Scanning Documents for Uploading to Moodle Assignments

Some courses require homework, lab reports, and other assignments to be submitted electronically. If you complete an assignment on paper, you will need to scan the documents to a single PDF file. It is important to make sure the scan of your work is clear and legible. Improperly formatted or illegible scans may not be accepted.

Phone Apps

If you use a phone to take a picture of your work, use a scanning app and not just the camera. The Google Drive app (iOS and Android) has a built-in scanning tool as does the Notes app (iOS only). Most professors prefer that you combine multiple pages into a single PDF file. Double check the page size the app generates to make sure it is 8.5”x11”.

Other popular options are Scanner Pro, Genius Scan, and Adobe Scan.

Format

When scanning, select the Color option. The Black and White setting does not show up well. Greyscale may work, but Color is better for clarity, especially for lined or graph paper. Select PDF as the output format. Make sure the page size of the output is standard letter size.

After scanning, verify that the document is formatted properly before submitting it.

Size

Most professors are expecting 8.5"x11" (Letter) size documents. Adjust your settings to make sure your page size is what you expect.

Scanners on Campus

The College provides a number of locations for scanning documents. Our Canon Multifunction scanners/printers/copiers are all set to Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which enables text to be identified and read as text. This is important for accessibility.

Scanning tips: Make sure your scans can be seen by everyone

Consult this guide on high-quality scans from the University of Washington to understand what makes a scan able to be seen and read by most people. A high-quality scan contains

easily-readable text,
is free of marginalia,
and is not skewed.

McCabe and Cornell Libraries

In addition to our Canon multifunction machines, McCabe and Cornell Libraries have ScannX systems that you can use to scan documents and specify an email destination. When scanning in your work, make sure to select Color.

Beardsley Media Center

The Beardsley Media Center (room 114) has a Canon Multifunction scanner/printer/copier that you can use to scan documents and specify an email destination. There is a sheet feeder which can be used to quickly scan multiple pages.

Departmental Offices

Some academic departments allow students to use the Canon Multifunction scanner/printer/copier in the departmental office to scan homework. Check with the specific department to see if it is permitted.

Uploading to a Moodle Assignment

Follow the instructions in the video below to upload your files to a Moodle assignment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXIDU3SeJH8