Hypothesis is a social annotation tool that transforms engaging with course texts from a solitary task into a visible, collaborative conversation. Students can annotate course materials, share observations, and respond to each other’s comments. This tutorial outlines how to create a Hypothesis assignment in Canvas.
Although Hypothesis can be used as a standalone tool, setting it up through Canvas is the most efficient method. Canvas integration eliminates the need to create groups manually or manage student permissions separately.
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Important Note: In the assignment settings, under Submission Type, select Load This Tool In A New Tab. Opening Hypothesis in a new tab provides a much better reading experience and supports compatibility with accessibility tools.
Before creating your assignment, review the available grading options to choose the approach that fits your learning objectives:
To review student annotations individually and provide private feedback, leave the Auto Graded option unchecked when configuring the assignment. You can then grade the assignment using SpeedGrader, just like any other Canvas assignment.
If you want to grade participation rather than the quality of students’ annotations, enable Auto Graded during assignment creation.
Set a target number of annotations and replies, then choose how Canvas calculates students’ grades:
Proportional Grading: Best for giving partial credit; students earn points based on the percentage of the goal they complete.
All or Nothing: Ideal for "pass/fail" participation; students receive full credit only after meeting the entire requirement.
Cumulative Calculation: Best for general engagement; allows students to focus on either type of contribution.
Separate Calculation: Set separate participation points for annotations and replies to ensure students both engage with the text and interact with their peers.
Syncing grades with Canvas
When using Automatic Participation Grading, all grades are recorded in the Hypothesis dashboard, but not directly in Canvas. To ensure students see their grades, you will need to manually sync the grades with your Canvas Gradebook.
Do you have a large class?
If you teach a large class, consider using Canvas Group Sets in Hypothesis to organize students into smaller cohorts. Grouping students helps keep annotations manageable and allows for more intimate peer-to-peer dialogue. You can use groups for both graded and ungraded Hypothesis activities.
Create an ungraded Hypothesis Canvas assignment
You can also create Hypothesis activities that are not graded. To do this, add a Hypothesis activitydirectly in Canvas Modules. This creates a shared activity that all students can access to annotate a document collaboratively without linking their participation to your gradebook.
Accessibility considerations
For information about how you are your students can use Hypothesis with assistive technologies, visit:
