Celebrating 2023 Milestones

As 2023 winds down, we thought we’d take a moment to reflect. This year has been a remarkable one for Hypothesis.

50 Million Annotations

This year we passed 50 million annotations made by users over the life of our project. Individually they represent countless insights, questions, collaborations, and even moments of levity. Together they are the voices of students and educators worldwide engaged in a deeper learning experience.

Expanding Content Coverage with VitalSource and JSTOR

In 2023 we also announced partnerships with Vitalsource and JSTOR that substantially expanded the content available to be annotated. Through these integrations, we’re expanding how students and instructors can collaborate and engage over eTexts, research articles, journals, and rich media content. Our goal is to continually improve the open source project so that any kind of content, in any format, from any vendor can be annotated equally.  100% content coverage is our goal.

A New Chapter for Social Annotation Access: Student Pay

This capability enables students to directly purchase Hypothesis access through Bookshelf at institutions using VitalSource. This integration allows instructors at schools that haven’t yet signed an institution-wide agreement to adopt Hypothesis individually. This flexibility is crucial in adapting to the diverse needs of today’s educational landscape, allowing educators to tailor their teaching resources more effectively.

Demonstrating Impact:  Where’s the Data?

Anecdotes are great, but it’s the numbers that ultimately matter. A 25% spike in student comprehension, an 85% surge in engagement, an 8% uplift in PITS surveys, 5X increased engagement with the course material, and most importantly: tangible improvements in learning outcomes. This year, we’ve worked with schools to understand the direct impact social annotation is having, revealing the impactful narratives behind the numbers. To delve deeper, explore our case studies available here.

Interactive Learning with YouTube Video Annotations

With YouTube Video annotations we expanded into a key new learning format. By targeting the transcripts generated for videos, we anchor conversations to the semantic meaning behind the content converting what was once a one-person viewing experience, into a two-way dialogue. Expect substantially more progress in videos over the next year.

A Little Recognition Feels Good

At the end of the year, Hypothesis is a finalist for the BETT UK and Global EdTech Start-Up Awards, but we’ve also begun to recognize the instructors who are doing incredible work with social annotation by launching the Social Learning Innovator Awards. We recognized nine remarkable educators who are revolutionizing student engagement through social annotation, leading the charge in the realm of social learning. It was an honor learning about the ways the award winners are using social annotation to reinvigorate the classroom experience and increase student engagement. 

In Closing: A Thank You

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our enthusiastic user community, our dedicated team,  and everyone who believes in what we do. Your support, feedback, and passion are what drive us.

Join us on this journey.

Warm regards,

Dan