Top Hat - Detailed Review
Education Tools
Top Hat - Product Overview
Top Hat Overview
Top Hat is a versatile, web-based learning tool that has become a staple in higher education, particularly for enhancing student engagement and interaction.Primary Function
Top Hat serves as an interactive learning platform and student response system. It allows instructors to create and deliver engaging content, whether in a physical classroom or a virtual setting. The platform is designed to foster active learning, facilitate real-time feedback, and track student participation and comprehension.Target Audience
The primary users of Top Hat are faculty, staff, and students in higher education institutions. It is widely adopted by thousands of faculty at over 750 leading North American colleges and universities.Key Features
Interactive Content
Instructors can create live or asynchronous polling content, anonymous surveys, and interactive lectures by uploading slides. This helps in keeping students engaged and active in the learning process.Attendance and Grading
Top Hat automates attendance tracking and allows grades to be synced with learning management systems like Brightspace.Multi-Device Compatibility
Students can participate using any electronic device, such as smartphones, tablets, or laptops, making it highly accessible.AI-Powered Tools
Top Hat introduces Ace, an AI-powered teaching and learning assistant. Ace generates assessment questions, provides on-demand study support, and helps in creating frequent low-stakes assessments. This AI integration helps in personalizing educational content and automating administrative tasks.Virtual Learning Tools
The platform includes features like video conferencing, integrated polling questions, instant messaging, and secure online tests and exams. These tools help in recreating face-to-face learning environments in virtual settings.Learning Analytics and Insights
Top Hat provides instructors with valuable data and insights on student performance, helping them to identify struggling students and adjust their teaching strategies accordingly. Overall, Top Hat is a comprehensive platform that enhances student engagement, simplifies teaching tasks, and provides valuable insights into student learning, making it a valuable tool in the education sector. Top Hat - User Interface and Experience
User Interface Overview
The user interface of Top Hat is crafted to be intuitive and engaging, facilitating both instructor and student interaction in various educational settings.Ease of Use
Top Hat is designed to be user-friendly, allowing instructors to quickly integrate it into their teaching practices. The platform offers a straightforward interface where instructors can create and manage interactive content, such as slides, questions, polls, and discussions, with minimal technical hassle. The learning curve is estimated to be around 2 hours or more, indicating that while it may take some time to fully familiarize oneself with all the features, the basics can be grasped relatively quickly.Key Features
Interactive Slides and Content
Instructors can create interactive slides, upload presentations, and incorporate videos, discussions, and polls directly into their lectures. This interactive content can be accessed by students on any device, including smartphones and tablets.Real-Time Feedback and Assessment
The platform provides real-time data on attendance, quizzes, polls, assignments, and tests, allowing instructors to assess student performance and adjust their teaching strategies accordingly.Personalizable Content
Top Hat features a content editor that enables instructors to customize their course materials, ensuring a dynamic and personalized learning experience for students.Discussions and Collaboration
Students can participate in discussions, answer questions, and engage in critical thinking activities, all of which can be managed through the platform. This fosters a sense of community and encourages student participation both in and out of the classroom.User Experience
The overall user experience is focused on engagement and interactivity. Students can actively participate in lectures by responding to questions, voting on polls, and engaging in discussions using their personal devices. This anonymity option allows students to voice their opinions without fear of judgment, enhancing their participation and engagement.Support and Integration
Top Hat offers extensive support, including one-on-one onboarding, instructional design expertise, and 24/7 technical assistance. The platform can be integrated with popular Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Canvas, making it seamless to incorporate into existing educational frameworks.Accessibility
While Top Hat aims to be accessible, some features may not meet all accessibility guidelines. Instructors are advised to contact their institution’s accessibility office to ensure that all students have equal access to the platform’s features.Conclusion
In summary, Top Hat’s user interface is designed to be engaging, interactive, and easy to use, with a focus on enhancing student participation and providing real-time feedback. The platform’s support and integration features further enhance its usability and effectiveness in educational settings. Top Hat - Key Features and Functionality
Top Hat Overview
Top Hat is a comprehensive education platform that integrates various features to enhance teaching and learning, with a significant focus on engagement, personalization, and the use of AI. Here are the main features and how they work:
Engagement and Interactive Learning
Top Hat offers several tools to foster engagement and interactive learning:
- Live and Asynchronous Polling: Instructors can create live or asynchronous polling content, allowing students to participate in real-time or at their own pace. This helps in gauging student comprehension and encouraging active participation.
