What it is

Markup is a drag and drag commenting application that makes it possible for users to create, store, and retrieve electronic feedback in context with uploaded assignments and projects. The tool is available for dialog between instructors and students, students and instructors, and among project collaborators.

Key to Markup is a repository concept that allows users to access existing comments; drag, drop, edit, and/or update existing comments; create new comments; and when desired, save a new comment as a favorite for future reuse.

Background

The origins of the tool date back to 2009, when Jay Newell and Sheng Ly of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication created the MarkUp as a standalone Mac-based application that saved comments into a library. The tool was developed to solve the issue that over the course of a semester, instructors write thousands of words of advice on student projects. However, while some comments are unique to one student’s work, many comments are repetitive. The tool sought to provide instructors with an easy way to make start storing reusable comments to improve comment quality, efficiency, consistency, and legibility. The Mac-based MarkUp became the test-bed for drag and drop commenting. The limitation of the original program is that it was not compatible with PCs nor did it interface course management systems. In 2010, Pete Boysen transitioned MarkUp to ThinkSpace.

Impact on Learning and Teaching

Newell has observed that students appreciate the faster turnaround and more in-depth

comments that Markup makes possible. He’s also found that using the Markup Tool on the ThinkSpace platform has changed his curriculum because he now is able to offer students feedback on their work iteratively, timely, and frequently. Consequently, students are writing more and shifting their attention from a focus on grades toward writing improvement.