How to Use Checklists

Creating Checklists

There are three types of checklists: Single, Inline, and Bulleted. To a limited degree, these types can be combined. Checklists can be combined with Forms to create interactive templates to further guide and personalize feedback.

Single Checklists

Single Checklists are great for adding optional, standalone pieces of content to a comment. To create a Single Checklist item, wrap the text in double curly braces. {{}} This will, when selected, insert only the text you’ve created without a bullet point or logic to add “and” at the end of the list like the Bulleted and Inline checklists. 

This comment was created using single Checklists. Notice how it adds some “optional extras” to customize the comment as you see fit. 

Inline Checklists

Inline Checklists are created by enclosing the items in double parenthesis. Each individual item is separated by a comma. (Since a comma will always create an optional Checklist item, full sentences with punctuation are more suited to a Bulleted Checklist.)

For example: “I recommend that for your next presentation, you work on ((modulation, timing, outlining, slide design, advance preparation)).” will create the following dialogue, where you can choose which options are applicable.

Selecting these two options will result in this comment being inserted: “I recommend that for your next presentation you work on timing and slide design.” Notice how Inline Checklists automatically take care of adding “and” before the final option (when you select more than one option).

Bulleted Checklists

Bulleted Checklists are created by using a pair of brackets [] followed by a space. When you add the space after the brackets they will change to a closed box, indicating that a checkbox has been created.

Notice how the first item now has been converted to a Bulleted Checklist item. After adding a space to the second item it will create a closed box. 

Combined Checklists

You can incorporate Single or Inline Checklists into Bulleted Checklists. For example, imagine you made a Rubric using Bulleted Checklists. Instead of having a catch-all of possible objectives the student might not have achieved like a standard rubric, you could mark the specific objectives they didn’t achieve.

This student’s slide design needs some work. With Checklists, you can select the specific elements they need to improve on, leaving out the irrelavant bits. 

Limitations

Notice how in the above example, the comment made use of both Bulleted and Inline Checklists as well as Forms. Forms cause a prompt with a mandatory text field. At present the two features cannot be integrated directly. You can use a Form in a comment that has Checklists, but you cannot put a Form inside a Checklist item.

Inline Checklists can be put inside of Bulleted Checklist items, like in the example of a Rubric above. However, Bulleted Checklists cannot be reliably put inside a Inline Checklist without running into unwanted formatting problems.

Instructional Text

Sometimes you might want to leave a note for yourself or others if you are sharing a Libary with your colleagues. To include this instructional text, that won’t be inserted with the Comment’s text, you can use the </> formatting option in the editor. That will put it in a black box that will show up when the dialog box opens, but that won’t be inserted.

The text in the black box will not be inserted when the comment is inserted.