Preferences

Introduction

Annoto is very flexible and can be fit to the needs of any use-case.

The Features and User Experience can be set for the required context (Site, Course or per specific video) via the Preferences Tab:

Preferences Hierarchy

Setting preferences can be done on the following organizational levels:

• Site preferences - any preferences that are set by the organization in the Admin dashboard are the default preferences for all courses and videos.

• Course preferences - by default, the course preferences will be same as Site preferences. Modifying the course Features will create a copy of all the site preferences and override all the site preferences (so any future change to site preferences will not affect your course custom preferences). Same override is available for the User Experience.

• Video preferences - by default Video will have same preferences as the Course preferences it belongs to. Similar to Course preferences, video Features can be modified to fit the specific use case.

Features

Features tab includes all Annoto features that can be Enabled \ Disabled.

Some of the features include options:

Clicking on the Options button opens additional preferences that are related to the feature.

Features Presets

Once clicked, Course\ Video preferences can be set, either manually or by choosing a designated Preset:

Presets are ready-made sets of preferences, based on the most common use-cases of Annoto.

Selecting a preset is done from "Choose Preset" dropdown menu:

• Collaborative Learning - Creating a discussion between video viewers. Great for: Guided Watching, Collaborative Learning, Learners' Interaction & Flipped Classroom.

• Personal Notebook - Enables only Personal Notes and analytics on the videos. Great for Self-Learning

• Analytics - Enables to see analytics and insights on the videos, without enabling the widget

• Skills Assessment - Providing time-based feedback on a video. Great for Skills Assessment use-case.

• Peer Review - Providing time-based feedback on a video. Great for Peer Review use-case.

• Live Video Stream - Best for Live streaming

• Disabled - All Annoto features are disabled

Once a preset is selected, click "Apply" to save the chosen preset preferences.

After selecting a preset, you can still change your preferences manually.

The available Features

Comments

When enabled, videos include the Comments Space – the tab that enables a discussion between all video viewers.

Options

• Voting type - Select the type of voting that will be enabled in the course (Likes, emotions, etc.):

• Like - Enable to click on the red heart to "like" a comment:

• Sentiment - Enable to vote with sentiments

• Disabled - will not allow any voting

• Sentiment – Enable using sentiments while commenting.

• Closed Discussion - Once enabled, users will not be able to add new comments to the discussion

Mandatory participation - When enabled, users will see other users' comments only after they submit a comment

Personal Notes

When enabled, videos include the Notes Space – the tab that enables users to manage their own private notebook.

Options

• Export - Enable exporting one’s personal note to a spreadsheet or a document.

• Sentiment – Enable using sentiments while writing a note.

• Closed Notebook – Once enabled, users will not be able to add new notes

Reflection Point

Overview

The Reflection Point feature is designed to foster active learning by encouraging students to pause and critically engage with video content. By prompting students with thought-provoking questions at key moments, this feature transforms passive watching into an interactive and reflective learning experience.

Pedagogical Benefits

1. Encouraging Deeper Understanding

By requiring students to pause and reflect, Reflection Points help reinforce key concepts and promote active cognitive processing. This aligns with constructivist learning theories, which emphasize that students learn more effectively when they engage with material in a meaningful way.

2. Promoting Critical Thinking

Well-designed reflection prompts encourage students to analyze, evaluate, and apply information rather than just passively consuming it. This supports higher-order thinking skills as outlined in Bloom’s Taxonomy.

3. Enhancing Retention & Comprehension

Research shows that active recall and reflection improve long-term retention. By integrating periodic reflection moments, students consolidate their learning and create stronger mental connections.

4. Facilitating Constructive Discussion

When used with Subjective Critical Thinking (Within the Reflection Point options button) or Managed Comments, Reflection Points encourage structured peer-to-peer engagement, fostering a collaborative learning environment where students can share perspectives and learn from one another.

5. Encouraging Self-Regulation & Metacognition

By making students pause to reflect before proceeding, this feature helps develop metacognitive skills—the ability to monitor and regulate one's own learning. This aligns with research on self-regulated learning (SRL), which emphasizes the importance of reflection in developing independent, lifelong learners.

Key Features

For Moderators:

• Ability to mark a comment as a Reflection Point.

• Option to limit fast-forwarding, ensuring students engage with the reflection activity.

For Students

• A popup dialog appears at the designated reflection point.

• Replying to the reflection point is mandatory to continue watching.

• If a student has previously replied, the reflection point does not reappear.

• Clearly differentiated UI indicator for reflection points vs. regular comments.

Options

To promote independent and deeper thinking, we've added an option to the Reflection Point feature: Subjective Critical Thinking.

When this option is enabled:

• Regular users won’t be able to see others’ replies until they submit their own.

• Users won’t be able to edit or delete their replies after posting.

• Regular comments (not part of Reflection Points) will not be affected.

This feature gives moderators full control over the discussion process and helps ensure that each response is a result of the learner’s original thought—not influenced by others.

Complementary Features

• Anonymous Comments – Allow students to reply anonymously.

• Managed Comments – Faculty can review and publish replies only after all students have responded.

• Video Comments – Enable richer responses beyond text.

