[ARCHIVED] Apple Pencil and student annotated PDFs not working

[RobertBickers]

Last year I would post PDFs for student work, they would take an edit it outside of canvas to put in their answers, and then re-upload it. This allowed me to easily annotate with an Apple Pencil on my iPad to score it.

This year, I have students using the built in PDF annotation to complete assignments. I cannot easily mark them up this way, as it gives me the same annotation tools as the students.

I am using the native iOS teacher app for grading. Is there anyway to fix this so that it works the way it still does for PDFs edited in Kami or Reader?

[KristinL]

Hi @RobertBickers -

I tested this with a teacher account on my iPad and a student account, also using an iPad.

The same document was uploaded twice. Once, I used the native annotation tools in Canvas Student. Once, I used Notability and then submitted the file to the same assignment.

In both cases, I saw the same editing tools in SpeedGrader. The tool bar does not have the exact same tools as the Canvas Student app, but I'm able to get the essentials.

Which functionality are you missing? Are you able to share screenshots (blurring student names, of course)?

[RobertBickers]

The problem is that I can't activate the simple Apple Pencil annotation - I mark papers in my own hand and I can't find that ability on the Canvas-based PDF annotation system. Papers edited outside Canvas and submitted still have this streamlined tool selection ability. I've attached screenshots of each - the one with "Test" circled in the top right is the one from outside Canvas. The one with the red lines is my attempt at marking a Canvas-edited PDF.

I appreciate your help; this is a critical part of my grading workflow.

Canvas-createdNon-Canvas-created

[LauraLainez]

Good afternoon all:

In my case I submitted an assignment using "student annotation"  however  my ss cold NOT use annotation tools when opening the homework on iPads. Only ss working on PC were able to edit this assignment.

From ss side: iOs updated, Canvas app updated. 

Any solution for this? 

Thanks in advance for your help! 

[KristinL]

Hi @RobertBickers - 

I understand -- some students use File Upload and some students use the Annotation submission type. When working with Canvas Student, it works perfectly. However, if a student uses the Annotations submission type, the "correct" tools in the Canvas Teacher app dont' appear.

I was able to replicate this! I don't have a way to fix it, but I am sharing this with the mobile team at Instructure to see if there is guidance I can pass along to you.

[marizmd]

I hope you can help me with these annotation tools.  I often use my ipad for grading assignments.  I can see the annotation tools but they don’t work when I am using my ipad.  But it works on my laptop.  Is there something I need to do to make the annotation tools work for my ipad?

[LauraLainez]

Good afternoon all:

In my case I submitted an assignment using "student annotation"  however  my ss cold NOT use annotation tools when opening the homework on iPads. Only ss working on PC were able to edit this assignment.

From ss side: iOs updated, Canvas app updated. 

Any solution for this? 

[KristinL]

Hi @LauraLainez - This behavior is correct right now. With iPads, students have been able to annotate on top of files for quite some time. However, they use File Upload as the submission type. I know that the Mobile Team is looking to add support for Annotations submission type during Q4. (Product Roadmap - Instructure Community) In the meantime, I think a good practice would be to enable File Uploads AND Annotations submission types to ensure that students can participate, no matter which device they're using.