- Anonymous Surveys and Polls: This feature allows for anonymous feedback, which can be particularly useful for sensitive topics or to encourage honest responses.
- Interactive Lectures: Instructors can upload slides and turn them into interactive lectures, making the learning experience more dynamic and engaging.
Content Personalization
- Pages Content Editor: This tool enables educators to customize their course content to deliver a dynamic learning experience. It allows for personalizable content, ensuring that the material is relevant and engaging for each student.
Student Response & Assessment
- Discussions: Top Hat facilitates discussions and critical thinking by allowing instructors to pose questions and discussion prompts that students can answer on any device. This fosters collaboration and community within the class.
- Automated Attendance: The platform can automate attendance tracking, making it easier for instructors to monitor student participation.
Educator Tools & Insights
- Real-Time Data: Top Hat generates actionable insights from attendance, quiz, poll, assignment, and test data. This helps educators improve learning both in the moment and over time.
Integrations with Learning Management Systems (LMS)
- Roster Sync: Automatically keeps the class roster in sync with the LMS, making student enrollment easier.
- Grade Sync: Grades are synced regularly from Top Hat to the LMS, ensuring students are always aware of their standing.
- Deep Linking: Through LTI 1.3 integrations, students can directly access specific content within Top Hat from their LMS, such as pages, presentations, assignments, and tests.
- Single Sign-On: The platform supports single sign-on, allowing users to access Top Hat content without needing to log in multiple times.
AI-Driven Features
- Ace, the AI-Powered Assistant: Ace provides integrated and personalized study support to students. It helps break down concepts, provide examples, and test knowledge, all within the context of the course material. This AI-powered tool is available within Top Hat textbooks, pages, and assignments, and can be enabled or disabled by educators.
- AI in Education: Top Hat leverages AI algorithms to analyze and interpret student data, personalize educational content, automate administrative tasks, and provide adaptive feedback. This includes tools like grammar checking software, text-to-speech platforms, and automatic grading tools for educators.
Support and Resources
- Comprehensive Support: Top Hat offers one-on-one onboarding, instructional design expertise, and 24/7 technical assistance. The support hub provides additional guidance, troubleshooting, and FAQs to ensure smooth use of the platform.
These features collectively enhance the learning experience by making it more interactive, personalized, and data-driven, while also integrating AI to provide additional support and insights for both students and educators.
Top Hat - Performance and Accuracy
Evaluation of Top Hat in Education Tools
Engagement and Student Outcomes
Top Hat has shown significant positive impacts on student engagement and outcomes. A study conducted at Indiana University revealed that the use of Top Hat led to an 11.5% drop in the mean student withdrawal rate. This is attributed to the platform’s ability to facilitate frequent low-stakes assessments, interactive polls, quizzes, and discussions, which enhance student engagement and academic performance.AI-Enhanced Features
Top Hat’s dynamic courseware includes AI-enhanced features, such as the recently introduced AI-powered teaching and learning assistant called Ace. Ace helps instructors generate assessment questions and discussion prompts based on their lecture slides and course materials. It also serves as a personalized study assistant for students, aiding them in breaking down challenging concepts and preparing for high-stakes assessments. This integration of AI supports evidence-based teaching practices and improves the overall learning experience.Faculty Training and Adoption
Despite the potential benefits of AI, the adoption rate among faculty is relatively low. Only 12% of instructors use generative AI on a daily basis to support their teaching practice. However, the report from Top Hat indicates that faculty who receive formal training on generative AI are more likely to find it helpful and use it regularly. This suggests that institutions need to improve their faculty development programs to increase the effective use of AI tools.Data-Driven Insights
Top Hat provides faculty with data-driven insights through its platform, allowing them to identify struggling students and adjust their instruction accordingly. The platform captures every interaction, giving students real-time feedback and enabling faculty to make informed decisions about their teaching methods. This data-driven approach helps in personalizing the learning experience and improving student outcomes.Limitations and Areas for Improvement
One of the main limitations is the low adoption rate of AI tools among faculty. This is partly due to the lack of formal training and support from institutions. Nearly half of the faculty who have received training on generative AI have had to rely on organizations outside their institution, indicating a gap in institutional support. Another area for improvement is ensuring equitable access to the platform. While Top Hat has been instrumental in reducing withdrawal rates and improving student engagement, ongoing analysis is needed to ensure that the platform supports equitable access to learning and contributes to closing achievement gaps, especially for historically underrepresented groups.Conclusion
In summary, Top Hat demonstrates strong performance in enhancing student engagement and outcomes through its interactive and AI-enhanced features. However, there is a need for better institutional support for faculty training and ensuring equitable access to the platform’s benefits. Top Hat - Pricing and Plans
Understanding the Pricing Structure of Top Hat
Student Plans
Top Hat offers several subscription plans for students:- 1 Term (4 months): $33, ideal for a single semester.
