TORONTO — November 1, 2023 — Top Hat, the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, announces the launch of Ace, a groundbreaking new AI-powered assistant designed to create better teaching and learning experiences for both educators and students.

Since 2009, Top Hat has been making education more effective, inclusive, and accessible, and these new features further that mission by combining the latest advancements in artificial intelligence with the experience and expertise of educators.

“Higher education is undergoing a significant shift, and we believe AI presents incredible opportunities to enhance student success when applied in an intentional and empathetic way. These new features, all part of what we are calling Ace, are designed to improve the impact of instruction by making it easier to use evidence-based practices that drive student participation. In turn, this enhances the feeling of belonging and ensures students have the guidance they need to stay engaged in their coursework and persist in their pursuit of a college degree,” said Joe Rohrlich, CEO of Top Hat. 

“Our AI-powered features were developed with a data-informed approach to support both the creative and administrative aspects of course design and delivery. They give students on-demand, AI-enabled support without having to turn to a third party platform, while also freeing educators from time-consuming tasks like assessment and lecture prep so they can focus on teaching. With Ace, we are empowering educators to make the most of their time with students to emphasize applying knowledge, engaging in discussion, and collaborating with peers,” said Hong Bui, Chief Product Officer of Top Hat.

How students can use Ace

Personalized support is one of the best tools in driving better student outcomes, and Ace now gives every student the benefit of a personal assistant. Now when students are looking for help on assignments, they don’t have to leave Top Hat to find it—Ace offers AI-powered support on the spot. Students can ask questions about what they’re learning and Ace will provide a relevant response that is integrated with the course material, meaning they don’t have to look for answers outside of Top Hat. Ace invites students to engage more deeply with content, turning coursework into a more inclusive conversation that inspires them to work through the material with confidence.

How educators can use Ace

Ace supports educators with AI-powered questions that make it easier and faster than ever to integrate regular formative assessments into course delivery. With the click of a button, educators can use Ace to generate questions, hints, and explanations based on surrounding content in their course. The AI-generated questions can be added directly to lectures and quizzes or edited by the educator, ensuring instructors retain complete control over their material. Not only does this give students regular opportunities to practice applying learning and receive feedback rooted in their course content, it saves educators countless hours in course prep so they have more time to focus on their class. Data has shown that the more students engage with their learning material, the better grade they can achieve, and Ace allows instructors to easily build interactive materials to create a more engaging experience. 

How Top Hat is empowering educators to connect with their students

Students consistently express a desire for more active learning, more engagement, and more chances to interact with educators and their peers. Top Hat Ace gives them just that, while offering the opportunity for students to dig further into what they’re learning beyond what is required in their coursework. Ace also improves the depth and breadth of actionable insights collected on Top Hat’s platform, providing a better understanding of student outcomes, preferences, and the overall impact of learning materials and teaching methods. This is just the beginning—Ace will continue to drive innovation in Top Hat grounded in evidence-based principles, offering technological assistance for adaptive learning materials, studying efficiency, and making education more accessible to a diverse range of students. All of this work will follow Top Hat’s Guiding Principles on AI.

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ evidence-based teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class. To learn more, please visit tophat.com.

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“Curtis has an exceptional track record, having led the finance and operational functions to support the growth strategies for some of North America’s largest and most successful B2C and B2B technology organizations,” said Joe Rohrlich, CEO of Top Hat. “We are excited to welcome a leader who not only brings proven domain expertise, but the collaboration and broad company leadership we need to make Top Hat the partner of record for colleges and universities across North America.” 

An accomplished finance executive, Curtis spent more than a decade at Ancestry.com where he served as the VP and Global Head of Financial Planning and Analysis. Under his leadership, he led the billion-dollar company from being public to three private equity recaps, supported M&A activities from opportunity evaluation to integration, and enhanced and maintained IPO readiness. Prior to Ancestry.com, Curtis led Financial Planning and Analysis at Omniture where he oversaw several strategic acquisitions, improved the accuracy of forecasting and profitability models, and guided the company through its successful acquisition by Adobe.

“Top Hat has established itself as a true force for change and innovation in higher education,” said Tripoli. “I am thrilled to work with an organization with such growth potential and with a team that is so dedicated to helping instructors and institutions transform the learning experience for their students.”

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact

Top Hat
Eric Gardiner
eric.gardiner@tophat.com

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TORONTO — December 5, 2022 — Top Hat, the market leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, has entered into an agreement to acquire Aktiv Learning (101 Edu, Inc.), a company revolutionizing education and learning technology in STEM disciplines. Given the growing demand for STEM careers, ensuring high quality learning is critical to both student and university success. This acquisition accelerates Top Hat’s mission to deliver personalized, engaging, and equitable learning for every student. 

“As a leader in student engagement, we have significant reach across a wide range of students and subject areas,” said Joe Rohrlich, CEO of Top Hat. “This acquisition reflects our commitment to be the partner of record for higher education institutions — from broad engagement to discipline-specific solutions that enable active, personalized learning, especially in STEM courses that are so crucial to the overall student experience.”

Since launching in 2016, Aktiv Learning’s platform for STEM has been embraced by educators at more than 700 institutions to drive increased engagement and outcomes in critical introductory courses. Its inaugural product, Aktiv Chemistry, now helps more than 120,000 students learn each year, and the company has recently expanded with new offerings in mathematics. 

Aktiv Learning’s rapid growth is a testament to the power of its technology and the depth of its educational toolset, which allows students to experience, interact with, and visualize difficult STEM concepts in a mobile-first approach. Pioneering technology provides students with feedback that adapts to their individual misconceptions as they problem solve, providing the guidance and motivation to drive engagement and academic success. According to a recent survey representing 450 schools, 91% of students said Aktiv Learning improved their grades while 86% said it made them more engaged or interested in chemistry. 

“Uneven preparedness and negative experiences in introductory science and mathematics courses keep too many students from succeeding, particularly those from historically underrepresented communities,” said Dr. Justin Weinberg, co-founder and CEO of Aktiv Learning. “We are excited to join with Top Hat to accelerate our vision to transform STEM education at scale. With Top Hat, we will continue delivering the innovations faculty need to make STEM more engaging, more supportive, and to foster the sense of community that is so important to the success of today’s students.” 

Aktiv Learning recently launched new offerings for Developmental Math and other critical math courses to address the growing math education crisis impacting millions of students. In the longer-term, combining Aktiv’s innovative learning solutions with Top Hat’s strengths in dynamic courseware will empower educators to deliver truly connected learning experiences, while also creating additional opportunities to accelerate growth. As part of the acquisition, Aktiv founders Dr. Justin Weinberg and Igor Belyayev will join Top Hat in leadership positions to drive STEM strategy and product innovation. 

“Active learning and frequent low-stakes assessment have been shown time and again to improve learning outcomes, yet applying these practices in STEM disciplines is highly nuanced,” said Dr. Brad Cohen, Chief Academic Officer at Top Hat. “With Aktiv, we are providing the specialized tools educators need to engage students in personalized and customized environments that enable them to learn the best way possible — by doing.”  

About Aktiv Learning

Aktiv Learning (101 Edu, Inc.) was born from years of STEM teaching experience by CEO Justin Weinberg, a Ph.D. chemical engineer from Carnegie Mellon University. Together with co-founder and CTO Igor Belyayev’s innovative technological approach, the team set about launching a market-leading classroom engagement and homework system specifically designed to bring active learning to STEM education. This includes interactive problem solving activities, assessments, and a library of learning resources that empower educators to improve student engagement, confidence, and learning outcomes. With the success of Aktiv Chemistry and recent launch of Aktiv Mathematics, the platform continues to realize extraordinary growth and is adopted by faculty at more than 700 colleges and universities across North America.   

