Annotating (with Peers) for Deeper Insights

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In many of my theory-heavy courses (the required ones for graduation) our weekly assignments are heavily reading-based. We were expected to get through pages and pages of texts, sometimes entire book chapters. To support this, we were introduced to a platform called Perusall.

Perusall is described as “an online social learning platform for annotating text, video, and audio content – motivating students to ask questions, share insights, and build a learning community.” And for the most part, it lives up to that.

At first, most of us approached Perusall strategically. The grading was automated: a perfect score (3/3) was based on both the number of comments and the depth or relevance of those comments. Professors were transparent about how the system worked, and it was helpful to be able to see our scores right away (whether we were hitting the 3/3 or sitting at a 2/3).

Despite the focus on points, I started noticing something more meaningful take place. Within the comment threads, there was real engagement. Students were bringing in external resources to explain complex concepts, adding links to outside articles, or referencing material from other classes to help contextualize the reading. Some shared personal experiences that made abstract theories easier to connect with. This communal layer of interpretation turned Perusall into more than just a grade-driven task—it became a shared space to bridge knowledge gaps, make unfamiliar terms more relatable, and support each other in understanding challenging material. All comments were public, so we could read and respond to each other's thoughts in real time. Professors often reviewed these and would occasionally give a "+1" or an encouraging comment if a student made a particularly insightful or relevant observation. I always felt a small boost when I got that notification, it meant I had contributed something of value to the conversation. Over time, I became more confident in sharing my thoughts, even if they weren’t fully polished. It helped me let go of perfection and focus more on curiosity and connection.

Some students used Perusall like their personal annotation notebook, while others treated it more as a discussion board. But either way, it was beneficial for everyone. It made our readings feel less isolated and more communal, like we were all walking through the material together, even when reading on our own time.

Looking back, Perusall was a tool where we could think out loud, build on each other's ideas, and practice making meaning (not just for a grade, but for ourselves).