Top Hat is a student engagement system and comprehensive teaching platform that instructors can use to engage students in and outside of the classroom with interactive slides, graded questions, customized content, videos, discussions, and polls. When integrated with Canvas, instructors can also seamlessly synchronize rosters and grades. Top Hat utilizes no separate hardware but rather asks students to use their smartphones, tablets, laptops, or ordinary cell phones to participate in activities.
Why Use Top Hat?
Using Top Hat, Instructors can rapidly collect answers to questions from every student, and if desired, display a summary of the data and/or responses in a variety of ways. Questions can also be automatically graded- allowing Instructors a pain-free way to track and reward participation and understanding.
Top Hat can help make any course an engaging experience for students, while lightening the load of grading and assessment for Instructors. Top Hat accomplishes a similar level of questioning and interactivity as iClicker or Poll Everywhere, but with the bonus of Canvas integration that instructors to seamlessly synchronize rosters and grades. In addition to it’s various questioning tools, Top Hat can be used to take secure attendance, manage your PowerPoint presentations, create asynchronous assignments and review materials, and even proctor live tests.
Students can download the Top Hat application on their mobile devices to use to complete their responses in class, offering the students the convenience of using their own devices as a “clicker”. Top Hat also allows students to send SMS messages from their mobile devices to answer questions. This means students can respond during content delivery, even if the Wi-Fi connection isn’t working.
The best part: there is no additional cost to use Top Hat for Penn State students or instructors.
Ready to get started with Top Hat? Looking for more dynamic and interactive course content? Explore the topics below.
Login and Account Setup
Learn how to access your account and set up your first course using Penn State’s Log in and Setup Instructions.
Learn more about basic functionality of Top Hat such as how to get students enrolled and create content, and learn more about ways you can use Top Hat to enrich your course using the Top Hat Professor Quick Start Guide.
Connect Top Hat To Canvas
You can Integrate Top Hat with you Canvas course. Discover the possibilities when using Top Hat with Canvas to streamline grading and course content in Top Hat’s Guide to the Canvas Integration
Use Top Hat for Teaching and Learning
Top Hat can help you with everything from increasing participation, managing your presentations, creating synchronous and asynchronous assignments, to discussions and more.
- For ideas, tips, and instructions, review the article Top Hat: How to use for Teaching and Learning.
- Learn more about the question types available, see examples, and access help-guides in Top Hat’s Professor Guide to Top Hat Questions.
For a deeper dive, utilize Top Hat’s guides, checklists, and samples to get some great ideas and to ensure you are getting the most out of Top Hat:
- Course Preparation Checklist
- Teaching with Top Hat
- Building Effective Questions
- Active Learning Activity Samples
Use Top Hat for Assessment
From creating Top Hat assignments to Monitored Testing, Top Hat can be used as a platform for effective assessment.
- Learn more about and get started with live-monitored testing with Top Hat’s guide to Getting Started with Top Hat Test.
- Check student progress and monitor their performance on questions and assignments using weekly activity reports.
Get 1:1 Support
Get additional one-on-one help with Top Hat experts! Sign up for a session today!
- Live Demonstrations: Instructors interested in learning about how Top Hat can be used in courses can connect with a Top Hat education technology specialist by completing the Top Hat Demo Request form.
- 1-1 Teaching Support: After attending a demo or the Penn State ITLD Top Hat Training instructors who want to integrate Top Hat into their course can book a consultation with a Top Hat Instructional Designer using the Top Hat ID Consultation Form.
Other Help and Support Resources
- Penn State’s Top Hat resources page contains links to sign up for 1:1 support, pre-recorded webinars, and an assortment of support articles.
- The Top Hat support center is your go-to place for instructions on how to do anything in Top Hat.
- Attend an ITLD live online training session to learn more about how you can create content and implement Top Hat in your course.