Good Harbor Partners (GHP) served as the sole advisor for Aktiv Learning. Managing Partner, Mark Miller, has been a long-time strategic advisor and supporter of the company. 

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact

Top Hat
Eric Gardiner
eric.gardiner@tophat.com

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TORONTO – November 23, 2022 – Top Hat, the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, is delighted to welcome Timothy Tomlinson as Chief Technology Officer. Tomlinson brings extensive executive experience having led product and technology teams at Blackboard, one of the largest educational technology companies in North America. Tomlinson’s record of driving transformation and sustainable value creation will be instrumental in supporting Top Hat’s efforts to deliver personalized, engaging, and equitable learning through next generation educational technology. 

“As we transform the learning experience for millions of students across North America, Tim is exactly the technology leader we need to increase the reach and impact of Top Hat,” said Joe Rohrlich, CEO of Top Hat. “From engagement across Higher Ed institutions to discipline-specific solutions, this appointment reflects our commitment to delivering the innovation our institutional partners need to improve student engagement, retention and outcomes at scale.” 

Tomlinson brings more than 15 years of senior executive experience in the educational technology industry. He most recently served as Blackboard’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, a role that included guiding the company’s global technology organization. A proven leader of product and technology teams, Tomlinson spearheaded multiple M&A initiatives along with the transition of Blackboard’s technology portfolio to SaaS and public Cloud technologies. As a champion of education as a pathway to opportunity and personal development, Tomlinson has also served on the Executive Committee of the Technical Advisory Board for the IMS Global Learning Consortium. 

“I’m thrilled to join an organization whose mission is so closely aligned with my belief in the power of technology to serve as a force for good in student learning,” said Tomlinson. “Top Hat has had a remarkable journey and I look forward to helping write the next chapter with a customer experience that creates meaningful impact for students, faculty and institutions alike.”

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact

Top Hat
Eric Gardiner
eric.gardiner@tophat.com

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TORONTO – October 14, 2022 – Tech in Motion has named Top Hat, a leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, as Toronto’s Best Tech for Good in this year’s Timmy Awards. The award recognizes organizations that are using disruptive technology to tackle today’s most pressing social issues, including the drive to make higher education more accessible, inclusive and affordable. Top Hat was chosen based on a voting process that involved thousands of technologists from Toronto and across North America. 

“Our belief in the power of higher education to change lives is the driving force behind everything we do,” said Joe Rohrlich, CEO of Top Hat. “This award speaks volumes about the commitment our incredible team of Top Hatters and customers demonstrate each day to ensuring as many people as possible reap the benefits of an inclusive, meaningful and high-quality university education.”

Over the past year, Top Hat has made significant strides to help higher education scale efforts to improve student outcomes through more engaging, accessible, and equitable learning experiences. This includes empowering educators to tailor course content to reduce costs and better reflect the needs, interests and diversity of their students. Live polling tools, interactive readings, and discussions ensure that every student in every course is an active participant in the learning process. The Top Hat platform also generates timely insights into progress at a class and individual level so students receive the feedback and guidance they need to feel known, understood and supported. 

“Winners in the Best Tech for Good combine innovation and passion with the power of technology to try to improve their communities and the world at large,” says Lindsay Lewis, Executive Director of Marketing at Motion Recruitment, Tech in Motion’s creator. “It is a privilege to be a part of sharing those stories through the Timmy Awards and to highlight the tech that is helping overcome the world’s challenges.”

As well as Best Tech for Good, the 2022 Timmys include five other categories: Best Tech Startup, Best Tech Enterprise Employer, Best Tech Work Culture, Best Tech Workplace for Diversity and Best Tech Manager. Top Hat and other regional winners are contenders in the final North American round, judged by experts from across the tech field, including representatives from Fidelity Investments, Salesforce, Siri & Change.org, and many more. North American winners will be announced at the Annual Timmy Awards ceremony on November 10th, 2022. To attend for free or see all finalists, visit the Timmys website.

About Tech in Motion Events 

Tech in Motion is a North American events and community platform that brings local tech professionals together to connect, learn and innovate. What started as a passion project in 2011, by IT staffing and recruiting firm Motion Recruitment, grew into an organization of over 300,000 members across 14 chapters in North America including Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, D.C, LA, New York, Orange County, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Toronto. Visit www.techinmotion.com for more details.   

About Top Hat

Top Hat is North America’s leading dynamic courseware platform, enabling educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact

Top Hat
Eric Gardiner
eric.gardiner@tophat.com

Tech in Motion Events
Lindsay Lewis
lindsay.lewis@techinmotionevents.com

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“Nicole’s long-standing dedication to leading and strengthening organizations addressing equity gaps in our society is truly inspiring,” said Joe Rohrlich, CEO of Top Hat. “Her experience as a senior administrator at some of the most respected universities in the United States is the perfect complement to our board and supports our focus on partnering with institutions to transform the learning experience for students at scale.” 

Taylor brings deep expertise within higher education, having served as vice president of the ASU Foundation and Deputy Vice President and Dean of Students at Arizona State University, a school widely regarded as one of the most innovative institutions in the United States. Prior to her current role as President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the largest community foundation in the country, she served as the Associate Vice Provost of Student Affairs and Dean of Community Engagement and Diversity at Stanford University. 

Taylor’s early experience as an educator in the Oakland public school system shaped her life-long commitment to education and improving the lives of young people. This includes leadership roles at Thrive Foundation for Youth, College Track and the East Bay Community Foundation where she raised millions for the African American Male Achievement Initiative, a program credited with significantly increasing graduation rates among black male students. For her many accomplishments and contributions to addressing inequality, Taylor was recently named to Forbes Magazine’s 2022 ‘50 Over 50’ listing.

“Higher education has been such an important part of my life and despite many challenges, remains the surest path to success and wellbeing for our youth,” says Taylor. “I couldn’t be more excited to support an organization that touches so many students and cares so deeply about ensuring as many people as possible benefit from an inclusive, high quality and engaging university education.”

About Top Hat

Top Hat is North America’s leading dynamic courseware platform, enabling educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact

Top Hat
Eric Gardiner
eric.gardiner@tophat.com

The post Top Hat Welcomes Nicole Taylor, Silicon Valley Community Foundation CEO and Former University Dean, to Its Board of Directors appeared first on Top Hat.

“Our growth is a direct reflection of Top Hatters’ commitment to transforming the learning experience for millions of college and university students across North America,” said Joe Rohrlich, CEO of Top Hat. “We believe in the power of higher education to change lives and I want to thank our incredible team for continuing to empower educators to do just this by delivering personalized, meaningful and equitable learning in every course.”

Over the past year Top Hat has made significant strides to help higher education institutions scale efforts to improve student outcomes through more engaging, accessible, equitable and affordable learning. This includes investing in platform innovation, digital publishing and professional services to help colleges and universities achieve faster time to value and measure the impact of Top Hat on the student experience. In February of 2021, Top Hat successfully completed its Series E fundraise in the amount of $130 million USD, demonstrating investor confidence in the company’s long–term growth potential. 

“In an uncertain world, the success stories of the companies marked in this year’s Report on Business magazine’s list of Top Growing Companies are a beacon of optimism,” says Phillip Crawley, Publisher and CEO of The Globe and Mail. “The Globe and Mail congratulates them on their achievements.”

