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Microsoft Immersive Reader

What Can I Use It For?

man wearing headphones while sitting on chair in front of MacBook

Microsoft Immersive Reader is designed to enhance reading comprehension and accessibility within Microsoft applications, including Word, OneNote, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and more. Immersive Reader supports language learners and individuals with learning differences like dyslexia. By providing features such as text decoding, translation, and read-aloud capabilities, Immersive Reader helps users improve their reading and writing skills, build confidence, and achieve better learning outcomes.

 

The Immersive Reader makes text content in Quercus more accessible and easier to read. It is supported in the following areas of your course: Individual Assignments, Pages, and the Syllabus. In those areas, you’ll see the Microsoft Immersive Reader button in the page header- the image below shows the button on a Quercus Assignment page:

This Academic Toolbox tool helps you...
Connect & communicate
Typical course activity format:
Synchronous or asynchronous
Quercus integration
Integrated tool

Where can I get more support?

Related resources / similar tools

Cost
Centrally funded

How to Get Started

At the University of Toronto, Quercus (the local version of Canvas) has Immersive Reader enabled by default for all user accounts. This means you should be able to access it without needing to turn it on manually.

To use Immersive Reader in Quercus, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to a Supported Area: Immersive Reader is available in Individual Assignments, Pages, and the Syllabus.
  2. Look for the Immersive Reader Button in the page header of these areas. It is typically located in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Immersive Reader button at top right lets you access the features

How to Use This Tool

  • Accessing Immersive Reader in Microsoft Apps

    Accessing Immersive Reader

    In Word, OneNote, Outlook, and other Microsoft apps:

    1. Open your document, email, or note.
    2. Select the View tab.
    3. Click on Immersive Reader

  • Accessing Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge

    Accessing Immersive Reader in Microsoft Edge

    1. Navigate to the webpage you want to read.
    2. Click on the Immersive Reader icon in the address bar, or press F9.

  • Text Preferences

    Text Preferences

    Adjusting Text Size, Spacing, and Font:

    1. Click on the Text Preferences icon (Aa).
    2. Use the sliders to adjust the Text Size.
    3. Toggle Increase Spacing to add more space between lines.
    4. Choose a Font that suits your reading preference.

  • Grammar Options

    Grammar Options

    Highlighting Parts of Speech:

    1. Click on the Grammar Options icon (book with a magnifying glass).
    2. Toggle Syllables to break words into syllables.
    3. Toggle Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, and Adverbs to highlight these parts of speech in different colors.

  • Reading Preferences

    Reading Preferences

    Line Focus, Picture Dictionary, and Translation:

    1. Click on the Reading Preferences icon (open book).
    2. Toggle Line Focus to highlight one, three, or five lines at a time.
    3. Toggle Picture Dictionary to see images for certain words.
    4. Click on Translate to translate the text into a different language. You can choose to translate by word or by document.

  • Read Alou

    Read Aloud

    Listening to the Text:

    1. Click on the Play button at the bottom of the screen to start reading aloud.
    2. Use the Voice Settings (gear icon) to adjust the reading speed and choose a voice.

  • Exiting Immersive Reader

    Exiting Immersive Reader

    1. Click on the Back button or press Esc to exit Immersive Reader.

Last Modified:

14 August, 2024

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 International License

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