When the Hypothesis LMS app is installed in a course site, the app will automatically create a private group for that course. The app will also provision accounts for all students and instructors in the course site when they launch the app for the first time. This means that students can begin annotating readings in the LMS without creating or logging into a separate Hypothesis account, and they won’t need to worry about switching away from the Public layer.
These LMS-based Hypothesis accounts operate differently than public Hypothesis accounts in the following ways:
- They are domain-specific: They only work within the LMS instance in which they were created, not on the open web.
- They are separate from regular Hypothesis accounts: Users who have created accounts through the public Hypothesis service will be given new and separate accounts for use within the context of the LMS.
- They cannot create their own private groups: A private group is automatically generated for courses where the Hypothesis LMS app is installed. Neither instructors nor students will be able to create additional private groups within the LMS context.
- They do not have access to Hypothesis profile and group activity pages: This is something we plan to address in the near future so that teachers and students can view their annotated comments and conversations outside of the context of a particular document.