About Top Hat

Top Hat is North America’s leading dynamic courseware platform, enabling educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact

Top Hat
Eric Gardiner
eric.gardiner@tophat.com

The post Top Hat Named One of Canada’s Top Growing Companies by the Globe and Mail for Second Year appeared first on Top Hat.

TORONTO — May 25, 2022 — Top Hat, the leading dynamic courseware platform for higher education, is delighted to welcome Hong Bui as Chief Product Officer, Bradley Cohen as Chief Academic Officer and to announce the promotion of Donna Battista to Managing Director, Learning Solutions. The appointment of three seasoned executives to the company’s senior leadership team adds a number of complementary strengths that will enhance Top Hat’s ability to bring next generation educational technology to colleges and universities across North America. This includes deep experience in consumer and enterprise product design under Hong Bui, digital publishing and content strategy under Donna Battista and both academic and institutional executive experience under Bradley Cohen. 

“Hong, Bradley and Donna infuse our executive team with the domain expertise, fresh perspectives and proven leadership we need to accelerate our mission to transform the learning experience for millions of students across North America,” said Joe Rohrlich, CEO of Top Hat. “We are tremendously excited to welcome these accomplished individuals as we empower educators to deliver meaningful, personalized and equitable learning in every course.” 

Hong Bui joins Top Hat from GoDaddy where he led the organization’s security business across its global brands portfolio. Hong brings over two decades of senior executive experience developing and launching products on behalf of industry luminaries such as Amazon, Expedia and Apple. As Chief Product Officer, Hong will be responsible for driving Top Hat’s product innovation to increase value to students and academic institutions, and enhance the company’s competitive positioning and business growth. 

Bradley Cohen brings 25 years of academic and executive leadership experience to the role of Chief Academic Officer, having served most recently as Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Ohio University. A former faculty member, senior vice provost and academic technology officer, Bradley will provide leadership and advocacy within the higher education community as well as strategic guidance to support Top Hat’s product development, digital publishing and institutional engagement strategy. 

In her role as Managing Director, Learning Solutions, Donna Battista will oversee the strategy and development of Top Hat’s growing catalog of high quality, interactive digital learning experiences, custom content delivery and content services. Prior to joining Top Hat as Vice President, Content Strategy, Donna held senior executive positions at Burning Glass Technologies and Pearson Education where she served as Vice President, Product Management. 

“We believe higher education is at an inflection point as institutions seek to deliver learning experiences that are more accessible, equitable and consistent with the needs and expectations of today’s students,” said Rohrlich. “Our latest appointments reflect our commitment to serving as an innovative partner dedicated to helping institutions improve student engagement, outcomes and retention.”  

Over the past year, Top Hat has made significant investments in its senior leadership team to accelerate its growth strategy. Recent appointments include Matt Schurk as Chief Revenue Officer, Jessica Hately as Chief Legal Officer and, most recently, Maggie Leen as Chief Marketing Officer. 

About Top Hat

Top Hat is North America’s leading dynamic courseware platform, enabling educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact

Top Hat
Eric Gardiner
eric.gardiner@tophat.com

The post Top Hat Deepens Executive Leadership Team with New Chief Product Officer, Chief Academic Officer and Managing Director, Learning Solutions appeared first on Top Hat.

As institutions and educators increasingly turn to Top Hat as a trusted partner to improve student engagement, outcomes, and retention, Leen joins an executive bench driven to accelerate the company’s next phase of global growth and impact 

More than 3 million students are enrolled in courses using Top Hat at 750 of the top 1,000 higher ed institutions in North America

TORONTO — November 17, 2021 — Top Hat, the leading teaching and learning platform for higher education, today announced that Maggie Leen has joined the company as its new Chief Marketing Officer. Leen oversees Top Hat’s growth and product marketing, brand management, and corporate communications, and brings her deep experience building and scaling high-performing organizations to support the company’s go-to-market strategy. Leen is the latest addition in a series of key executive hires made by new CEO Joe Rohrlich to build on and scale Top Hat’s global growth and momentum. 

“Maggie brings a perfect blend of performance culture, domain expertise, and motivational leadership to Top Hat,” said Joe Rohrlich, CEO, Top Hat. “She has a strong understanding of the higher education landscape and our opportunities, a deep expertise for driving customer acquisition, and a passion for brand-building. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome her to the team.”

Leen joins Top Hat from Adtalem Global Education where she led a team of marketing, business development, communications, and creative professionals on a $900M portfolio focused on driving enrollment and revenue growth, broader access to healthcare education, and improved student outcomes. Prior to that, she spent 14 years at Pearson in a series of progressively senior roles across sales and marketing, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Product Marketing in the company’s Global Higher Education division. She led a team of marketing and creative professionals and drove growth marketing strategy for a $1.4B portfolio of educational technology, assessment tools, and related content. 

“I’ve dedicated my career to improving education because I believe that knowledge and skills have the power to transform someone’s life,” said Leen. “At a time when it’s more important than ever to give everyone a voice and encourage discussion, empathy, and critical thinking, I’m thrilled to join the team at Top Hat to drive growth while making an impact on access to high quality learning experiences for all students.”

Setting the Stage for Global Growth and Impact

In 2021, Top Hat announced the next phase of the company’s growth, driven by incoming CEO Joe Rohrlich and bolstered by a $130M USD Series E fundraise. The funding enables Top Hat to continue its momentum of partnership and acquisition activities after acquiring four traditional publishers during the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully transitioning their content and customers to Top Hat’s teaching and learning platform.

Since Rohrlich joined Top Hat eight months ago, the company has announced:

• A strategic partnership with D2L, a global learning technology provider, to bring together Top Hat and D2L’s tools, services, and support to help educators and institutions deliver engaging, motivating, and rewarding learning experiences to students in any teaching environment
• Matt Schurk as the company’s new Chief Revenue Officer, who brings a proven track record for leading high-performing teams and delivering predictable revenue growth
• Jessica Hately as Top Hat’s first Chief Legal Officer, with extensive experience in corporate strategy and worldwide mergers and acquisitions
• The acquisition of Morton Publishing Company, an independent press that brings educational content for the sciences that are being converted into customizable and interactive courseware on Top Hat’s platform

About Top Hat

Top Hat is the only all-in-one teaching and learning platform that enables active learning — a proven student-centred teaching pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — with interactive content, tools, and activities. Millions of students at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to teach and engage with students before, during, and after class, in both in-person and online education.

Contact

Top Hat
Dianna Lai Read
dianna.lairead@tophat.com 

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Canada’s Top Growing Companies ranks Canadian companies on three-year revenue growth. Launched in 2019, the Canada’s Top Growing Companies editorial ranking aims to celebrate entrepreneurial achievement in Canada by identifying and amplifying the success of growth-minded, independent businesses in Canada. It is a voluntary program; companies had to complete an in-depth application process in order to qualify. In total, 448 companies earned a spot on this year’s ranking. 

“Since joining Top Hat six months ago, I have consistently been blown away by the passion and commitment every single Top Hatter brings to their work every day,” said Joe Rohrlich, CEO, Top Hat. “The team goes above and beyond to support educators to successfully continue teaching through the challenges and uncertainties of the pandemic. And they are the reason we’ve experienced exponential growth over the past few years.”

The full list of 2021 winners, and accompanying editorial coverage, is published in the October issue of Report on Business magazine — out now — and online.

“As we look toward the future, Canada’s Top Growing Companies offer both inspiration and practical insights for other firms facing similar challenges,” says James Cowan, Editor of Report on Business magazine. “The entrepreneurs behind these companies are smart, tenacious and unwavering in their commitment to their goals.”

