Bulk Mark Blackboard Submissions in Annotarium

Download the ZIP Blackboard hands you, mark every student in one session, and export a ZIP of marked PDFs ready to return — entirely in your browser.

Open Annotarium

Desktop or iPad — Annotarium auto-detects

Annotarium shows the right import option depending on your device. There is no "mode" to toggle.

Desktop (Chrome, Edge)

File → Blackboard folder. Select the unzipped folder of submissions.

iPad / Mobile

File → Blackboard ZIP. Select the ZIP directly — no need to unzip.

Step-by-step workflow

1. Download the submissions ZIP from Blackboard

In your Blackboard course, go to Grade Centre → the assignment column → Assignment File Download. Select all students and download the ZIP.

2. On desktop, unzip to a folder (iPad users skip this)

On desktop, unzip the downloaded file so you have a folder containing one subfolder per student plus the Blackboard metadata files. On iPad or mobile, skip this step — Annotarium opens the ZIP directly.

3. Open the submissions in Annotarium

Open app.annotarium.org, open the File menu, then:

The sidebar populates with one entry per student.

4. Click a student and press Load

Click a student in the sidebar, then press Load in the top toolbar. That student's PDF opens in the main workspace.

5. Set up the marking scheme once

Open the Scheme panel and define the per-question marks and sub-parts for this assignment (e.g. Q1: 10, Q2: 15, Q3: 5). The scheme structure is reused across every student; each student's marks save independently to Marking_progress/[student].ankx.json.

6. Build a comment library as you go

The first time you write a comment you'd reuse ("Differentiate before substituting", "Check sign convention"), save it to the comment library. The library is stored in your browser and shared across every student in this session — comments you write for student 3 are available for student 73.

7. Mark with LaTeX, pen, and the comment library

Use the pen, highlighter, LaTeX equation tool, and comment library. The marking scheme tracks the running total per question and the overall total.

8. Press "Marked!" when done with a student

The Marked! button saves a flattened marked PDF and the student's marking scheme, then returns you to the sidebar so you can pick the next student. The sidebar shows a green check next to students you've marked.

9. Press "Finito!" at the end

Once every student is marked, the Finito! button appears in the toolbar. It exports a single ZIP containing all the marked submissions, ready to re-upload through Blackboard's bulk upload.

Why this workflow is faster

FAQ

Does Annotarium accept the Blackboard ZIP directly?

On iPad and mobile, yes — use File → Blackboard ZIP and select the ZIP. On desktop, unzip the file first and use File → Blackboard folder, because the desktop import uses the browser's folder picker. Annotarium auto-detects your device and shows the correct option.

Can I apply the same comment to many students?

Yes. The comment library is stored in your browser and shared across every student in the session. Save a comment once, then drop it onto any submission with one click. Comments can include LaTeX, images, and structured feedback text.

Does the marking scheme reset for each student?

The structure (number of questions, sub-parts, max marks) persists. The marks themselves are saved per student inside a Marking_progress folder so each student keeps their own totals. When you open a student who already has a saved scheme, Annotarium reloads it automatically.

Are the student PDFs uploaded anywhere?

No. The folder or ZIP is processed entirely in your browser. No part of the submission is sent to a server.

Can I re-upload the marked PDFs to Blackboard?

Yes. Press "Finito!" when you're done and Annotarium exports a ZIP of the marked submissions. Each file keeps its original filename so they can be returned through Blackboard's bulk upload.