This guide is for students who have been assigned Hypothesis-enabled readings. They will look something like this:
As of Fall 2025, the Hypothesis External Tool in AsULearn has been updated. It now allows for annotation of many more resources, including VitalSource eTexts, and will recognize small groups from within your course.
Hypothesis now allows for collaborative annotation of various online resources. So, your instructor may create an assignment asking you to annotate:
- Webpages/PDFs,
- Files and pages in your online course
- Google Drive assets
- YouTube video transcripts
- VitalSource eTexts that are associated with your course via adoption from our Campus Store
To get oriented, please make use of the resource below:
- Introduction to Hypothesis for Students: Step by step guides and video tutorials
Annotating your VitalSource eText in Hypothesis
If your instructor creates Hypothesis assignments asking you to annotate your VitalSource online textbook, remember this mantra: VitalSource BEFORE Hypothesis!
At the start of the semester, before you can annotate with Hypothesis, you must first launch the textbook via the VitalSource link in your course in order to claim your VitalSource license, and then you can launch any text annotation assignment in Hypothesis. You don’t need to do this every time, you just need to get the VitalSource license by launching the VitalSource reader in your course once at the start of the term. Remember: VitalSource BEFORE Hypothesis! Follow these steps:
- Click on the VitalSource link to the text in your course. Many instructors name the link 'My Materials' - but it will look something like this:
- The text will appear. The click Read Now:
After that, if your instructor tells you there’s a Hypothesis assignment where you have to annotate your textbook, when you click on a Hypothesis activity in the same course, it will work for you.