Learning Technology Index

Perusall*

group work

What is it?

Perusall is an online social annotation platform designed to enhance student engagement, collaboration, and community within a course. It allows students to interact with various types of course content, such as books, articles, web pages, videos, podcasts, and images, through annotation and discussion features. With Perusall, instructors can encourage students to come to class prepared and foster a more interactive learning environment.

 

What is its purpose?

Perusall's purpose is to facilitate active engagement and collaboration among students in a course by providing them with tools to annotate and discuss various types of course content online. It aims to promote deeper understanding of the material, foster community among students, and encourage participation in class discussions. Additionally, it helps instructors gauge student comprehension and participation before class sessions.

 

How do I use it?

To access and use Perusall, start by creating an account on its website.

Here are the general steps to get access and start using Perusall:

  1. Sign up for an account on the Perusall website.
  2. If you're an instructor:
    • Create a new course by providing details such as course name, institution, and enrollment key (if required).
    • Add course materials such as books, articles, web pages, videos, podcasts, or images for students to annotate and discuss.
    • Invite students to join your course by sharing the course link or enrollment key.
  3. If you're a student:
    • Join a course by either using the course link provided by your instructor or entering the enrollment key.
    • Access the course materials assigned by your instructor and start annotating and discussing them.
  4. Engage with the content by highlighting passages, adding comments, responding to others' annotations, and participating in discussions.
  5. Check back regularly to see updates from your peers and respond to any questions or comments directed at you.
  6. Use Perusall's features to enhance your understanding of the material and collaborate with your classmates.

Why would I use it?

Perusall offers several benefits for both instructors and students, making it a valuable tool for enhancing the learning experience:

  1. Increased engagement: Perusall encourages active engagement with course materials through annotation, discussion, and collaboration. Students are more likely to thoroughly read and interact with the content when they know their contributions are visible to peers and instructors.

  2. Improved comprehension: By annotating and discussing course materials in Perusall, students can deepen their understanding of the content. Conversation with peers about key concepts, questions, and interpretations helps clarify and reinforce learning.

  3. Enhanced collaboration: Perusall facilitates collaboration among students by allowing them to share insights, ask questions, and respond to each other's annotations. This collaborative learning environment fosters a sense of community and encourages students to learn from each other.

  4. Preparation for class discussions: Using Perusall enables instructors to gauge students' comprehension and engagement with the material before class sessions. This allows instructors to tailor their teaching approach and focus on areas where students may need additional clarification or discussion.

  5. Convenient access to course materials: Perusall supports various content types, including books, articles, web pages, videos, podcasts, and images. This versatility allows instructors to curate diverse course resources, and students can access these materials conveniently through the platform.

  6. Data-driven insights: Perusall provides instructors with analytics and data on student participation, engagement, and performance. This information can help instructors identify trends, track student progress, and intervene to support student learning.

 

Usage considerations

The institutional license costs are not mentioned on Perusall's website, furthermore; it does not have specific iOS or Android apps so mobile compatibility can be limited.

Quick Facts
Category
Study Tool
Rating Level 
Web Search
Website
Perusall*
Last Modified
05 July 2024
Created
11 March 2024
License Available 
No
More Info

Security Concerns
No
Technical Support 
Vendor
Platform(s) 
Any platform. Requires a modern web browser.

Ratings Information

CITL Rating

Select any category below for details about the criteria for each rating.

Functionality: ★★★
Scale:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Ease of Use:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Tech Support/Help Availability (for Instructors):★★☆
Minor Concerns. Minor Concerns. Not Supported by MUN so only technical support available is by Perusall.
Tech Support/Help Availability (for Students):★★☆
Minor Concerns. Minor Concerns. Not Supported by MUN so only technical support available is by Perusall.
Hypermediality :
Not Applicable.Not applicable.
Accessibility: ★★★
Accessibility Standards:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
User-focused participation:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Required Equipment:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Technical: ★★★
Integration/Embedding within a Learning Management System (LMS) :★☆☆
Serious Concerns. Serious Concerns. The tool is not integrated or embedded within a Learning Management System (LMS).
Operating Systems:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Web Browser:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Additional Technical Requirements:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Mobile Design: ★★★
Access:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Functionality:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Offline Access:★★★
Works Well. Works well. Reading can be downloaded.
Usage and Account Set Up: ★★☆
Sign Up/Sign In:★☆☆
Serious Concerns. Serious concern: Setting up additional accounts for instructors & students is required but Perusall claims that personal information is not collected.
Cost of Use:★★☆
Minor Concerns. Minor concern: while there are alternative methods of payment (described in license cost) it is also mentioned that students can select 0$ for downloading books.
Archiving, Saving, and Exporting Data :★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Data Privacy and Ownership:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Social Presence: ★★★
Collaboration :★★★
Works Well. Works well.
User Accountability:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Diffusion:★★☆
Minor Concerns. Minor concern. Even though Perusall is easy to use, it is also relatively new.
Teaching Presence: ★★★
Facilitation:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Customization:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Learning Analytics:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Cognitive Presence: ★★★
Enhancement of Cognitive Task(s):★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Higher Order Thinking:★★★
Works Well. Works well.
Feedback on Learning:★★★
Works Well. Works well.

Security and Privacy

There are currently no security or privacy concerns for this tool.

Support Information

Perusall has a dedicated support page

Other Note(s)

*

History

Perusall originated from a significant four-year research endeavor at Harvard University. The creators established the platform to cater to students in their classes. In 2015, they transitioned it into a business endeavor, aiming to extend their research's benefits to students and instructors worldwide. Presently, Perusall operates as a profitable business, catering to 2,000,000 students across 3,000 educational institutions spanning 90 countries. Its growth primarily stemmed from instructors sharing their teaching experiences with Perusall with their peers through word of mouth.