- 1 Year (12 months): $53, suitable for students using the platform all year long.
- 4 Years (48 months): $96, the best option for long-term use or campus-wide adoption.
Features in Student Plans
All student plans include:- Interactive lectures and discussions
- Engagement in assignments, quizzes, and readings
- Mobile app access for on-the-go learning
- Attendance tracking
- Instant feedback and grade tracking
- 24/7 support
Institutional Plans
For institutions, Top Hat provides custom pricing:- Department or Institution-Wide Solutions: These plans can be customized to meet the specific needs of the institution. They include additional features such as comprehensive weekly insights on student performance, full gradebook integration, and LMS integration.
Free Option
Top Hat introduced a free version called Top Hat Basic:- This free version is available to students and professors and includes features like live streaming of lectures, real-time in-class engagement tools, live chatting, hosting discussions, polling, and quizzing. It also supports interactive digital textbooks and secure online tests with remote proctoring functionality.
Additional Features
The paid plans include additional features not available in the free version, such as:- Access to interactive textbooks at a reduced cost compared to traditional textbooks
- Advanced assessment and grading tools
- Comprehensive support, including training and implementation plans for institutions.
Summary
Top Hat offers clear and structured pricing plans for students, along with customizable institutional plans, and a free basic version that provides essential active learning tools. Top Hat - Integration and Compatibility
Integration with Learning Management Systems (LMS)
Top Hat can be integrated with several popular LMS platforms. For instance, it can be used in conjunction with UB Learns (Brightspace), where instructors can sync grading and class roster information between Top Hat and the LMS. This integration facilitates easy student registration, onboarding, and the transfer of grades from Top Hat to the LMS.
Similarly, Top Hat can be integrated with Canvas, allowing instructors to use it either as part of their Canvas course or as a stand-alone tool. This integration enables features like exporting student grades to Canvas and linking students directly to Top Hat content from within the LMS.
Compatibility Across Devices and Platforms
Top Hat is highly compatible across a range of devices and platforms. Here are some key points:
Web Browsers
Top Hat can be used on the three latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. It is optimized for Google Chrome, but it does not support Internet Explorer.
Mobile Devices
The Top Hat mobile app, “Top Hat – Better Learning,” is available for both iOS and Android devices. The app is designed for student use only and requires the latest or one of the two latest iOS versions for iOS devices, and the latest OS version for Android devices. However, certain Android variants like Fire OS, Silent OS, YunOS, and the Nokia X Platform are not supported.
BYOD Environment
Top Hat supports a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) environment, allowing students to participate in interactive activities using their own web-enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
Additional Features and Tools
Beyond its compatibility and integration capabilities, Top Hat offers a variety of features to enhance student engagement and learning. These include:
- Interactive Content: Instructors can upload slides, add annotations, and include interactive questions, polls, and quizzes.
- Attendance Tracking: Top Hat allows for accurate attendance tracking using geolocation technology.
- Discussions and Feedback: Instructors can launch discussions and receive real-time feedback and reports.
- Assessments and Textbooks: Top Hat supports the administration of tests, quizzes, and homework assignments, as well as offering discounted textbooks through its platform.
Overall, Top Hat’s integration with LMS systems and its broad compatibility across different devices and platforms make it a versatile and effective tool for enhancing classroom engagement and learning outcomes.
Top Hat - Customer Support and Resources
Customer Support
For any issues or questions, Top Hat offers several support channels:
Course-Specific Issues
If your question is related to a specific course, you can submit a support request directly from within the course. Click on the “Support” option at the bottom-left of your Top Hat course, select “Submit a New Support Request,” and provide a detailed explanation of your issue.
Non-Course-Specific Issues
For general questions or technical issues not related to a specific course, you can contact Top Hat Support via phone at 1-888-663-5491 (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. EST), chat with a help desk person between 8 AM – 8 PM Central time, or send an email to support@tophat.com.
Additional Resources
Top Hat provides a wealth of resources to help you get the most out of their platform:
Knowledge Base and Quick Start Guides
Top Hat has an extensive knowledge base with articles and quick start guides that cover most common questions and setup processes. These resources are available on-demand and can be accessed through the Top Hat website.
