This guidance outlines the steps that you should follow to submit scanned handwritten answers to digital exams and other assessments in Blackboard.
Write your answers to the questions onto A4 plain, lined, or graph paper where possible, please include a number on the page that indicates the order. Please ensure that scanned work is submitted as a single PDF file.
Mobile device scan
A quick way to make scans or images of your handwritten work is to use a mobile phone or tablet.
Take images
For images, practice with your device beforehand to test how well the writing, equations or graphs can be read in the image.
Once taken, the images will need to be inserted into a Word file and saved as a PDF.
Download a scanning app
There are a number of Apps which allow you to scan your written pages. Download the app in advance of the Exam or assignment deadline.
- Microsoft OneDrive Android | iOS
- or Apple iOS Notes Scanner, to capture your pages.
All students at the University of Reading have an M365 account for the duration of their studies. You can download desktop and mobile apps to your personal devices.
If you download the OneDrive app to your mobile device, you can scan your work directly to your OneDrive.
Scan handwritten work into one PDF document
When you are ready to scan the written pages:
- Take the scan/image in a well-lit environment.
- Check that the scan is readable.
- Save the scans as a single PDF document or insert images into file and create a PDF document.
Don’t use the OCR tools built into these apps to convert the image to text – this will almost certainly introduce some errors.
OneDrive App scanning walk through video
Submit your work
- Transfer the scans to your computer.
- Email to yourself or share to your preferred cloud storage e.g. OneDrive.
- Upload and submit the PDF file to the submission point on your Blackboard course.
See guidance on- Submitting to a Blackboard Assignment
- Submit handwritten work to Turnitin
- Submitting to a Blackboard Test – see ‘Answer Essay Questions’.
- Submitting to Gradescope
Uploading multiple images to Bb Assignment
If it really is not possible for you to combine your images into a single PDF, you can submit individual image files to a Blackboard Assignment.
If you do this, please ensure that
- you submit all of the files in one attempt
- the files are submitted in the correct order
- the images all have the same orientation (not a mixture of landscape and portrait)
Guide last updated on November 9, 2026