Abstract:

Traditionally, course readings and asynchronous videos are solitary passive learning experiences. Social annotation technologies allow students to actively engage interactively with readings and videos. In this rapid systematic review of the social annotation application Perusall, we sought to provide an overview of the context, benefits, and challenges of use in higher education. We collected articles through a search consortium of 174 databases and further searches, resulting in 266 articles. Of those identified, 16 articles explicitly focusing on using Perusall in higher education met our inclusion criteria. We used an integrated mixed research analysis and synthesis to analyze, code, and synthesize the collective insight from qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method studies. The research context builds from 574 participants in seven countries and seven disciplines. The two primary benefits themes related to using Persuall were increased engagement and achievement of learning outcomes. The challenges themes included time, system scoring, and technology glitches. The findings provide a starting point for future implementation; however, higher-quality research would further improve our understanding.

Keywords:

Social annotation, Perusall, higher education, university, college, tertiary education, innovation, technology, online learning, learning.