Workshops and Training Sessions
Various workshops are offered, such as “Reach the Back Row with Top Hat,” “Energize Student Engagement with Top Hat,” and “10 Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do With Top Hat.” These workshops cover topics like using Top Hat as a classroom response system, creating asynchronous content, and leveraging AI features. You can also request instructional consultations if no workshops are available.
AI-Powered Tools
Top Hat’s AI-powered assistant, Ace, offers features like generating discussion questions from lecture slides, providing personalized study support, and enabling students to test their knowledge through practice sessions. These tools are integrated into the platform and can be accessed by all users.
Step-by-Step Guides and Templates
Detailed step-by-step guides are available for setting up accounts, creating courses, and adding teaching assistants. Additionally, there are templates for activities and assessments that you can easily integrate into your Top Hat course.
Institutional Support
Many institutions, such as Vanderbilt University, offer additional support through their own teaching centers. These may include individual consultations, faculty training, and instructional design support.
By leveraging these support options and resources, you can ensure a seamless and engaging experience with Top Hat, both for yourself and your students.
Top Hat - Pros and Cons
Advantages of Top Hat in the Education Tools Category
Top Hat, a cloud-based learning management solution, offers several significant advantages for educational institutions:Interactive and Personalized Learning
Top Hat allows instructors to create interactive content such as activities, quizzes, text, and videos using authoring tools. This content can be shared with students in real-time, enhancing engagement and personalization of the learning experience.Comprehensive Feature Set
The platform includes a range of features, such as attendance tracking, assignment creation, test review, and student performance analysis. The Classroom module enables instructors to verify student presence and automatically assign grades for participation. Top Hat Assignment allows for the creation of online homework and customizable quizzes with timed responses and restricted answer attempts.Real-Time Data and Insights
Top Hat generates actionable insights from attendance, quiz, poll, assignment, and test data. This helps educators improve learning both in the moment and over time, making data-driven decisions easier.Support and Onboarding
The platform offers extensive support, including one-on-one onboarding, instructional design expertise, and 24/7 technical assistance. This ensures that educators can effectively use the platform to deliver transformative learning experiences.Customizable Content
The Pages Content Editor allows educators to customize their course content, delivering a dynamic learning experience. Additionally, Top Hat has a catalog of dynamic digital textbooks and labs that can be used to empower personalized and inclusive learning.Disadvantages of Top Hat
Pricing
While Top Hat offers a free version, the paid plans can be costly, with prices starting at $48 per year or $30 per term (4 months) per student. This might be a barrier for some institutions or students.Technical Issues
Some users have reported persistent bugs and technical issues with the app, which can disrupt the learning experience. This is a significant concern as it affects the reliability and usability of the platform.Limited Free Trial
Top Hat does not offer a free trial, which might make it difficult for potential users to test the full range of features before committing to a purchase.User Feedback
While many users find Top Hat excellent for its educational purposes, some have noted that the platform could be improved in terms of stability and user experience. Addressing these concerns is crucial for maintaining user satisfaction. In summary, Top Hat offers a powerful set of tools for enhancing educational engagement and personalization, but it also comes with some drawbacks related to pricing, technical reliability, and the absence of a free trial. Top Hat - Comparison with Competitors
When comparing Top Hat with other AI-driven education tools, several key features and differences stand out.
Student Response and Assessment
Top Hat is renowned for its comprehensive student response and assessment tools. It offers discussions, polls, quizzes, assignments, and exams, all integrated into a single platform. This unified approach allows instructors to create interactive content, track attendance automatically, and gather real-time data to improve learning outcomes.
In contrast, tools like Echo360’s PointSolutions, while offering video management and some interactive features, do not provide the same level of integration or interactive content as Top Hat. Echo360 is primarily a video management platform and does not offer the same breadth of assessment and response tools.
Content Personalization
Top Hat allows instructors to customize content using its Pages Content Editor, creating dynamic and personalized learning experiences. It also offers a catalog of digital textbooks and labs that can be adapted to fit specific course needs.
Other platforms, such as Smart Sparrow, Coursera, and Woot Math, also offer personalized learning experiences but focus more on adaptive learning using AI. Smart Sparrow and Woot Math use machine learning algorithms to personalize lessons and provide real-time feedback, but they are more specialized in specific subjects rather than offering a broad range of tools like Top Hat.
Real-Time Data and Insights
Top Hat stands out with its ability to generate actionable insights from various data points, including attendance, quizzes, polls, assignments, and tests. This helps instructors identify struggling students and difficult concepts in real-time.
