Perusall is a UF-paid and approved social learning tool that faculty, staff, and students can use to make learning more interactive. Perusall can integrate with the Canvas gradebook in an active course or it can be used for non-credit workshops or clubs.  

I’m personally excited about this learning tool because I have a deep love for reading and Perusall has been shown to increase the completion of assigned readings from 20% before Perusall to 90% (source: Perusall)! On top of that, it offers several benefits to engagement and interaction in online courses. 

Transform Passive Content to Interactive 

Despite being a certified book nerd, I realize that not everyone loves reading on its own. Perusall makes it possible for students to enter a social learning environment and engage with their peers in discussions throughout the reading, while also recognizing common annotations and key points shared by their peers in the readings. 

Engage Higher Order Thinking Skills 

The ability to embed discussions into content creates more space for students to analyze and evaluate a variety of perspectives from their peers. I think about this often when I read a novel on my own; I will quickly forget plot details and even character names after I finish the book, but when I engage in discussions with a club about the book, I’m more likely to analyze themes that didn’t previously stand out to me and recall the details of the book because I’ve given it more attention. This same concept is why social learning is effective—it helps us make the content more personal to our own stories and the perspectives shared by our peers. 

More Options for Online Courses  

If you’re looking for assignment options to create multi-part, scaffolded assignments, Perusall may have a format that will work for you! It’s also ideal for online courses if you want more ways to interact with your learners and increase peer-to-peer interaction.  

Learn More 

We recently shared Perusall at our Tech Byte: Read Together with Perusall. You can find the recording in our Tech Byte archives and/or Request Assistance to consult with an instructional designer to learn more. Perusall’s website also includes examples of features, resources, and insights for instructors. 

Image credit: Perusall 

Tags: Assessment, Education Technology, Engagement, Student Success, Tech Byte