This semester Salem State is pleased to be supporting Hypothes.is, a "social annotation" tool that many instructors find helpful for helping students engage with course texts. Hypothes.is can be used in any course where you'd want to discuss a reading, from political science to world languages to biology or engineering Learn more about Hypothes.is in this Q&A with SSU instructional designer Jim McGrath.

What is Hypothes.is?

Hypothesis is a “social annotation” tool. Instructors share a course document in Hypothes.is (primarily PDFs and websites), and students can highlight, comment on key passages and reply to peers within a shared document. Instructors can also add comments to point out important sections they want students to focus on. The tool can be used in homework assignments, or during synchronous sessions to review course materials and discuss them in real-time. Hypothesis is integrated with SSU Canvas course sites, so it's ready to use.

Why would I want to use it?

I like using Hypothesis in my own courses for a few major reasons. Many online discussions can feel removed from course readings. With Hypothesis, you can connect these conversations to specific moments in important texts so you don’t lose track of key details, and so you can demonstrate to students the benefits of connecting their ideas and opinions to particular examples.

Sometimes it can seem like students are only focused on smaller portions of course readings; many of us may have had the experience of reading class discussions that all happen to center on the same quotes and citations from the first few pages or paragraphs. With Hypothesis, you can get a clearer sense of where and how students are engaged with readings from start to finish.

I teach History courses, and I like to use Hypothesis to talk about effective strategies for reading and writing in my field. When I’m looking at academic articles, op-eds, or other texts, I can use Hypothesis to discuss how and why authors structured their arguments...I use Hypothesis to talk about how and why I read, write, and value particular texts, clarifying and demystifying the work that I do as an academic and a historian. Overall, Hypothesis can be a great way to open up conversations about the role writing plays in a variety of professional contexts, inviting students to think about their own work within and beyond the classroom.

3. How can I learn more?

Interested instructors can check out our Getting Started With Hypothesis site for additional information (including documentation that they can share with students). SSU instructors can also request one-on-one consultations about this tool from SSU instructional designersLinks to an external site. or Hypothesis support staffLinks to an external site

Upcoming workshops for SSU faculty (more are forthcoming; check our Upcoming Workshops page):

Friday, January 15th, 11am-12pm (Zoom linkLinks to an external site.)
Thursday, January 21st, 2pm-3pm (Zoom linkLinks to an external site.)
Tuesday, January 26th, 4:45pm-5:45pm (Zoom linkLinks to an external site.)

For additional information about Hypothesis, please contact Jim McGrath: ctr_jmcgrath@salemstate.edu.