 “Any business leader seeking inspiration should look no further than the 448 businesses on this year’s Report on Business ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies,” says Phillip Crawley, Publisher and CEO of The Globe and Mail. “Their growth helps to make Canada a better place, and we are proud to bring their stories to our readers.”

About The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail is Canada’s foremost news media company, leading the national discussion and causing policy change through brave and independent journalism since 1844. With award-winning coverage of business, politics and national affairs, The Globe and Mail newspaper reaches 6.4 million readers every week in print or digital formats, and Report on Business magazine reaches 2 million readers in print and digital every issue. The Globe and Mail’s investment in innovative data science means that as the world continues to change, so does The Globe. The Globe and Mail is owned by Woodbridge, the investment arm of the Thomson family.

About Top Hat

Top Hat is the only all-in-one teaching  and learning platform that enables active learning — a proven student-centred teaching pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — with interactive content, tools, and activities. Millions of students at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to teach and engage with students before, during, and after class, in both in-person and online education.

Contact

Top Hat
Dianna Lai Read
dianna.lairead@tophat.com 

The post Top Hat Recognized in The Globe and Mail’s Third-annual Ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies appeared first on Top Hat.

Morton’s content is brought to life with interactive elements to facilitate critical thinking and problem-solving skills

Educators who adopt these titles on Top Hat’s all-in-one teaching platform have the flexibility to deliver engaging labs and other learning resources to motivate their students in any teaching environment, whether in-person or online, synchronous or asynchronous

Morton Publishing Company is Top Hat’s fourth publishing acquisition in just over a year, supporting more educators to modernize their teaching approach, delivering engaging student-centred learning experiences

Top Hat’s platform enables educators to leverage active learning to engage students inside and outside the classroom, with  interactive readings, live discussion and polling tools, and homework assignments, and real-time insights for just-in-time intervention

More than 3 million students are enrolled in courses using Top Hat at 750 of the top 1,000 higher ed institutions in North America

TORONTO — August 26, 2021 — Top Hat, the leading customizable teaching and learning platform for higher education, has acquired Morton Publishing Company, an independent press that specializes in educational content for the sciences. Details of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition includes more than 600 labs and course materials that are being converted into customizable digital courseware on Top Hat’s platform, to continue to deliver affordable course materials to students. They will be infused with interactive elements to facilitate active learning, such as videos, simulations, interactive homework questions, and more. Educators who adopt these titles on Top Hat’s teaching platform will be able to engage and motivate students in any teaching environment, whether in-person or online, synchronous or asynchronous. 

Morton Publishing Company is a leading publisher of course materials for science disciplines, and its content is used at more than 1,500 institutions in the United States. This acquisition enables Morton and Top Hat to create interactive experiences from the most popular lab materials over the course of the upcoming academic year. East Wind acted as exclusive financial advisor to Morton Publishing.

“We have worked closely with Morton’s team as a partner and now as part of the Top Hat platform to deliver modern student-centred learning experiences.  We have been incredibly impressed with Morton’s commitment to going above and beyond for their customers,” said Joe Rohrlich, CEO, Top Hat. “By coming together as one team, we will be able to facilitate creative, meaningful, and purposeful ways for even more students to learn the information and skills they need to succeed.”

“To be in a position to be acquired is a remarkable achievement. Since Doug Morton founded our company over 40 years ago, Morton Publishing has prided itself on working with our authors to offer a dynamic catalog of products focused on delivering tools for active learning with sensible prices for students and instructors,” said David Ferguson, President and CEO, Morton Publishing. “Top Hat provides us the opportunity to meet the future with solutions that will only be possible using their best-in-class digital learning platform. Morton Publishing’s acquisition by Top Hat is the perfect opportunity at the perfect time.”

As Students Question the Relevance and Value of Expensive Print Textbooks, Higher Ed Publishers Need to Put Interactivity and Customizability First 

In February, 2021, Top Hat announced it raised $130M USD in Series E financing to drive the shift from traditional textbooks to digital interactive course materials. With this funding, Top Hat will fast track partnership and acquisition activities with traditional publishers to create more engaging and effective course experiences. Top Hat proved the strength and viability of its publisher acquisition strategy in 2020, completing acquisitions of Nelson’s Canadian higher ed business, bluedoor, and Fountainhead Press and successfully transitioning their content and customers to Top Hat’s digital teaching platform after raising $55M in Series D funding in February, 2020.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated pressures on higher ed institutions to demonstrate value to students, who are increasingly facing challenges with the cost, accessibility, and relevance of their print course materials. In fact, our recent research has found that even when it’s safe to teach in person, more than half of students want to work with interactive textbooks that allow them to read and assess their learning as they go,” said Rohrlich. “Every traditional publisher needs to put learner needs at the core of their content, and Top Hat makes that possible, with the added benefit of a proven teaching platform designed to deliver learner experiences that are accessible, engaging, and rewarding.”

Top Hat’s Teaching Platform Enables Educators to Deliver Engaging and Effective Learning in Any Teaching Scenario

Top Hat’s  all-in-one teaching platform enables active learning — a proven student-centred teaching pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — by encouraging students to engage with the content before, during, and after class. As the complete solution for any teaching scenario, Top Hat offers tools for in-person as well as synchronous and asynchronous online learning, while creating active engagement and connections with students inside and outside class meetings. 

To learn more about Top Hat:

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About Top Hat

Top Hat is the only all-in-one teaching  and learning platform that enables active learning — a proven student-centred teaching pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — with interactive content, tools, and activities. Millions of students at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to teach and engage with students before, during, and after class, in both in-person and online education.

Contact

Top Hat

Dianna Lai Read

dianna.lairead@tophat.com 

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Former sales leader at Bazaarvoice, Matt Schurk, brings proven track record for leading high-performing teams and delivering predictable revenue growth as Top Hat’s new CRO

Top Hat’s first CLO Jessica Hately joins from GoDaddy and brings extensive experience with corporate strategy and worldwide mergers and acquisitions

More than 3 million students are enrolled in courses using Top Hat at 750 of the top 1,000 higher ed institutions in North America

TORONTO — August 10, 2021 — Top Hat, the leading active learning courseware platform for higher education, today announced two new hires to strengthen the company’s executive bench. Matt Schurk has joined Top Hat as Chief Revenue Officer and oversees all revenue and customer teams. Jessica Hately has joined as Chief Legal Officer and oversees all legal functions. Both Schurk and Hately will serve as members of Top Hat’s executive team and report directly to CEO Joe Rohrlich. 

“Our mission at Top Hat is to improve the higher ed learning experience by empowering educators with the tools and content they need to engage their students and unleash their potential,” said Rohrlich. “We’ve enjoyed tremendous growth over the past few years and there is significant opportunity ahead of us. Matt and Jessica both have deep experience with building and scaling high-performing organizations, and their expertise will accelerate our ability to bring that mission to life.” 

Schurk joins Top Hat from Bazaarvoice where he led the company’s 400 percent revenue growth as the Vice President of Sales and Client Success. He served at the company for more than eight years and oversaw a team of more than 120 sales professionals. 

“As a first-generation college student who experienced firsthand the life-changing impact of higher education, I’m thrilled to join Top Hat and help make every classroom a place of connection, engagement, and success,” said Schurk. “The company has already enjoyed impressive growth and has attracted a world-class leadership team. I’m excited to bring my experience building and scaling sales organizations in North America to help the company reach new heights.”

