The first thing to do is to determine whether the purpose of going digital is to release assessments in terms of grades or if it is to provide more comprehensive feedback/annotations to your students. This decision is vital to the choice of the solution among the below mentioned that meets your needs best.
The following step-by-step guide takes you through the digital marking process on computer as well as iPad. The guide is based on students having made their papers in a traditional program for text processing, and they have been asked to submit in pdf-format.
Using computer
Use a computer when you have comprehensive annotations, as it is easier to
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manage the papers
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write longer comments
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access information and other digital tools
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control the text by using copy/paste, search for words etc.
Step 1 – Access to the students’ papers
You can access the students’ papers in one of the following ways:
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Receive an e-mail with the papers enclosed as a zip-package
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Receive a link in an e-mail, from which you can download a zip-package with all the papers
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Get the files from e-learn.sdu.dk (Blackboard)
Step 2 – unzip the papers to your computer
Click here to see the guide for how to unzip the zip-package to your computer.
Step 3 – Read and write comments
You can get an overview of the students’ papers in your pdf-reader (e.g. Adobe Acrobat Reader), as you can see the number of pages (also if the students have not included it in the paper). You can also place bookmarks regarding recovery/cross reference to central places in the paper, and much more.
You can use the following programmes for annotation in pdf-files on your computer:
PC: Adobe Acrobat X Pro, which you can get from IT-service (if it is not installed on your computer already).
The free programme ‘PDF X-Change Viewer’ also allows you to highlight, write notes and comments in the students’ pdf-files. See the guide to installation of PDF X-Change Viewer (PDF) and use of PDF X-Change Viewer (PDF).
PLEASE NOTE: you have to be a local administrator on your computer to install these programmes. In case of any troubles contact IT-Service.
Linux: Use the pdf-programme ‘Xournal’ to write notes and comments.
Using iPad
Use your iPad when there is no need for comprehensive annotations, but you wish to take advantage of the reader-friendly format on your iPad and you have the opportunity to take the papers with you ‘on the run’.
Your iPad is not made for managing zip-files, but the app PDF Expert can help you with those.
Step 1 – Access to the students’ papers
You can access the students’ papers in one of the following ways:
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Receive an e-mail with the papers enclosed as a zip-package
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Receive a link in an e-mail, from which you can download a zip-package with all the papers
Step 2 – Open, read and write comments on your iPad
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Go to app-store and download PDF Expert, see the procedure for ordering PDF Expert through IT-Service
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Follow the instructions PDF Expert – digital annotation with pdf-files on an iPad
In App Store you will also find other apps that can unzip and handle zip-files: Zip File Manager, iZip, ZipTha eller GoodReader and iAnnotate, which also have tools for writing annotations in pdf-files.
Step 3 – Backup and share comments in PDF Expert
According to the Examination Order (paragraph 21) all exam papers with annotations have to be available for up to a year, which the guide to backup and sharing of annotations in PDF Expert takes into account.
It is also possible to connect your iPad to your SDUdrive. Contact IT-Service for more information. You are allowed to use Dropbox on your SDU-equipment, but the files must not contain referable or personal data. In other words, you have to be 100% sure that the exam papers are anonymous and do not contain a personal identification number in the name of the files or in the paper.
Digital annotation with e-tests conducted in e-learn.sdu.dk’s (Blackboard) test-fuction
Be inspired by the proposal for digital annotation with different types of e-tests in e-learn.sdu.dk from the faculty of Health Sciences (NB: only in Danish).