Microsoft’s Immersive Reader is available
within Canvas modules to help improve
reading for all Canvas users, regardless
of ability. The tool does not need to be
enabled for students, it is available by
default and can be found in the top right
of some areas of your Canvas module. It
can be useful to help students better
comprehend assignment descriptions, page
content or a module syllabus.
Please note: Immersive Reader
is not available in all areas of Canvas
modules and cannot play videos within its
display area.
To switch on Immersive Reader for a
Canvas page, click the button at the top
right.
Available Features in Immersive Reader
Text to speech
Immersive Reader includes a text
to speech feature which allows users to
listen to text-based content and change
[1] the speed of the reading, [2] the
voice of the speaker and [3] gives the
ability to pause and play as the text is
being read aloud.
Text and font customisation
You can customise the display of
text content, including changing [1]
text size, [2] text spacing, [3] font and
[4] background colour which can help to
improve legibility of the content.
Identifying parts of speech
You can break the text into [1]
syllables and can highlight various [2]
parts of speech including nouns, verbs and
adjectives while also including labels for
each if desired.
Focus and comprehension
Immersive Reader can also help
you to focus on text by [1] displaying
content
in smaller chunks on the screen, or even
line by line. In addition, you can select
a word to present a [2] picture definition
of the word along with the an option to
hear it aloud. Finally, you can [3]
translate a word or the entire document
into a different language.
Picture Dictionary example in
Immersive Reader:
Please note, some
instructors of language classes
encountered difficulty with Immersive
Reader's text to speech feature. Please
see troubleshooting guide here for more information: Troubleshooting known Immersive Reader issue for language classes