Usability of Speedgrader annotations

[MatthewPreston]

I've been using Speedgrader this year to provide feedback on written assignments. I exclusively use the point, highlight and strikethrough annotations and find that I am able to give high quality feedback with these tools. 

However I find the interface to be quite unresponsive and glitchy, making the marking process frustrating. 

I want to be able to recommend the process to my colleagues, as the digital workflow has great benefits. However I think the poor UI experience will prevent many from taking it up. 

I sporadically find that the highlight and strikethrough tools are simply unresponsive. Nothing happens when I select a word. To remedy this I try a few times, click elsewhere, delete that annotation and then I find it works. 

I also find the number of clicks to remove an annotation is frustrating. The  'are you sure' query is unnecessary. 

I am using Microsoft Edge Version 105.0.1343.42

I've heard that the iPad app is better, but I am not able to move to this platform. 

Is there a major update in the works? It's needed. 

[greydon · Accepted solution]

Hello @MatthewPreston 

Thank you for contacting the Canvas Community. We're sorry to hear you've been experiencing issues with using the annotations within Speedgrader. Based on your explanation, it sounds like a browser or network issue. In general, there shouldn't be a lag and you shouldn't need to click a few times to  get it  to register. Every once in a while there may be a lag or one-off instances but it shouldn't be a constant. Have you cleared your cache and cookies or tried another device or or even wifi? I would try in that order starting with clearing cache, using another browser, using another  device, and finally trying another wifi. You should also try using it on the app. Very likely one of those will curb the lag and issues you are experiencing. Hopefully this helps!

Here is the Canvas guide:

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-add-annotated-comments-in-student-submi... 

[greydon · Accepted solution]

Hello @MatthewPreston 

Thank you for contacting the Canvas Community. We're sorry to hear you've been experiencing issues with using the annotations within Speedgrader. Based on your explanation, it sounds like a browser or network issue. In general, there shouldn't be a lag and you shouldn't need to click a few times to  get it  to register. Every once in a while there may be a lag or one-off instances but it shouldn't be a constant. Have you cleared your cache and cookies or tried another device or or even wifi? I would try in that order starting with clearing cache, using another browser, using another  device, and finally trying another wifi. You should also try using it on the app. Very likely one of those will curb the lag and issues you are experiencing. Hopefully this helps!

Here is the Canvas guide:

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Instructor-Guide/How-do-I-add-annotated-comments-in-student-submi... 

[MatthewPreston]

Thanks for the quick reply. 

I was hopeful that the cache reset would help, but it doesn't seem to be the case. I've tried this, and have also tried another browser. It still often takes at least three attempts before I am able to highlight text. It seems like I have the problem more when I am providing feedback on longer documents. The assignments are regularly over 1000 words, and it feels most laggy when I have made a lot of annotations on a particular document already. I will try another device, but I am using the laptop provided by my school and again, it doesn't have issues with web speed elsewhere. It's not possible for me to try the mobile app. I'm not willing or able to acquire a tablet just for marking. 

My current internet speed is 9.93 Mbps down and 5.03 Mbps up. I never have any issue with streaming so not sure why it would be too slow for this. 

[MatthewPreston]

Further to the above, I've recorded a video so you can see the extent of the issue. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/x7bxrc2sw7n9ioo/canvas%20issue.mp4?dl=0

You can see whenever the cursor moves right to left I am trying to highlight the text or use strikethrough. 

Clearing cache and cookies does not help, nor does switching browser. 

It seems that the issue is worse when there are a high number of annotations on the document. It works fine to begin with, but when annotations increase, the experience deteriorates to the point of being unusable. 

[MatthewPreston]

Another update, I've recorded my screen as I make continued strikethroughs of every line of a 1500 word document. As you can see, at the beginning Speedgrader works fine. But when I get a third of the way through the second page, things start to slow right down. It soon becomes unusable. 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/z61wi89yieb5mrd/test%20SpeedGrader.mp4?dl=0

It would be interesting if others could try this test. 

Here's the 1500 word Lorem Ipsum word document I used: https://www.dropbox.com/s/gx61phnkwol97ot/Lorem%20ipsum.docx?dl=0

I'll install a new screen capture tool so I can record Task Manager as I do it so we can see what my computer is doing. I'll try the same test on other devices and networks when I have time. 

[MatthewPreston · Accepted solution]

OK, tried on another computer and the experience is much better. An issue on my end then. 

[SESw]

As soon as I finish annotating one student's paper, submit my comments, and move to the next paper to grade it, the menu bar of tools disappears and is replaced by this message:

Download the mobile app to add comments or other annotations

I don't want to download a mobile app. I want to keep using the annotations as I am already able to do.

If I close the assignment and open it again, the tools re-appear. Of course, having to keep doing this makes Speedgrader less speedy! I have tried different browsers and the same thing happens.