Perusall at U-M

Perusall is a social annotation and collaborative learning tool integrated into Canvas. It transforms solitary reading or video watching into a group discussion by allowing students and instructors to highlight text, leave comments, and answer each other's questions directly on the course materials. Instructors use Perusall to foster engagement, check student comprehension, and ensure students come to class prepared. 

Free Session: Designing AI-Enhanced Learning: Evidence, Pedagogy, and Student Use!

Drawing on controlled studies of AI tutoring and the semester-long integration of AI into introductory physics courses, she’ll discuss questions many instructors are navigating right now:

• How does AI affect the way students engage with course material?
• What role should AI play in teaching and learning?
• How can we design AI-enhanced learning experiences that extend effective teaching rather than replace it?

Register on the Academic Innovation website

Important Notice

Perusall LTI 1.1 will be retired in Canvas on May 4, 2026. After this date, it will no longer be available for any courses.  

Who Needs to Take Action

Action is only required if you plan to reuse or copy Perusall LTI 1.1 content from a past course into a future term. 

• If you are NOT reusing old content: No action is required.
• If you ARE planning to reuse or copy content: You must transition your materials using the Canvas-specific steps in this Perusall LTI 1.1 to 1.3 transition guide.

Guidelines to Prevent Data Loss

• Important Note for Winter 2026 Courses: Do not swap your integration mid-term! Updating a currently live course will result in data loss. Please wait until after the end of the WN26 semester.
• Spring 2026 Prep and Beyond: If you are currently prepping courses for the spring term or later, ensure you are using LTI 1.3 before publishing your courses. If you publish using 1.1, you will lose access after May 4 and will have to redo the setup.

Your Affected Courses

For your convenience, our records show the following Canvas course(s) are currently using the Perusall LTI 1.1 integration:

• {{merge: Affected_Canvas_Courses}}

Note: we have sent this email to everyone with an "Instructor" role in affected courses, for which there may include multiple. Please coordinate with your co-instructors as necessary to ensure a smooth transition.

How to Transition

Please refer to the following guides: 

• Follow the Canvas-specific steps on Perusall’s LTI 1.1 to 1.3 transition article. 

How Can We Help You?

For technical assistance, you can contact Perusall Support directly. 

For additional support or questions, please reach out to the ITS Service Center. 

Perusall is a social annotation tool for instructors that works within Canvas to increase engagement, drive collaboration, and build community while motivating students to participate in assignments before coming to class. Students can ask questions if they don't understand a concept and receive input from their peers.

Explore what’s new in Perusall beginning in January 2026

Perusall turns coursework into a social experience, making learning more fun and engaging while simultaneously helping students think critically and develop a deeper understanding of the material.

Perusall works with your favorite course content including books, articles, web pages, videos, podcasts, and images. Perusall also offers an extensive library of textbook titles from leading publishers. However, students may still be required to purchase a course textbook if specified by their instructor. 

Note: Premium licenses are available at cost to schools and units at the University of Michigan.