How to comment on student responses

Using Analytics to comment on student writing in the webtext

Tamina avatar
Written by Tamina
Updated over a week ago

Writing templates and other open-ended questions in the webtext let you review and leave feedback on your students’ responses as they work through the webtext. This article explains how you can make comments on student responses in the webtext and how students will view those comments.

Step 1: Locate student responses

First, access Analytics. Then click on the blue box corresponding to the page you want to view. You’ll be able to toggle between students from the page detail screen.

Tip: If you’d like to know exactly which pages contain writing templates, use the Index of Writing Templates page at the end of the webtext’s Table of Contents.

Analytics page with arrow pointing to blue checkbox button that opens page view.

After clicking on the blue box, you will see a detailed view of the student’s work on that page. You can choose to stay on this “Questions” view, or you can click “In Context” to see how the page looks to students.

To make a comment, you’ll need to use the “Questions” view.

Page view of Analytics with an arrow pointing to the  slider that will move left to right to switch from Questions to In Context view.

Step 2: Share feedback on student responses

1. Click “Add Comment” to begin typing your feedback.

Page view of Analytics with arrow pointing to the add comment button.

Tip: You can also leave video comments!

2. Click “Save Comment” to send your comment to the student.

Page view of Analytics with arrow pointing to the save comment button.

3. View the next student’s work.

Use the left/right arrows next to the student’s name to stay on the same page and toggle between different students.

You can also toggle between pages of the same student’s work by using the left/right arrows next to the page name.

4. Edit comments.

You can edit your comments by clicking “Edit Comment” and saving your new response.

Page view of Analytics with arrow pointing to the edit comment button.

Tip: You can also see if a particular student has read your comment. Once the comment has been added, you’ll see “Unseen” next to the timestamp. As soon as the student views the comment, it’ll switch to “Seen.”

How students view comments

When you comment on a student’s response, the student will receive a notification in the upper right corner of their webtext.

Students also receive emails when they have new notifications.

Notifications panel in upper right corner of webtext

Students can simply click on any notification to navigate to the relevant short-answer question, response board, or writing template, then click “View Comment.”

This screenshot shows a response-board question in the webtext with a comment from their instructor. This notification includes a “View comment” button.

If students have questions about how to view your feedback, they can check out the article How do I view notifications?


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