Annotating in Speed Grader

Use the Canvas DocViewer to make annotations directly on online assignment submissions. The DocViewer can be used to simply view files and assignments or you can provide feedback to your students.

You can view when students view the annotations you made in the assignment details section of the sidebar.

DocView Toolbar

To download a PDF of the annotated submission, click the Download button [1].

If there are multiple pages, the Page number field [2] will let you advance through the submission to find the page you want to annotate. To go to another page, enter the page number in the Page field. You can also use the arrow icons [3] to advance through the submission.

To rotate the current page 90 degrees clockwise, click the Rotate button [4]. Pages with annotations cannot be rotated.

To zoom in and out on the submission, use the Zoom buttons [5].

To view the submission in full screen, click the Full Screen button [6].

To annotate the submission, use the annotation tools [7].

screenshot of the docview toolbar

Add Annotations

Within the annotation tools area, there are six annotation types.

Point
Highlight
Text
Strikeout
Draw
Area

Each of these types vary slightly, but to use each the following general steps apply.

Select the annotation type you'd like from the toolbar.
Select the text, image, or area in the student submission that you'd like to address.
Click or click and drag to place the annotation.
Add a comment by clicking on the Comment button. This button appears on the far right side of the document as a small circle with a black file icon inside it, connected to your selected area via a dotted link.
To delete an annotation, click on the area and then click on the Delete, or trash bin, icon. DocViewer will confirm that you want to delete the annotation. Deleting an annotation will also delete any associated comments.

View more details on the various annotation tools within the Speedgrader.