Hypothes.is – GC Online

This guide for GC Online was developed by Filipa Calado and is based on the Hypothes.is workshop developed for the Graduate Center Digital Initiatives.

What is Hypothes.is?

Hypothes.is is a digital annotation tool for social reading of texts online. It works as an excellent supplement to remote learning contexts, allowing students to highlight and annotate readings outside of class and participate in asynchronous class discussions about course material. It also encourages students to practice critical reading and writing skills.

How do I install Hypothes.is?

First, sign up for an account at www.hypothes.is/signup. Then, there are four options for using Hypothes.is, to be covered in the workshop. These include:

On the CUNY Academic Commons, as an included plugin. After creating a site, activate and configure the Hypothes.is tool on the “Plugins” and “Tools” menus.
As a Browser Extension on Firefox or Chrome browsers. Install the extension from Hypothes.is, then activate the plugin on the desired webpage by configuring “Tools” (for Chrome) or clicking the bookmarklet (for Firefox).
Through the Via Method. Copy and paste the following “prefix” link https://via.hypothes.is/ to the front of the desired URL, and reload the page.
Embedding the hypothes.is script. This option is only relevant if for those who have access to the HTML files of a website. Copy and paste the script source https://hypothes.is/embed.js to the scripts section of the HTML file.

Which of the four above options is right for my course?

This depends on a few factors: where course materials are being hosted online, and how students have access to those materials. For example, one instructor might use the CUNY Academic Commons because it is easier for students, as they don’t have to download or install anything. But they might also provide them with the Via Method link, in case students run into technical issues and cannot get the tool to load on their web browsers.

The goal of exploring the four options for using Hypothes.is is to give instructors the facility and know-how to respond to student needs and technological contexts as they occur.

View the asynchronous workshop on Hypothes.is here.