Have you ever had a student ask you about something in your syllabus? Help students read and comprehend what’s in your syllabus by having them annotate it. Hypothesis is a tool for social annotation, which implements the research-supported strategies of transparency and peer-to-peer learning. Hypothesis is availble through the IU etext program at IU, however, so it has to be ordered before the semester begins. But if you have access to it already, consider a low-stakes first assignment that will add transparency to your course: ask (as an assignment or classroom activity) your students to annotate your syllabus. You can load your syllabus as a file or a Canvas page into a Canvas assignment and ask your students to highlight important facts or dates, ask questions about what they may or may not understand, or—to make it more inclusive—make suggestions to improve or co-design parts of your syllabus.
To learn more about Hypothesis you can attend our upcoming workshop, read about improving student engagement, or watch a recording of a workshop on using social annotation (including alternatives to Hypothesis) to fact-check generative AI. Contact the CITL with questions or for a personal teaching consultation on how Hypothesis in particular or social annotation more generally can get your semester started off on the right foot and/or improve your teaching and learning outcomes.
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