Platforms like Querium and GradeSlam also provide real-time feedback but are more focused on tutoring and specific subject areas. They use AI to assess students’ strengths and weaknesses but do not offer the same level of integration with classroom activities as Top Hat.
Accessibility and Support
Top Hat is cloud-based, requiring no local installations, and offers 24/7 technical assistance, one-on-one onboarding, and instructional design expertise. This makes it highly accessible and user-friendly for both instructors and students.
In contrast, some alternatives like PointSolutions may require specific hardware or software versions, which can add administrative burdens for both IT departments and students.
Pricing and Accessibility
Top Hat offers straightforward student pricing with no need to purchase additional devices. This contrasts with PointSolutions, which requires students to buy hardware clicker devices and pay a license fee, adding extra costs.
Alternatives and Unique Features
- Smart Sparrow: An adaptive e-learning platform that uses AI for personalized learning and real-time feedback, but it is more specialized and does not offer the broad range of tools like Top Hat.
- Coursera: A leading online learning platform that uses AI to personalize learning experiences, recommend courses, and provide real-time feedback. However, it is more focused on online courses rather than classroom engagement.
- GradeSlam and Querium: AI-powered tutoring platforms that provide personalized learning experiences and real-time feedback, but they are more focused on tutoring rather than classroom activities.
- Woot Math: An AI-powered math education platform that personalizes math lessons, but it is specialized in math education and does not offer the same range of tools as Top Hat.
Conclusion
In summary, Top Hat’s strength lies in its integrated platform that combines student response, content creation, and assessment tools, along with real-time data insights and user-friendly accessibility. While other platforms offer specialized features, Top Hat’s comprehensive approach makes it a versatile tool for enhancing classroom engagement and learning outcomes.
Top Hat - Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions about Top Hat, along with detailed responses to each:
What is Top Hat and what does it offer?
Top Hat is a web-based, interactive learning tool that enhances student engagement and learning experiences. It provides features such as creating live or asynchronous polling content, anonymous surveys and polls, uploading slides to create interactive lectures, automating attendance, and syncing grades to learning management systems like Brightspace. Top Hat also offers a range of tools for discussions, personalizable content, and real-time data insights to improve learning.How much does Top Hat cost?
The pricing for Top Hat varies based on the subscription term. For students, the costs are as follows:- $33 for one term (4 months)
- $53 per year
- $96 for four years (48 months)
Does Top Hat offer a free plan or trial?
No, Top Hat does not offer a free plan or trial. However, some institutions may provide access to Top Hat for free to their faculty, staff, and students, as is the case with the University of Arizona.What are the key features of Top Hat?
Top Hat includes several key features:- Student Response & Assessment: Allows for live or asynchronous polling, anonymous surveys, and interactive lectures.
- Personalizable Content: Enables educators to customize course content using the Pages Content Editor.
- Educator Tools & Insights: Provides real-time data from attendance, quizzes, polls, assignments, and tests to improve learning.
- AI-Powered Tools: Features like Ace, which generates discussion questions, provides study assistance, and offers on-demand practice sessions.
How does Top Hat use AI?
Top Hat has expanded its AI capabilities through its AI-powered assistant, Ace. Ace helps educators adopt proven teaching strategies, generates discussion questions from lecture slides, provides personalized study support, and offers on-demand practice sessions. These features aim to foster more impactful and evidence-based learning experiences.Can Top Hat be used in different learning environments?
Yes, Top Hat can be used in various learning environments, including in-person, online, and hybrid classrooms. Educators can create and present content from a web browser or the Top Hat Presentation Tool, and students can participate using a web browser or the Top Hat app.What kind of support does Top Hat offer?
Top Hat provides extensive support, including one-on-one onboarding, instructional design expertise, and 24/7 technical assistance. There is also a support hub for added guidance, troubleshooting, and FAQs to ensure smooth use of the platform.Can institutions customize their Top Hat plans?
Yes, institutions can work with Top Hat to create customized plans that meet their specific needs. These plans can be department-wide or campus-wide, and they can be tailored based on the institution’s requirements.How does Top Hat integrate with other educational tools?
Top Hat can integrate with learning management systems like Brightspace to sync grades and automate attendance. It also offers a range of digital textbooks and labs that can be integrated into the platform.What kind of content can educators create with Top Hat?
Educators can create a variety of content, including interactive lectures by uploading slides, live or asynchronous polling content, anonymous surveys and polls, and personalized course content using the Pages Content Editor.