Academic Tech Tips

As a new feature in Microsoft Office 2010, you can easily convert your document to a PDF from any Office program (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). In previous versions of MS Office, you needed to have additional software installed to create a PDF. Now when you save your document, PDF is among the file types to choose from:

The PDF format is useful for sharing documents because all of the formatting is preserved and the file is protected from further editing.  Remember to keep your original Word document if you will need to edit it later.

Adding audio comments provides a method for instructors to give verbal feedback when grading electronic documents.  The embedded audio features in Adobe Acrobat Professional allow users to record comments directly into a PDF document.  Instructors would need a license of Adobe Acrobat Professional and a computer microphone to convert files to PDF and record audio.  Students would only need the free version of Acrobat Reader to access the commented files.  For more information about purchasing Adobe Acrobat Professional visit ITS’ Technology Purchases page. 

Resources: 
NIU – Using Audio Feedback to Promote Teaching Presence