The Impact of Social Annotation on Student Engagement and Collaborative Learning

Abstract

This scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) study explores how integrating a social annotation tool for pre-class preparation in a flipped hybrid course influences undergraduate students’ engagement and collaborative learning. Grounded in social constructivism, the research examines how social annotation enhances engagement and facilitates collaborative learning, with implications for pedagogical practice. Using a mixed-methods approach, participants (N=39) completed an online survey that evaluated engagement, collaboration, and potential challenges with social annotation. Findings suggest significant positive attitudes towards social annotation, revealing specific pedagogical strategies for leveraging social annotation in order to address student isolation and enhance active reading in blended learning, including structured annotation prompts and balanced reading loads. The usability of Perusall is a key strength, with challenges including workload and unclear scoring guidelines.