Annotating Assignment Files Using Built-In Tools

It’s possible to use the built-in annotation tools in Moodle to markup files submitted through a Moodle Assignment.

  1. On your device (e.g., iPad, laptop), log into Moodle in Safari.
  2. Go to the Moodle Assignment you want to add annotations and click [View all submissions].
  3. Click the [Grade] button beside the name of the student’s files you want to annotate.
  4. To reveal the annotation tools, click the [Collapse grade panel] button, which is the far-right blue button (of three buttons) located in the bottom-right corner.
    Grading view buttons in Moodle Assignment
  5. Add your annotations and click the [Save changes] or [Save and show next] button.

Annotating Assignment Files Using Notability

If you want to use something beyond the built-in annotation tools, many have found Notability on an iPad to be a rather intuitive way to annotate these same files.

Downloading the files from Moodle

  1. On your iPad, log in to Moodle in Safari.
  2. Go to the Moodle Assignment you want to add annotations and click [View all submissions].
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and be sure “Download submission in folders” is unchecked.
  4. Scroll back to the top and from the “Grading action” drop-down menu, select “Download all submissions.” You should be asked to confirm you want to download the submissions.

Importing files into Notability

Unzipping the downloaded file

  1. Open the Files app on your iPad.
  2. You should see a “Downloads” folder, likely under the “Favorites” section on the left.
  3. Click the zip file that was just downloaded. This will unzip it.

Importing the files in to Notability

  1. Open Notability, and click the subject where you want the files imported.
    • A subject is like a category and you don’t have to have one. However, if you’re going to do this a lot, creating at least one subject for each of your courses will help keep things better organized.
  2. Click the import button (it looks like a box with a down-facing arrow inside it) from the upper-right corner of Notability.
  3. Select “Files” from the drop-down menu and click “Browse” from the bottom.
  4. Click the “Downloads” folder and click the folder that was just created.
  5. Click “Select” from the upper-right and then click “Select All” in the upper-left. Click “Open” from the upper-right.
  6. Choose “Create Separate Notes” and click “Next” until you can select “Import.”
  7. Annotate the files in Notability as you see fit.

Exporting, preparing, and uploading files to Moodle

DO NOT CHANGE THE FILE NAMES. Doing so will prevent the assignments from merging correctly back into the assignment.

Exporting Notability files

  1. In Notability, click the Export button, which looks like a box with an upward-facing arrow inside it.
  2. Select the files you want to export.
  3. Click the Export button again.
  4. Select “Google Drive” and choose where to save these files. Click “Send to Google Drive.” Unfortunately, Notability doesn’t allow you to export to the Files app).

Creating a zip file of the exported PDFs

  1. Open the Files app on your iPad.
  2. Select “Google Drive” from the left and navigate to the folder where you exported the files. If you don’t see Google Drive listed as a Location, you may need to edit the sidebar in your Files app to toggle on Google Drive.
  3. Click the “Select” button in the upper-right and select the files you wish to upload back into Moodle.
  4. Click the “More” button in the bottom-right and choose “Compress.” This will zip the files into one file.

Uploading the zipped file to the Moodle Assignment

  1. Return to Moodle in Safari, navigate to the Assignment, and click “View all submissions.”
  2. From the “Grading action” drop-down menu, select “Upload multiple feedback files in a zip.”
  3. Click the “Choose a file” button, click “Choose File,” click “Browse,” and click “Locations” so you can select “Google Drive.” From there, navigate to the folder where you created the zip file and select it (the default name will be Archive.zip).
  4. Click the “Upload this file” button and then click “Import feedback file(s).” Click “Confirm” and then “Continue.”
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