A number of our labs are workbook-style labs, where instructions and questions are contained in a PDF workbook. If you would like to fill out the workbook on your computer instead of on paper, Adobe (the creator of the PDF format) has a free software solution called Adobe Acrobat Reader which makes this easy.
To use this feature, follow these instructions:
- Install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. You will need a recent version, as older versions do not include the capability to edit PDFs. You can download the free “Reader” software from Adobe's website. (NOTE: There is a professional version of Adobe Acrobat which costs money, but that version is not needed in order to fill out SimBio workbooks.)
- Launch the Adobe Acrobat Reader application, and open the SimBio Virtual Labs workbook.
- Under the Tools menu, select Comment. A commenting toolbar will appear.
- In the Comment toolbar, find the Add Text Box tool —
. You can hover over the different tools with your mouse until you see the Add Text Box tooltip appear. - In the area where you want to type an answer to a question, drag out a box with the mouse and start typing.
- If the question asks you to make a drawing, you can use the Draw free form tool —
— and the Drawing Tools — 
- When you are done filling out the workbook (and periodically as you are working through it, just to be safe), save it using the Save or Save As commands in the File menu.
- You can then email that file to your professor to turn in your completed workbook.