Top Hat
What is Top Hat
Top Hat is an audience response system and interactive lecture platform.
What is the purpose of Top Hat
Top Hat allows instructors to make their lectures more interactive through ability to annotate slides during and pose questions to students throughout the session. By responding to questions through their own device (i.e. laptop, cellphone), students get instant feedback on their thinking. Students utilize their own device for responding rather than through a purchased clicker.
How to use Top Hat
Instructors can access and utilize Top Hat through a computer (by logging in via web browser) or tablet (by logging in via Top Hat app). From their device, instructors can upload slides (i.e. a PowerPoint presentation), develop questions for audience response, present and annotate content, and pose questions to students live.
Students purchase a subscription to Top Hat on a term, annual, or lifetime basis. Students access their account through a computer (by logging in via web browser), tablet or smartphone (by logging in via web browser or Top Hat app). During class, students get a live view of instructor's slides and any annotations being made. When questions are posed to them they use their device to respond. Responses are instantly displayed for the instructor to debrief.
Top Hat offers a range of features for teaching and learning and is often used to:
- Annotate slides while lecturing to emphasize key points, illustrate diagrams or figures, demonstrate change, etc.
- Pose a question to the class for real time response and follow up. There are six different question styles: multiple choice, fill in the blank, numerical answers, matching questions, click on target, and sorting questions.
- Host an online discussion during lectures to ask subjective and interpretive questions, facilitate dialogue and clarify understandings
- Facilitate formative and/or summative assessments of learning
Literature
Van Nuland, S. E., Roach, V. A., Wilson, T. D., & Belliveau, D. J. Head to head: The role of academic competition in undergraduate anatomical education. Anatomical Sciences Education, 8(5), 404-412. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ase.1498/full
Peisachovich, E. H., Murtha, S., Phillips, A., & Messinger, G. (2016). Flipping the classroom: A pedagogical approach to applying clinical judgement by engaging, interacting, and collaborating with nursing students. International Journal of Higher Education, 5(4), 114-121. http://www.sciedu.ca/journal/index.php/ijhe/article/view/10353/6291
Where to find Support
This tool is not centrally supported
Help and Documentation
Supported Tools to Consider
Tool Evaluation
Functionality
| Rating | Rationale |
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ScaleThe tool can scaled to accommodate any size class but lacks flexibility to create smaller sub-groups or communities of practice |
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Ease of UseThe tool has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate and personalize |
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Tech Support/Help AvailabilityIn-person or email based technical support is readily available and aids users in troubleshooting tasks or solving problems experienced |
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HypermedialityTop Hat allows users to communicate through different channels (audio, visual, textual) and allows for non-sequential, flexible/adaptive engagement with material. This is achieved through the various question types Top Hat allows and the ability to assign questions as homework or review. |
Accessibility
| Rating | Rationale |
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AODA FriendlyIn general, Top Hat is accessible to students with disabilities. However, this depends on how an instructor utilizes the tool. See Utilizing Top Hat with Accessibility for strategies in making Top Hat material more accessible. |
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User-focused participationThe tool is designed to address the needs of diverse users, their various literacies, and capabilities, thereby widening opportunities for participation in learning |
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Required EquipmentInstructors require either a laptop or tablet to use Top Hat (a tablet if they wish to annotate their slides). Students require a laptop, tablet, or cell phone (smartphone or SMS text). |
Technical
| Rating | Rationale |
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OWL IntegrationGrades generated from Top Hat can be integrated with the OWL gradebook by manually uploading a csv file of grades. The csv file is easily produced by Top Hat and easily uploaded to OWL. Top Hat cannot be automatically synced with OWL. |
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Operating SystemsUsers can effectively utilize the tool with any standard, up-to-date operating system (i.e. Windows 10, Apple OSX, etc.) |
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Web BrowserUsers can effectively utilize the tool with any standard, up-to-date web browser (i.e. Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer 10 etc.) |
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Additional Tech RequirementsUsers can effectively utilize the tool without any browser extensions or downloaded software |
Mobile Design
| Rating | Rationale |
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Mobile Operating SystemsThe tool is fully functional with a range of electronic mobile devices (laptops, tablets, touchscreens, mobile devices, etc.) including both smartphones and SMS text phones for student response. |
