Tool Spotlight: Perusall

What Is It?

Perusall describes itself as “a social learning platform,” offering instructors the opportunity to bring class discussions directly to the course content. Once a Canvas course is connected to Perusall, instructors upload readings and other materials into the platform for students to annotate with notes, questions, and comments. If enabled by the instructor, students can see and respond to each other's annotations. Perusall supports annotation of Canvas documents, web pages, video and audio content.

The platform facilitates close reading of course materials and interactive engagement, letting students share their learning process with each other and with their instructors. Insights and questions surfaced in Perusall can also be brought back into the classroom to promote in-person discussion. The service offers single-sign-on through Canvas grading and feedback mechanisms, and replies and @mentions.

By connecting coursework to discussion and feedback, Perusall promotes active learning and facilitates deep student engagement with course content.

What Do Instructors Say About It?

Rob Aaron, an instructor with SESP’s Higher Education Administration and Policy program says, "Overall, I thought Perusall provided a solid platform for collaborative annotation of articles. It could be used as part of a group assignment when breaking down the content in an article, and later that material can be used as a great way to start a class discussion on the readings."

Medill professor Jon Marshall has been using Perusall for more than two years and finds the tool effective in encouraging students to engage with course materials.

“I like that it can be used with books, articles, videos, and podcasts,” Marshall explains. “It allows students to make annotated comments and ask questions about specific passages in the material and also to respond to each other’s ideas. In addition, I appreciate that Perusall automatically measures how much time students spent going through the material. When I survey my students, they say they much prefer using Perusall over discussion boards."

How Does It Work?

Perusall is available in all Canvas courses. To add it to your course, click on Settings at the bottom of the left hand course navigation, select Navigation, and search for Perusall. Once added, it will open to the Perusall platform and guide you through setting up your course.