Hately joins Top Hat from GoDaddy, where she served for more than six years, most recently as VP of Legal Affairs. She supported the company’s growth strategy, led worldwide mergers and acquisitions, oversaw corporate compliance, and helped expand the legal team internationally and into new lines of business. Prior to that, she served as Senior Corporate Counsel at LifeLock, where she worked on corporate governance, securities, and mergers and acquisitions.

Setting the Stage to Accelerate Top Hat’s Transformation of Traditional Higher Ed Publishing

In February, 2021, Top Hat announced the next phase of the company’s growth, driven by new leadership and bolstered by a $130M USD Series E fundraise. Incoming CEO Joe Rohrlich was handpicked by Top Hat co-founder Mike Silagadze to guide the company through its next phase of aggressive global growth. Rohrlich’s strong go-to-market background and track record scaling software companies made him the best fit to take Top Hat to new heights for both the company’s customers and employees. 

Rohrlich joined the company as it builds on a year of accelerated growth with a $130M Series E fundraise. The funding enables Top Hat to fast track partnership and acquisition activities with traditional publishers to create more engaging and effective course experiences. Top Hat will acquire more high-quality publisher content that will be delivered directly from Top Hat’s easy-to-use active learning platform, empowering educators with great course materials and powerful tools to improve the teaching and learning experience. Top Hat proved the strength and viability of its publisher acquisition strategy during the pandemic in 2020, completing acquisitions of Nelson’s Canadian higher ed business, bluedoor, and Fountainhead Press, successfully transitioning their content and customers to Top Hat’s digital teaching platform after raising $55 million in Series D funding one year ago.

About Top Hat

Top Hat is the only all-in-one courseware platform that enables active learning — a proven student-centred teaching pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — with interactive content, tools, and activities. Millions of students at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to teach and engage with students before, during, and after class, in both in-person and online education.

Contact

Top Hat
Dianna Lai Read
dianna.lairead@tophat.com

The post Top Hat Strengthens Executive Bench with New Chief Revenue Officer and First Chief Legal Officer to Fuel Global Growth Acceleration appeared first on Top Hat.

The pandemic also highlighted the difficulty of providing equitable access to education, with one in three students experiencing challenges accessing the technology and resources required to support learning

To decrease barriers in higher education, VCU partnered with Top Hat to provide free access to Top Hat’s teaching platform and save students up to $1.2 million per year

Educators who use Top Hat’s platform to design and deliver their courses can easily engage and motivate students at scale in any teaching environment — whether in person, blended, or online — with live discussion and polling tools, interactive readings and homework assignments, and real-time insights for just-in-time intervention

More than 3 million students are enrolled in courses using Top Hat at 750 of the top 1,000 higher ed institutions in North America

TORONTO — August 4, 2021 — Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Top Hat, the leading teaching platform for higher education, today announced they have partnered to drive down the cost of higher education for students while supporting educators to easily deliver courses that are engaging and motivating in in-person and online environments. More than 29,000 students at VCU will now have free access to Top Hat’s teaching platform, comprising interactive and customizable content, engagement tools, assessment activities, and actionable insights designed to make the learning experience more impactful for students. Through this partnership, VCU students are expected to save up to $1.2 million per year. Educators will receive dedicated training and assistance from Top Hat’s support team to ensure they can leverage the platform’s features to engage and motivate students, create interactive educational content, and utilize real-time student performance insights to provide just-in-time support.

Top Hat has been an exclusive partner at VCU since 2018 when the institution sought a solution to improve student engagement while also streamlining the number of tools supported at the institution. After three years of success and faculty support, VCU engaged Top Hat in a partnership just in time for the Fall 2021 academic year to positively impact student affordability by removing the cost for students to access the platform. 

“One of the most urgent issues that have come to the forefront has been the financial challenges many students have experienced with accessing the resources and support they require to be successful,” said Colleen Bishop, Director of Academic Technologies, Virginia Commonwealth University. “This partnership is the result of a concerted focus to improve student affordability and decrease barriers in higher education while giving students access to active learning tools and interactive content.”

Looking back at over a year of pandemic learning, most students openly questioned the ROI of a higher ed degree, with less than one in five (19 percent) students reporting that the learning experience was worth the cost of tuition¹. Additionally, Top Hat found that one in three students experienced challenges accessing the technology and resources required to support their learning². These challenges will not simply disappear once in-person learning makes a celebrated return to higher ed campuses this Fall — and forward-thinking institutions like VCU are ensuring that all students have access to learning experiences that are engaging, relevant, and meaningful. 

“We now have an opportunity to reimagine a learner experience that is accessible, engaging, and delivers real educational value for students,” said Nina Bilimoria Angelo, VP of Strategy, Top Hat. “Over the past year, the embrace of proven pedagogies and classroom technology has accelerated — and higher education must build on this momentum to increase the value of learning to students. With this partnership, VCU is putting the right tools into the hands of instructors and students to make learning more equitable, to challenge students, and to make every course a place of relevance, vitality, and belonging.”

References

¹ Top Hat Field Report: Survey of 3,052 Higher Ed Students Reveals Their Expectations for Instruction and Educational Value in the Fall 2021 Academic Term, April 2021. 

² Ibid

About Top Hat

Top Hat is the only all-in-one courseware platform that enables active learning — a proven student-centred teaching pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — with interactive content, tools, and activities. Millions of students at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to teach and engage with students before, during, and after class, in both in-person and online education. 

Contact

Top Hat
Dianna Lai Read
dianna.lairead@tophat.com 

The post Virginia Commonwealth University and Top Hat Partner to Improve Student Affordability and Deliver More Dynamic and Valuable Learning Experiences appeared first on Top Hat.

D2L and Top Hat are partnering to create an exceptional, seamless student experience. By bringing together D2L’s Brightspace learning platform and Top Hat’s digital courseware, educators now will have better, more flexible tools at their disposal to help their learners succeed

With Top Hat’s digital courseware, educators who use D2L’s Brightspace Platform to expertly deliver and manage their courses can easily engage students at scale in any teaching environment — whether in person, blended, or remote — with live discussion and polling tools, interactive readings and homework assignments, and real-time insights for just-in-time intervention

More than 3 million students are enrolled in courses using Top Hat at 750 of the top 1,000 higher ed institutions in North America

D2L’s Brightspace is a global learning platform being used by more than 1,000 customers, with more than 14.5 million users in more than 40 countries across K-12, higher education, health care, government, associations, and the corporate sector

TORONTO — June 18, 2021 — D2L, the global learning technology leader, and Top Hat, the leading digital courseware platform for higher education, today announced a strategic partnership to help institutions and educators put student outcomes at the heart of course design and delivery. By bringing together D2L and Top Hat’s powerful tools, services, and support, educators and institutions can now deliver engaging, motivating, and rewarding learning experiences to higher education students.

It has been more than a year since higher education institutions around the world pivoted to emergency remote learning. While students have appreciated the care, consideration, and hard work of their instructors to minimize disruptions of their education, recent research from Top Hat highlights the need for renewed focus on student outcomes and engagement. Students emphasize that learning experiences that are active and engaging through discussion, collaboration, and interactive activities are crucial to helping them realize the value of their higher education investment.¹ It’s more important than ever for  institutions and educators to create the right conditions for students to become active participants in meaningful learning experiences.

That’s where the strategic partnership between D2L and Top Hat comes in. New tools will help educators easily create and deliver engaging and effective learning experiences. With D2L’s Brightspace platform, instructors can better organize their courses, give students access to course content, and track student and class performance, all in one place.

