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Hypothesis

Hypothesis is an open-source tool that enables users to collaboratively annotate web pages and PDFs. Individuals and groups can highlight text, add comments, and engage in discussions directly on digital content in a way that is visible to others.

Hypothesis allows students in a course to collaborate by adding annotations and notes to a PDF file, webpage, or YouTube video. The annotations can be private, public, or shared with specific groups of students, making it a versatile tool for various purposes, including research, teaching, and community engagement.

Contact the Stanford Canvas Help team to activate Hypothesis in your Canvas course.

Email canvashelp@stanford.edu

Hypothesis features

The collaborative annotation tool Hypothesis, and similar tools like Harmonize or Mediathread, encourage students to directly engage with and actively participate in discussions around a text. Hypothesis allows for real-time collaboration, where students and educators can highlight, comment, and share insights on specific passages, creating a dynamic and interactive learning environment. This not only helps in developing critical thinking and analytical skills but also promotes community learning, as users can see and respond to each other's annotations. 

  • Open or private groups
  • Annotate images and other media embedded within documents
  • Collaborate in real-time
  • Send grades to the Canvas gradebook

Artificial intelligence features

At present, there are no generative artificial intelligence features available for this tool.

Access Hypothesis

Email canvashelp@stanford.edu to activate Hypothesis in your Canvas course.

Once activated, refer to the resources below to set up a Hypothesis activity in your Canvas course.

Questions?

Contact canvashelp@stanford.edu for help accessing Hypothesis in Canvas.

Refer to the documentation provided by Hypothesis for additional help. 

Canvas integration

  • Canvas only

Tool type

  • Collaboration

Generative AI

  • No AI features

Contact

Learning Technologies & Spaces