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Mobile FunctionalityThere is little to no functional difference between the mobile app and the main tool, except in the case where a student is using an SMS text phone where responses are limited to multiple choice style questions |
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Offline AccessTop Hat has been designed to function even when students are offline, have weak reception in class, exceed their data limit, or lose wifi connectivity. See Offline Mode Submissions for details. |
Usage and Account Set Up
| Rating | Rationale |
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Sign Up/Sign InAll users (instructors and students) must create an external account or additional login, and personal information is collected |
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Cost of UseUse of the tool requires students to purchase a subscription for Top Hat for the term, the year, or lifetime access. See pricing here |
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Archiving, Saving, and Exporting DataUsers can archive, save, or import and export content or activity data in a variety of formats. Instructors can save presentations and questions. Students may export presentation content in PDF format (when an instructor permits). To download, the student must access Top Hat through a web browser on a laptop or desktop. |
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Data Privacy and OwnershipUsers maintain ownership and copyright of their intellectual property/data; data is stored on both US and Canadian servers. |
Social Presence
| Rating | Rationale |
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CollaborationThe tool has the capacity to support a community of learning through both asynchronous and synchronous opportunities for communication, interactivity, and transfer of meaning between users. The discussion feature supports this best. |
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User AccountabilityStudents are identified in the system by their name. The tool provides technical solutions for holding students accountable for their actions, i.e. when inappropriate comments are made in a discussion, instructors can delete the comment. |
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DiffusionStudent familiarity with the tool is likely mixed, some will lack technical competence with its functions |
Instructor Presence
| Rating | Rationale |
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FacilitationThe tool has easy-to-use features that would significantly improve an instructor’s ability to be present with students via active management, monitoring, and engagement |
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CustomizationTool is adaptable to its environment: easily customized to suit the classroom context and targeted learning outcomes |
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Learning AnalyticsInstructor can monitor students’ performance on a variety of responsive measures |
Cognitive Presence
| Rating | Rationale |
|---|---|
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Enhancement of Cognitive Task(s)Given the range of question types, Top Hat offers the opportunity for enhance engagement in targeted cognitive task(s) that were once overly complex or inconceivable through other means |
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Higher Order ThinkingUse of the tool easily facilitates students to exercise higher order thinking skills (given consideration to design, facilitation, and direction from instructor) |
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Feedback on LearningThrough the tool, students can regularly receive formative feedback on learning (i.e. they can track their performance, monitor their improvement, test their knowledge, etc.) |
Security and Privacy
This tool has not been formally reviewed by Western’s Technology Risk Assessment Committee
Security and Privacy Flags
Accounts
- Users are required to create and use a non-Western account. It is highly recommended that users do not use the same username and password that is in use at Western.
Information Collection
- Application collects information that could identify the user specifically (email address, class schedule, etc..)
- Application collects information that is confidential (physical address, drivers licence number, health card number, social insurance number)
EULA
- Acceptance of the Application's Terms of Conditions or End User License Agreement may bind the institution to an agreement thereby requiring legal counsel to review the application contract.
- EULA is complex and difficult to understand
Cost and Approval
- Due to the cost of this application, procurement requires an RFP and a formal signature on behalf of the organization from AVP or higher
- The application may require the instructor to enter credit card information
- The application may require students to enter credit card information
Integration
- This application saves grading information independently from OWL
- This application transmits data (grades, student data, etc...) to or from a Western system of record
- This application is hosted outside of Canada
Last Updated: September 16, 2020
Rubric
The eLearning Toolkit Evaluations are made available under the terms of the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence
Feedback
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Topic at a Glance
Top Hat is an audience response system and interactive lecture platform.