Together with Top Hat, D2L’s Brightspace is delivering a content experience that is more powerful than ever. Instructors can now deploy the powerful tools and rich interactive content available with Top Hat’s digital courseware in addition to the engaging and interactive experiences offered in D2L’s Brightspace. Top Hat’s courseware supercharges learning materials, bringing them to life with built-in interactions and engagement directly in lectures, digital textbooks, and in-class discussions.

Top Hat makes active learning easier than ever with access to real-time actionable insights and the ability to build true end-to-end classroom engagement: 

·        Before class, students can engage with interactive readings that enable them to engage with course materials and to assess their learning as they go, before they set foot in the classroom.

·        During class, instructors can ask poll questions, give quizzes, hold discussions, and offer activities so that students can engage with the content, their professors, and each other.

·        After class, educators create a full-circle feedback loop that paints complete portraits of individual student journeys — successes, struggles, and opportunities for timely help.

“One of the biggest challenges facing higher education is demonstrating to students that they are getting value from their investment,” said Nina Bilimoria Angelo, VP of Product Marketing & Strategy at Top Hat. “As campuses begin to reopen, the pressure on institutions to demonstrate value will only intensify. Providing engaging and motivating experiences for students will be essential, and we are excited to partner with D2L to provide educators and institutions with everything they need to plan their courses, engage their students, and support individual student success.”

“As we’ve seen in universities and colleges all around the world during COVID-19, it has been hard for institutions and learners to adjust to changing classroom circumstances while staying engaged and on task in their learning,” said Tom Donnelly, Chief Corporate Development Officer at D2L. “This disruption accelerated both digital adoption and the use of blended learning environments, and we are delighted to partner with an organization that, like ours, is focused on continually improving the experience for students. This partnership with Top Hat gives learners in higher education better access to more of the content they need to get the most out of their education, while also giving educators powerful new ways of teaching and reaching learners. That’s great news today, as we come out of COVID-19, and for the future, as we continue to recover and rebuild to create the best learning experiences.”

To learn more, visit https://www.d2l.com/partners/top-hat/ .

Sources
¹ Top Hat Field Report: 3,052 College Students on the Good, the Bad and Learning Post-Covid. April 2021.

ABOUT D2L
D2L is transforming the way the world learns — helping learners of all ages achieve more than they dreamed possible. Working closely with clients all around the world, D2L is supporting millions of people learning online and in person. Our more than 950 global employees are dedicated to making the best learning products to leave the world better than they found it. Learn more about D2L for K-12, higher education, and businesses at www.D2L.com.

ABOUT D2L’s BRIGHTSPACE
D2L’s Brightspace is a cloud-based learning platform built for people who care deeply about student success and helping prepare students for what comes next.

It gives faculty across your institution tools they’re going to love and makes it easy to support exceptional student experiences in the classroom or fully online. D2L’s Brightspace is designed in close collaboration with clients around the world — building a pedagogically rich set of features to improve engagement, retention, and learning outcomes. It also makes it easier to do assessments and give feedback.

D2L’s Brightspace is worry-free, with 99.99% reliability. It’s highly accessible and looks beautiful on any mobile device, making it easier for educators to reach every learner.

D2L’s Brightspace has won multiple industry awards, including being named the #1 LMS Technology for next-generation online teaching and learning. To learn more, visit D2L for Higher Education.

ABOUT TOP HAT
Top Hat is the only digital courseware that enables active learning — a proven student-centered pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — providing educators with interactive course content, tools, assessment capabilities, and insights in a single, easy-to-use application. Millions of students at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to teach and engage with students before, during, and after class, in both in-person and online education.

TOP HAT MEDIA CONTACT
Dianna Lai Read
Director, Communications
dianna.lairead@tophat.com

D2L MEDIA CONTACT
Christine D’Angela
Director, External Strategic Communications, D2L Corporation
pr@D2L.com
Twitter: @D2L

© 2021 D2L Corporation.

The D2L family of companies includes D2L Corporation, D2L Ltd, D2L Australia Pty Ltd, D2L Europe Ltd, D2L Asia Pte Ltd, and D2L Brasil Soluções de Tecnologia para Educação Ltda.

All D2L marks are trademarks of D2L Corporation. Please visit D2L.com/trademarks for a list of D2L marks.

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COVID-19 has increased the difficulty of providing equitable access to education with one in three students experiencing challenges accessing the technology and resources required to support learning 

The majority of students emphasize that faculty mentorship (76 percent) and community in the classroom (71 percent) are important factors in realizing value from their higher ed investment

Most students do not want passive education, instead valuing regular feedback from their instructors (85 percent), opportunities to develop transferable skills (79 percent), and active learning activities like discussion and collaboration (67 percent)

Students who receive regular, ongoing feedback from their instructors are more likely to see the value of their higher ed investment, feel engaged in their coursework, and rate the quality of their overall online learning experience as good or excellent

TORONTO — April 30, 2021 — A new survey of more than 3,000 higher ed students, conducted partway through the Spring 2021 academic term, reported three key insights. First, 80 percent of students do not feel the learning experience has been worth the cost of tuition. Second, students have appreciated the flexibility of remote learning and while they are looking forward to a return to the physical classroom, most want to see elements of online learning carried forward. And finally, when it comes to realizing the value of their higher education investment, on-campus experiences and activities are not nearly as significant a factor as the role of instructors in the classroom.

The Top Hat Field Report: 3,052 College Students on the Good, the Bad and Learning Post-Covid survey was conducted by Top Hat, the leading active learning courseware platform for higher education. The survey was designed to uncover student sentiments about the learning experience a year into the COVID-19 pandemic: what has worked, what hasn’t, and how has the past year shaped student expectations for the learning experience once it is safe to return to the campus? The report provides insights to help institutions and educators create the right conditions for more students to receive and perceive meaningful value from their college investment as they plan ahead for the Fall 2021 academic term. (An abbreviated version can be found in this slideshow.)

“The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed fundamental challenges within higher education to provide meaningful learning experiences for students,” said Nick Stein, Chief Marketing Officer, Top Hat. “These challenges will not simply disappear once students return to the physical classroom. The inability of institutions of higher education to consistently provide equitable access, a sense of belonging and engaging and motivating learning experiences has led the majority of students to openly question the value of a college degree. In order to address this troubling perception, we as an industry need to focus on improving the teaching and learning experience itself, while also ensuring equitable access to that experience for all students.” 

Online Learning Still Not Perceived As Worth the Cost of Tuition 

It has been a year since higher ed institutions around the world pivoted to emergency remote learning, and many students continue to view it as worse than in-person instruction. In fact, less than one in five (19 percent) agree that the learning experience has been worth the cost of tuition and less than half (45 percent) feel engaged and motivated in their coursework. 

Financial and mental health challenges have no doubt added to these sentiments. More than half (54 percent) of students are facing financial difficulties as the recession impacts part-time jobs and family finances. Top Hat’s research indicated an increase in mental challenges over the past year. In April, 2020, 52 percent of students reported feeling anxious, and in March, 2021, that figure rose to 84 percent. Pandemic life has clearly taken a toll with the majority of students reporting feelings of loneliness and isolation (66 percent) and depression (58 percent), compounding concerns about their ability to pass the current school term (51 percent). 

Access to Education Continues to Be a Key Concern for Many Students 

More students are having difficulty accessing educational resources than a year ago

One of the most urgent issues to come to the forefront has been the difficulty many students have experienced accessing the resources to support their education. Last April,  27 percent of students reported that the move to remote learning resulted in a loss of predictable access to the Internet and computers, and 22 percent had difficulty accessing online learning materials. A year later, the situation has become worse. Roughly one in three (32 percent) students now report challenges accessing the technology and resources required to support learning. 

