Hypothesis is a social annotation tool that quickly allows you to make class readings more active, visible and social. For more information on social annotation, see Annotation 101 and Back to School with Annotation: 10 Ways to Annotate with Students

Annotation can help students with reading comprehension and developing critical thinking about course materials. Hypothesis allows students to annotate online readings. Digital annotation also offers new possibilities such as responding to text using different media and empowers students to collaborate on understanding and developing ideas about their readings.

Cornell faculty and students can access Hypothesis via Canvas, where it is found as an external tool in either assignments or modules.

Considerations for using Hypothesis

Hypothesis is built on an open-source platform and has a strong and stated position on learner privacy. While it has fewer bells and whistles than Perusall, its emphasis on user experience, clean interface, and ease of use makes it a strong choice.

Hypothesis can help you create a searchable PDF, or if you prefer to do this in advance, the Cornell library provides information on methods for creating searchable PDFs.