Commenting submissions (Annotations & Page Notes) – Inspera Help Center

Available for Grader

The commenting tool allows graders to post Annotations and Page Notes (general comments), to candidates, co-graders and planners. The purpose is to improve the user experience and make it more efficient to provide feedback.

The annotation tool provides several options:

Post general comments on questions (Page notes)
Post comments to candidates or co-graders
Reply to comments from co-graders
Include mathematical notation in comments (LaTex)
Make draft comments (Post to Only me)
Search comments and use text formatting tools
The commenting tool can be used on all Inspera Assessment question types, but for the Upload Assignment question type, PDF is the only supported format for annotations.

Note: The planner on the test decides in the test setup whether comments will be shared with the candidates, and whether the co-grader channel is available.

Introduction to the comment tool

Instructions

1. Open the candidate submission first:

Click on the Comments tab. To see in full-screen mode (recommended), click on the expand icon on the top-right corner and use the minimize icon to exit

2. To write Annotations, select the text to be annotated and then click Annotate. Use the Highlight option for personal purposes, for example, as a reminder. Highlights will not be shared with the candidate.

It is not possible to annotate/highlight the following:

It is not possible to mark text over page breaks in PDF for annotations.
It is not possible to mark a picture and annotate it in PDF/essay.
It is not possible to mark latex-code for annotations.

3. Write your annotation in the text box. Text formatting options are available, as well as support for LaTeX.

4. Click on the selector at the top of the panel (Candidate by default) to select who the comment will be shared with. Once the comment has saved to one group, it is not possible to change to the other one. So it is important to select the right one (between Candidate and Co-graders) before it is saved. To make the comment private, click on the arrow next to the Save button and select Only Me.

Tip: It is possible to edit the privacy of your annotation at any time by clicking on the edit option on comments.

5. Once you are happy with your comment and you have selected the correct recipient, make sure to save your comment by clicking the Save-button.

6. After posting, use the buttons on the bottom-right corner of the comment box to edit or delete your own comments, or to reply to comments.

7. To make a general comment that is not linked to a specific point in the question, click the Page Notes icon on the left side of the comment box. The page notes will be visible in the question they were added. You can add page notes to all questions in a test.

Overview of the different options

1. Toggle highlights: click this to show/hide all highlights in the text.
2. New Page Note: creates a Page Notes where graders can write a general comment that is not linked to a specific point in the question.
3. Show annotations: the number indicates how many annotations the current text area includes. If you click it, the annotated area will be highlighted
4. Filter the annotation list: search for a specific comment
5. Sort comments: sort the comments in chronological order or by text location
6. Link to help resources

Note: Even if the comments have been published and shared, the graders can still add or delete Annotation and Page Notes.

Candidate experience

The comments will be shared with candidates when the grading is completed, provided that the planner has chosen the setting to share comments (see Test settings - After test for planners). The candidates will have a similar view as the grader has, with the important difference that the candidate cannot add or reply to comments.

Questions and answers:

Q: Can I add comments after the grading is finished?

A: Yes, new comments can be added and even shared with candidates after the grading is finished. The candidates will however not be notified of new comments.

Q: For how long will the comments be available?

A: Candidate submissions will as a general rule be saved for two years. After two years the submission may permanently be removed from the system - along with any comments.

Q: My candidate has uploaded a Word file, can I still comment the same way?

A: No, for the file upload question, the only supported format is PDF.

Q: Can I add comments on a PDF with sketches and hand written text?

A: No, but you can make comments on the question title or add Page Notes.