Students benefit from the flexibility offered by online learning

As faculty have embraced education technology to improve access to learning, students see clear benefits in terms of flexibility. While in-person learning is still the preferred option, many students indicated that once campuses are able to safely re-open, they would prefer to retain some element of online learning. Specifically, 59 percent would like to maintain the flexibility to attend class in person or virtually, 43 percent would like to work with digital course materials, and 75 percent want to maintain the ability to view lecture recordings.

Additionally, many students require special support and considerations. This includes the ability to call in to online synchronous lectures and participate in class via texting (22 percent), the ability to participate in classes anonymously (19 percent) and the ability to access lecture recordings, transcripts (38 percent) and print versions of online assessments (27 percent). 

Community and Connection with Peers and Faculty is Critical to Students’ Perceptions of Value

Fostering community in the classroom remains an important aspect of the learning experience

The impact of caring instructors who take steps to create a sense of community in the classroom and get to know their students cannot be overstated. The majority of students identified faculty mentorship (76 percent), community and belonging in the classroom (71 percent), and receiving regular feedback to support academic success (85 percent) as important factors in realizing value from their higher ed investment. 

While the campus experience plays a role, extracurricular activities and life on campus are not as significant in helping students realize the value of their tuition — at least not in comparison to the impact of faculty in the classroom.

Maintaining connections inside and outside of the classroom are important regardless of whether classes are online or in-person

Students place enormous value on the ability to easily stay connected with instructors and peers. Even when it is safe to return to in-person learning, two-thirds (67 percent) of students say it is important to stay connected with instructors and classmates using messaging and collaboration apps. 

Vast Majority of Students Do Not Want to Be Passive Learners

Students want learning to be active, relevant and transferable

Through this current study, students indicated the importance of active learning and regular feedback in helping them to realize the value from their higher education investment. Specifically, they said it was important for their instructors to create opportunities to develop transferable skills like communication and collaboration (79 percent), make learning relevant by applying knowledge to address real-world issues (76 percent), and make learning active through discussion, collaboration, and interactive activities (67 percent). 

Instructors should continue to incorporate technology even when it is safe to teach in-person

Students clearly see value in continuing to incorporate technology to address a number of different needs. For example, a majority of students say it is important to be able to access learning materials, lecture presentations, and assignments in one place (84 percent), to use in-class engagement tools such as live chat, discussion, and polling tools (56 percent), and to work with interactive textbooks that allow them to read and assess their learning as they go (53 percent). 

The Value of Higher Ed is Fully Realized by Dedicated and Empathetic Instructors

Caring instructors make a big difference

The impact of dedicated instructors on the student learning experience cannot be overstated. Students who agree they have one or more instructors who care about them as a person are far more likely to say they see the value of their higher education investment, to feel engaged and motivated in their coursework and to have a favorable view of online learning when compared to the average. The survey found similar effects on student motivation and perceptions of value with respect to instructors who build community in the classroom, provide timely, helpful feedback to support their academic success and who make learning active and engaging through activities that promote discussion and get students working together.

Feedback is a powerful motivator

Regular lightweight assessments provide both students and instructors with timely, helpful feedback on comprehension, which allow for course corrections before it is too late. Students who agree their instructors provide them with regular feedback to ensure they succeed academically are much more likely to say they see the value of their higher education investment (74 percent), feel engaged and motivated in their coursework inside and outside of class (72 percent), and rate the quality of their overall online learning experience as good or excellent (71 percent). Comparatively, the overall average response for those same indicators was 50 percent, 45 percent, and 46 percent respectively. 

Active learning is a game-changer for students

Students who agreed their instructors made regular use of activities during class time to promote discussion and interaction among students were more likely to see the value of their higher ed investment (65 percent), rate the quality of their overall online learning experience as good or excellent (67 percent), and be engaged and motivated in their coursework inside and outside of class (63 percent). Comparatively, the overall average response to those same indicators was 50 percent, 46 percent, and 45 percent respectively. 

Lessons for Planning for the Next Normal

Improving access to education goes far beyond tuition affordability

Access is about eliminating the friction many students experience with getting started and maintaining a steady focus on their college education. This means:

1. Offering flexible options to attend classes in person or virtually, synchronously or asynchronously, which opens up a lot of opportunities for both traditional and non-traditional students to participate in the higher education experience.
   
2. Enabling access to digital learning materials to overcome concerns related to the cost, relevance, and effectiveness of traditional print textbooks.

Institutions and educators must work together to build community in the classroom

As higher ed institutions and faculty plan ahead for a return to campus in the Fall, 2021, it is important to stress that when it comes to fostering belonging, the on-campus experience cannot be a college’s only calling card. In practice, this means:

3. Educators must actively prioritize getting to know their students and engaging them in activities designed to facilitate connections between peers and with faculty.
   
4. Institutions must provide both the instructional design support and the tools to help students find that sense of belonging. 

In an increasingly competitive race for student enrollment, active learning will differentiate the leaders in higher ed 

Students expect regular hands-on learning, and those who receive it are much more likely to say they would recommend their institution, feel engaged and motivated, and see the overall value of their higher education investment. 

5. When it is safe to return to on-campus learning, it is important for educators to continue incorporating in-class engagement tools like live chat, discussion, and polling tools.
   
6. Provide interactive digital textbooks that allow students to engage with different types of content like video as well as text, and to assess their learning and receive feedback as they go. 

Arming dedicated educators with small data creates the foundation to improving academic outcomes and driving value for students

Great teaching is a process of give and take that is based on empathy, connection, and the use of qualitative and quantitative insights to both challenge and support students. 

7. Create feedback loops that serve up real-time student performance insights that enable just-in-time instructor intervention throughout the term, effectively ensuring students receive the support they need, when they need it.
   
8. Design courses based on active learning pedagogy that enables students to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways. 

With all the recent investments into enabling edtech resources, institutions can offer a broad range of tools and support to improve the higher ed learning experience to be more engaging, relevant, and valuable. The challenge now is to ensure that the lessons learned over the past pandemic year continue to inform course design and delivery well into the next normal.

Resources

Survey report

Survey slideshow

Chart: Student Sentiment for Fall 2020: By Level of Support from Instructors

Chart: Student Sentiment for Fall 2020: First Year Students

Read Top Hat’s The New Higher Ed Value Equation to learn about the Hierarchy of Student Needs — a fundamental set of needs that must be met to help students thrive — and how to deliver tangible and perceived value on their higher ed investment

Research Methodology

Survey responses were collected by Top Hat from 3,052 undergraduate students in the United States and Canada from March 1 to March 14, 2021. Demographic breakdowns are as follows:

Institution type

4-year public: 69 percent

4-year private: 17 percent

2-year public: 14 percent 

Country

United States: 88 percent

Canada: 12 percent

Student’s year of study

First year: 43 percent

Second year: 25 percent

Third year: 15 percent

Fourth year: 11 percent

Other: 6 percent

About Top Hat

Top Hat is the only all-in-one courseware platform that enables active learning — a proven student-centred teaching pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — with interactive content, tools, and activities. Millions of students at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to teach and engage with students before, during, and after class, in both in-person and online education. 

Contact

Top Hat
Dianna Lai Read
dianna.lairead@tophat.com

The post Lessons From a Year of Pandemic Learning: Survey of 3,052 Higher Ed Students Reveals Their Expectations for Instruction and Educational Value in the Fall 2021 Academic Term appeared first on Top Hat.

