other tips that may help you are included here: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-add-annotated-comments-in-student-submi...

[Steven_S · Accepted solution]

There should be a check mark in the upper right corner of your drawing that you can use to accept the drawing.  That should make it stick.  Students will see the drawing when the grades are posted.  Other tips that may help you are included here: https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-add-annotated-comments-in-student-submi...

[krhumphrey · Accepted solution]

I had that happen and it was that I was neglecting to click on that checkmark after every entry.  It was so frustrating that I did several papers before realizing that it wasn't saving my comments. And, it's frustrating to have to click that checkmark every time. I wish it would just automatically save what we write, and if we don't want it there, then we can delete the comment.

[kjohn113]

Agreed, it is staggeringly irritating to have to click on a check mark every time I write freehand on a student's work. If I want to write, say the number of points taken off for an answer, and it's something like -1½, that's a minimum of five times that miserable little "check vs. trash can" thing is going to demand action from me; six if I irresponsibly pick my pen up from the tablet while writing the 2.  I've done it, and that's exactly what happens.  Literally, I have written the minus sign and then have to accept or reject it, and have had to accept or reject...wait for it...half of the number 2 before writing the rest of the number.  And then on to the numbers. And if I write any text?  Same thing, for every. single. time. my. tablet. pen. is. raised. from. the. tablet. surface. 

By using the Speedgrader's freehand annotation tool I thought I had found a way to avoid having to download student work to my hard drive, write stuff on it, save it, and re-upload it to Canvas for them in the comment area.  I think I'm convinced that all that is indeed less laborious than slogging through student work trying to freehand-annotate it in Speedgrader.

Unless, of course, someone out there has a way around it! 

[Steven_S]

@kjohn113  I think that if you are having this issue every time you lift your pen, something is malfunctioning.  When I tested (using a touchpad not a pen and tablet) I could add as much as I wanted with one ink color before clicking the checkmark.  It is available right away, but it just seemed to reposition to accommodate the larger "drawing" each time I added another mark.

[jlynch045]

Ask and you shall receive!