
What is it?
A social reading and annotation tool that helps develop comprehension and critical thinking about course materials.
Why use it?
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.
Use Case Example
Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics Jody Valentine used Hypothes.is for her course, “Gender and Sexuality in Ancient Rome.” She created a private Hypothes.is group for her and her students, which enabled her students to engage with each other while completing asynchronous work. Also, Professor Valentine was able to share information with her students that she was unable to share during class time. Because the group was private, they were able to do this without fear of posting private information and ideas to the internet.
See Jody Valentine discuss her use of Hypothes.is:
How do I get started?
Hypothesis is now integrated within Sakai. You simply select it as an external tool via the Lessons tool to begin creating Hypothesis-enabled content. For step-by-step instructions check out the video tutorial on How to Use the Hypothes.is LMS App with Lessons in Sakai.
How do I get help?
ITS Staff is available to answer your questions and meet you for a consultation and/or group training, if needed. We can help brainstorm ideas for using Hypothes.is in your teaching based on your specific needs and discipline. Simply reach out to servicedesk@pomona.edu.
Support Resources
You can also browse through our support resources to help answer your question(s).
Help from ITS-Pomona
The following includes Pomona-specific instructions:
- How to set up an Hypothes.is assignment in Sakai
- The basics of annotating with Hypothes.is
- How to insert an image to your annotation
- How to make a page note
Visit the Hypothes.is media library for additional video tutorials on how-to topics.
The Pomona Knowledge Base also has written documentation to help get you started.
Help from Hypothes.is
Hypothes.is, the company also offers a wealth of information on its website — from model assignments, product tutorials, partner workshops, and much more! Visit the Educator Resource Guide for more details.
Answers to some frequently asked questions include:
- Which browsers are supported by Hypothesis?
- What’s the difference between an annotation and a highlight?
- Can I have multiple student groups annotate the same document?
Past Events
Collaborative Web Annotation Using Hypothesis
September 10, 2020 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pmCopyright & Hypothesis
September 24, 2020 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pmPreparing Documents for Hypothesis
September 30, 2020 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pmOpen Pedagogy and Hypothes.is
October 15, 2020 @ 3:00 pm – 4:00 pmFaculty Panel: Reflections on Teaching with Technology during the Online Fall Semester
November 9, 2020 @ 12:00 pm – 1:30 pmFaculty Panel: Open Pedagogy – Teaching with Pressbooks and Hypothes.is
December 10, 2020 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pmUsing Hypothesis with Sakai for Reading Annotation
January 20, 2021 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pmUsing Hypothesis with Sakai for Reading Annotation
September 9, 2021 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 amUsing Hypothesis in Sakai
January 14 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am