Feedback
The resources in this "Survival Guide" have been developed and compiled for instructors who are new to Canvas and also for those who have some Canvas experience but would like additional reinforcement and helpful tips. Each page of the Survival Guide has two sections ("Getting Started" and "Going Deeper"), which are organized on separate tabs. The "Getting Started" content begins with a brief introduction to the page's content followed by a short tutorial video and, in some cases, annotated screen captures explaining how to access and use that tool or feature. The "Going Deeper" content includes resources for instructors who are comfortable using Canvas but might be looking for some examples of instructional techniques or ways to address specific challenges, or maybe even just a little inspiration.
Students benefit when instructors monitor their progress and provide personalized feedback. This individualized attention guides students' learning and increases their sense of belonging. When students perceive a sense of belonging to their classroom community, they feel more supported and valued and they engage more fully in the learning experience, which increases the likelihood of their academic success. Accordingly, checking in with students regularly and providing feedback is essential for a positive and constructive learning experience. Canvas has some tools that can facilitate the process of providing feedback.
This page explains:
- How to add feedback comments in SpeedGrader.
- How to use the SpeedGrader Annotation tools.
Let's take a closer look!
How can I provide feedback to my students?
Canvas provides several ways to connect directly with students about specific assignments, graded quizzes, and graded discussions, which will be discussed below. In addition to the methods mentioned below, you can also, of course, use the Canvas Inbox and Announcements to connect with students and provide feedback.
Comments in SpeedGrader
Providing meaningful feedback is an essential part of facilitating the learning process, and within Canvas SpeedGrader you can leave both general comments about an assignment and/or comments in response to specific questions or parts of an assignment. When leaving feedback, try to be specific and constructive and recognize that learners can benefit from hearing about their strengths as well as areas that need improvement.
General assignment feedback
Enter comments in the Assignment Comments box on the right-side panel. Comments can be typed, uploaded as a file, recorded as video or audio, and/or captured using the speech recognition. These options are available under the comment box.
Students can set their notifications to receive emails alerting them when you leave comments in the Assignment Comments field on the right-side SpeedGrader panel. Students will be able to access these comments by returning to their submitted assignment as well as by navigating to their Canvas Inbox and selecting Submission Comments from the drop-down menu at the top of their Inbox window.
Question-specific feedback on Quizzes
If an assignment or quiz was created using the Quiz tool, you have the option to enter comments in the Additional Comments box under each question.
Students will not receive notification of the question-specific comments and they will not be sent to a student's Canvas Inbox. Students must return to their submitted assignment to access these comments.
Annotating Student Work
Canvas enables instructors to view, annotate, and provide feedback on various types of documents submitted by students, including PDFs, Word documents, and PowerPoint presentations directly within the SpeedGrader interface, which eliminates the need to download files to access and review student submissions.
When viewing student documents in SpeedGrader, instructors can provide detailed feedback and annotations directly on the document. It offers a variety of annotation tools such as highlighting, underlining, strikethrough, freehand drawing, and text commenting. These tools allow instructors to markup specific areas, emphasize important points, or provide suggestions for improvement.
Canvas maintains a version history of annotated documents, allowing instructors and students to refer back to previous versions. This feature is particularly useful when tracking changes, comparing revisions, or analyzing feedback over time. It ensures transparency and enables a collaborative learning process.
Not finding what you need? Still have questions, a comment, or suggestion?