Stimulating active participation with class materials using Interactive Document

Abstract

Online learning became one of the most discussed topics during the COVID-19 pandemic. The educational world had to implement and deliver online courses for their students, and millions of students found themselves behind their laptop rather than in class in a matter of weeks. This article introduces a specific piece of software, Interactive Document, tailored to higher education to allow heightened interaction and active participation with study materials. This article explains the main elements of the tool, including how instructors can benefit from using Interactive Document integrated with Microsoft Teams. Characteristics of the software such as in-line comments, practice questions, anti-skimming features, comment sorting, and the ability to attach files are discussed, with references to use cases where these features were applied. Finally, a case study from Texas A&M International University is presented, highlighting how Interactive Document enhances students’ critical skills and structural understanding, while allowing instructors to have a deeper overview on student performance and interaction with the study material.