Adding Perusall to a Canvas Course

Quick Links: | What is Perusall? | Enable Perusall in Course Navigation | Link Ungraded Perusall Items | Manually Manage Graded Perusall Assignments | Get Help |

What is Perusall?

Perusall is an e-reading platform for collaborative annotation of assigned readings. Students can highlight text, add comments or questions, and converse with classmates and the instructor. Faculty can pose questions before or during the reading, answer student questions, and join discussions, making assignments more interactive and collaborative while directly shaping students’ understanding. Faculty can also add quizzes or individual assignments via the Quiz tool.

Perusall tracks time spent and amount read to promote accountability. Instructors set grading parameters while Perusall assigns scores (which instructors can override) and imports them into Canvas. Students can comment on books, PDFs, videos, podcasts, webpages, and more. Advanced tools include assigning different materials to different students and enabling peer and instructor feedback on student writing. Perusall also offers text-to-voice and other accessibility features.

Enable Perusall in Course Navigation

To start using Perusall, simply enable it in the course navigation and start building.

  1. Go to your course in Canvas, then navigate to Settings > Navigation.
  2. Find Perusall in the list of disabled navigation items, which may be towards the bottom of the list.
  3. Select the three dots to the right of Perusall and select Enable, or drag Perusall to the list of active navigation options.
  4. Scroll down and select Save to apply the changes.

Linking to Ungraded Perusall Library Items

You can add ungraded items from your Perusall library to modules in Canvas. To add an ungraded Perusall item to your module, do the following:

  1. Navigate to your Canvas Modules, and select + beside your desired Module.
  2. In the new window, select to Add External Tool, and select Perusall from the list of available tools.
  3. Perusall will show a list of assignments and documents from your course library. Select your desired item.
  4. Ensure the URL fills with https://app.perusall.com/ltia/launch.
  5. Set the page name to your document/assignment name and enable Load in a new tab.
  6. Select Add Item, then publish it to make it accessible to students.

Manually Add Graded Perusall Assignments to Canvas

By default, Perusall will automatically create assignments in Canvas. If you'd like to handle this process manually, do the following:

  1. Configure Grade Sync:

    • In Perusall, navigate to Settings > Scoring > Grade Sync to LMS > LMS gradebook column management.
    • Set the option to Instructor creates deep links in LMS
      • Note: no Perusall gradebook columns will appear in Canvas until deep links have been created.
    • Select Save Changes.

  2. Create a Perusall Assignment:

    • Before creating an assignment in Canvas, first create your assignment in Perusall.

  3. Link the Assignment in Canvas:

    • Go to the assignment creation page in Canvas
    • From the Submission Type dropdown, select External Tool.
    • Select Find and find Perusall in the list of external tools. Once you've located Perusall, select it.
    • Perusall will present you with a list of assignments you have created. Select the one you wish to match with the Canvas assignment.
  4. Save the Assignment

Get Help

If you encounter any issues or have questions while integrating Perusall into your Canvas course, consider the following resources for assistance:

  • Perusall Support: For questions specific to Perusall, including assignment creation and grade synchronization, use the Perusall support resources available on their website.
  • Faculty Resources: The Technology and Learning Program offers resources and training for faculty on using educational technology tools. TLP empowers faculty to use educational technology to design courses that maximize student learning and offers personal consultation with one of our instructional designers. Request a course design consultation, or Join the TLP Zoom Room.

By following this guide, you'll be able to effectively integrate Perusall into your Canvas course, creating a more engaging and interactive learning environment for your students.

 Still need help? Contact the TLP Zoom Room for further assistance.
  
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