Hypothes.is
What is Hypothes.is?
Writing in the margins has always been an essential activity for students. Annotation helps in reading comprehension and in developing critical thinking about course materials. Hypothesis enables students to continue this essential activity with online readings. Digital annotation also offers new affordances, enabling students to respond to text using different media and empowering them to collaborate on understanding and developing ideas about their readings.
With Hypothes.is you can annotate an online .pdf document and entire web pages. It's simple and intuitive.
This tool helps make annotation visible, active and social. Simply highlight text, make your comments, reply to others, tag common themes. You'll hear from some faculty that have already used this tool that they have never had students come so prepared for class. They are engaged, can ask each other questions and more critically read the texts assigned.
The advantage of the Canvas integration with Hypothes.is is the ability to assign annotation exercises to students as a whole class and as an assignment. By default, the Hypothes.is integration with Canvas will assign the students name to their comments and create private spaces, just for your class. If using it as a Canvas assignment, the instructor can filter other annotations away and just focus on what the student did for their grade.
Hypothes.is is already installed and ready to go in Canvas
➡️ How to use Hypothes.is in Canvas
This tool can be used by activating the Hypothes.is external tool in Canvas, which can be found in Modules and Assignments.
Using Canvas Rubric with Hypothesis (workaround)
➡️ How to use Hypothes.is
This tool will look the same no matter how to deploy it in your course. Below are some helpful links for using Hypothes.is
Canvas course import is not supported with Hypothes.is. If you import your course from semester to semester you will need to recreate your Hypothes.is links - directions can be found here.
Cross-listed courses will need to use Option 2 below if they would like the entire class to annotate together in a Hypothes.is activity. Canvas will automatically separate your students into however many cross-listed sections you have in your course. You may need to make one Hypothes.is section in your course and enroll all students.
➡️ Hypothes.is Annotation Ideas
➡️ Using Hypothes.is in Groups
Hypothes.is, by design, is made to be a collaborative annotation tool. Certain activities call for our students to annotate in smaller groups or even as individuals. How do we facilitate this via our Hypothes.is integration in Canvas?
Option 1: Work with Multiple Copies of the Same Document
This requires more than just making a copy or changing a document name. The Hypothes.is tool uses a PDF's digital fingerprint to tell the PDF's apart. This means that even if you make two copies of the PDF and uploaded them separately, Hypothes.is will recognize them as the same unless you change the fingerprint - hence merging all the annotations back together despite your best efforts to keep them separate.
Pros of Option 1:
Works well if you want to make transparent what all groups are doing with their annotation
Cons of Option 1:
Requires a lot more set up on the instructor end in terms of creating multiple files and assignments
More room for error
Hypothes.is has developed a fingerprinting tool to create unique versions of your PDF documents. You can then upload all the versions of your document to your course files and make separate Canvas Hypothes.is assignments and assign the appropriate students to each assignment.
Option 2: Using Canvas Groups
Hypothesis allows you to create small reading groups using Canvas’ built-in Groups functionality, which provides enormous flexibility to build and manage your own student reading groups.
Pros of Option 2:
You do NOT have to create multiple copies of PDF documents for annotation
Cons of Option 2:
Students won't see what other groups have annotated (but you can always pull it up during class!)
Resources:
The video below shows you how to facilitate this in Canvas.