• Closed Discussions – Restrict discussions to replies on reflection points only.

This feature enhances structured engagement, guiding students through meaningful reflection moments while ensuring a seamless learning experience.

Video Comments

Enable participants to add recorded comments. Recording can be self-recording (Camera) or screen recording.

Options

• Max Duration – Set the maximum length of the recorded video comment (set in seconds). Duration can be set up to 360 seconds.

People

When enabled, videos include the People Space - the tab that enables users to see all course participants and their presence, search and also mention (@) uses

Chat

Enable participants to have 1*1 chat

Quizzes

Add various quiz questions in the Interactions Space, to get your learners engaged

Limit Fast Forwarding

Prevent fast forwarding the video to make sure all the video content is watched without skipping.

Reactions

Allow users to react on the video to increase engagement and get feedback

Notifications

Enable notification emails on new comments and replies in the discussion. When enabled, users can manage their notification preferences in the Annoto Widget

Anonymous Comments

Enable users to write anonymously. When writing anonymously, only moderators will see user's details

Options

• Apply to moderators- When enabled, moderators will not see who posted an anonymous comment, same as regular users

Managed Comments

User Experience

Enables presets for managing the discussion in various modes:

• Simple - Publish and Delete user's comment. Comment will become public in the discussion only after Published by the moderator.

• Managed Q&A - Enables rich options for managing the discussion, with the option to publish answers to everyone or reply privately to a user.

Options

• Publish action - when enabled, every comment will require approval. Once approved, it will be visible to all users.

• Delete action - when enabled, once a comment is deleted, it will be deleted to all users, including the comment's author.

• Dismiss action - when enabled, a comment can be dismissed, meaning: it will not be visible to anyone, including the moderators. The author will keep seeing the comment as pending approval.

• Reply action - when enabled, replying to a comment will also approve it, meaning: it will be visible to all users.

• Reply privately action - when enabled, a comment will have the option to be replied in a private chat. The comment will be marked as private for author and the moderators, and will not be visible to other users.

Analytics

Enable the Annoto Insights Dashboard that provides you with extensive analytics of the activity - course\ videos\ participants

The analytics are visible for moderators only (not for learners)

Analytics Export

Enable exporting the analytics from the dashboard to csv files. Exporting the analytics is for moderators only

Video Analytics

Provides enhanced analytics on the videos, such as videos consumption and watch time

Badges

Enable adding badges in the discussion (such as: Educator's Thumbs Up)

Options

• Moderator Like – when enabled, moderator's vote will be presented as Educator's Thumbs Up (instead of a regular vote)

Activity Feed

Enable participants to manage their info and to stay updated with all the latest activity in the videos they are following. Learn more

User Experience

User Experience tab enables you to set the UX preferences that suit your use-case.

It includes 3 sections:

• Widget

• Player

• Comments

Widget

Position - Enables you to set the positioning of the widget when it loads in closed mode:

Load state - Set the widget behavior once it loads: Open, closed or Peekaboo mode (Peekaboo means a minimized widget that hides after a few seconds if the user does not take action.)

Tabs - When enabled, the colorful tabs (that are enabled) will be shown in the widget. If disabled - switching between tabs will be done via the Annoto menu.

Player

Video autoplay triggers - when enabled, video will automatically play after a comment or a note is submitted (depending on the setting)

Comments

Default Sorting - Choose the default way in which the comments will be sorted in the widget

Access Control

In some use-cases, only moderators would want to see the Annoto widget - to set the interactions, or to choose the exact time to hide the widget for the users.

Under Access Control, moderators can control who will see the Annoto widget (and when). This is set in the Annoto dashboard Preferences, within the User Experience tab, under Access Control:

Moderators can choose whether only moderators will view the widget:

Or if users will also see the widget:

By default, users can see the Annoto widget.

Examples

Enabling some of the spaces

Having the ability of enabling/disabling preferences, allows to choose the set of features that best suit each course and/or video.

In case of enabling some of the Annoto spaces (Comments/ People/ Personal Notes) - the widget will include only the tabs that were enabled.

Here are a few examples of preferences settings, both from the dashboard side and how it looks in the widget:

Comments, People and Personal Notes tabs are enabled:

Enabling Comments, People and Personal Notes tabs allows the users to enjoy all the different types of interactions: Having a group discussion, learning from one another, having 1*1 chats with fellow learners and the instructor and reflecting on the content in a private notebook.

Preferences in the dashboard:

How it looks in the widget:

People and Personal Notes tabs are enabled, Comments disabled:

In case viewers public discussion does not suit the needs of the video, only Personal Notes and People spaces can be enabled. This will allow the users to watch the video, have 1*1 chats and reflect on the content in their own Personal Notes.

Preferences in the dashboard:

How it looks in the widget:

Only Personal Notes are enabled:

Enabling only Personal Notes can be in case no viewers interaction is required. The Personal Notes will provide each learner the option to engage with the video and better learn from it.

Preferences in the dashboard:

How it looks in the widget:

Only Analytics enabled:

In case only analytics are enabled (a video with quizzes, for example, where learners interaction does not suit the needs of the video), the Annoto widget will not be shown, however the dashboard will present the analytics of the activity: users, views, completion analytics, etc.