Educators who adopt these textbooks will have the flexibility to bring active learning to life for students in both in-person and online classrooms, with tools to take attendance, present slides, host discussions, assign homework and interactive readings, and deliver assessments — all in one place

In an uncertain academic environment brought on by COVID-19, the need has never been greater to provide educators with engaging, accessible digital course materials that help motivate students to learn

More than three million students are enrolled in courses using Top Hat at 750 of the top 1,000 higher ed institutions in North America

OXFORDSHIRE, UK and TORONTO, ON — April 7, 2021 — Top Hat, the leading active learning courseware platform for higher education, and Taylor & Francis, a leading publisher of scholarly journals, books, eBooks, textbooks and reference works, today announced a strategic partnership to support higher ed instructors and students with digital interactive course content. Four of the publisher’s most popular titles will be converted into digital courseware on Top Hat’s easy-to-use active learning platform and infused with interactive elements, empowering educators to engage their students with high-quality course materials and powerful tools. In an uncertain academic environment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for educators to provide students with engaging, accessible digital course materials has never been greater.

Taylor & Francis partners with world-class authors — leading scientists and researchers, scholars and professionals operating at the top of their fields — to publish in all areas of the Humanities, Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Science, Technology, and Medicine sectors. The partnership will enable four of the publisher’s most important titles to be delivered through Top Hat’s proven digital courseware platform: Cognitive Psychology; The Economics of Sports; Behavior Analysis and Learning; and Human Behavior in the Social Environment.

Taylor & Francis is partnering with Top Hat to support instructors and students with advanced and specialist higher education course content. As blended and remote learning are more critical than ever in delivering advanced knowledge to learners, this partnership will enable active, enhanced, and engaging content to be delivered through a teaching and learning platform that improves outcomes while giving students everything they need to be successful on day one of their courses. Together with Top Hat, Taylor & Francis aims to make higher education more engaging, accessible, interactive, and effective for students and instructors.

As the only tech-first teaching platform focused on improving student outcomes, Top Hat seamlessly combines interactive textbooks, lecture slides, quizzes and assignments, supporting student learning before, during, and after class. Top Hat’s partnership with Taylor & Francis is built on the shared value of creating a more engaging and effective course experience and aims to improve outcomes while giving students everything they need to be successful from day one of their classes. Through the partnership, students will be able to assess their understanding of course content as they read, interact with the content through video, dynamic timelines, iframes and more, and be prepared for class having completed the readings.

“Finding ways to engage students in the learning process has never been more critical than it is today, with so much uncertainty surrounding where, when and how students learn,” said Nick Stein, Chief Marketing Officer, Top Hat. “Bringing Taylor & Francis’ high quality course materials onto Top Hat’s interactive digital courseware platform will help bridge the gap between theory and practice, motivating students to learn through practical, hands-on experiences.”

About Taylor & Francis

Taylor & Francis Group partners with researchers, scholarly societies, universities and libraries worldwide to bring knowledge to life. We are one of the world’s leading publishers of scholarly content spanning all areas of Humanities, Social Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Science, Technology and Medicine. From our network of offices around the world, Taylor & Francis Group professionals provide expertise and support for Taylor & Francis, Routledge, Dovepress and F1000Research products and services.

About Top Hat

Top Hat is the only all-in-one courseware platform that enables active learning — a proven student-centred teaching pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — with interactive content, tools, and activities. Millions of students at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to teach and engage with students before, during, and after class, in both in-person and online education.

Contact

Top Hat
Dianna Lai Read
dianna.lairead@tophat.com 

The post Taylor & Francis and Top Hat Announce Partnership to Support Higher Ed Educators and Students with Engaging, Interactive Course Content appeared first on Top Hat.

Top Hat CEO Mike Silagadze to hand over day-to-day leadership of the education technology company he co-founded to handpicked successor Joe Rohrlich

A proven leader who helped Austin, Texas-based Bazaarvoice scale from early-stage startup to global software company with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, Rohrlich brings deep go-to-market expertise in the SaaS software industry and a reputation for developing great teams and delivering customer value

Rohrlich joins Top Hat as it builds on a successful year, growing revenue 40% and completing three acquisitions of traditional publishing businesses while navigating an uncertain higher ed industry upended by the COVID-19 pandemic

More than 3 million students are enrolled in courses using Top Hat at 750 of the top 1,000 higher ed institutions in North America

TORONTO — February 4, 2021 — Top Hat, the leading active learning courseware platform for higher education, today announced the next phase of the company’s growth, driven by new leadership and bolstered by a significant $130M USD Series E fundraise. Existing investor Georgian is providing the new round of funding, which will accelerate Top Hat’s transformation of the $10B North American higher ed courseware industry. Top Hat CEO Mike Silagadze, who co-founded the company in his dorm room at the University of Waterloo and grew to 400+ employees, will hand over day-to-day leadership to incoming CEO Joe Rohrlich. A proven leader with deep go-to-market expertise in the SaaS software industry and a reputation for developing great teams and delivering customer value, Rohrlich most recently helped global technology company Bazaarvoice scale from early-stage startup to global software company with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue. Rohrlich joins Top Hat as it builds on a successful year, raising $55M in Series D capital, completing three acquisitions of traditional higher ed publishing companies, and growing revenue 40 percent despite the uncertainty of the global COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Higher education is at a pivotal inflection point brought on by growing skepticism about the value of a degree, a situation drastically accelerated by the pandemic,” said Top Hat co-founder and CEO Mike Silagadze. “Top Hat’s latest round of funding enables us to accelerate our transformation of the higher ed learning experience to deliver greater educational value to learners. I am confident that under the leadership of incoming CEO Joe Rohrlich, Top Hat will successfully lead the movement to redefine the higher ed value equation and better support learners to succeed inside and outside the classroom.” 

“Now is the time for us to reimagine the learner experience to enable engaging and active learning that delivers real educational value for students,” said incoming CEO Joe Rohrlich. “Getting this right will be critical to the future of higher education. With the confidence of our investors, customers, and employees, we will build on our strong market position to reimagine a higher ed learning experience that is more engaging, active, accessible, and experiential, to drive true educational value for learners.”

New Funding Will Accelerate Digital Transformation of Traditional Publishing Industry to Better Serve Higher Ed Learners

Today’s funding will enable Top Hat to fast track partnership and acquisition activities with traditional publishers to create more engaging and effective course experiences. In a climate where students are increasingly facing challenges with the cost, accessibility, and relevance of their course materials, traditional publishing companies are struggling to adapt to the shift from print textbooks to digital interactive content. In fact, digital course materials now play a key role in today’s higher ed classroom. In a recent survey of 3412 higher ed students by Top Hat, 64 percent of students indicated that at least half of their assigned reading is digital content and 56 percent of students said that at least half of their reading content is digital and interactive. 

With this new funding, Top Hat will acquire more high-quality publisher content that will be delivered directly from Top Hat’s easy-to-use active learning platform, empowering educators with great course materials and powerful tools to improve the teaching and learning experience. As the only tech-first higher education teaching platform focused on improving student outcomes, Top Hat seamlessly combines interactive textbooks, lecture slides, quizzes, and assignments, supporting student learning before, during, and after class. 

Top Hat proved the strength and viability of its publisher acquisition strategy in 2020, completing acquisitions of Nelson’s Canadian higher ed business, bluedoor, and Fountainhead Press, successfully transitioning their content and customers to Top Hat’s digital teaching platform after raising $55 million in Series D funding one year ago.

“In 2020, tech-first teaching platforms shifted from a tool that enhances learning, to a tool that is necessary to learn,” said Justin LaFayette, Lead Investor, Georgian. “From supporting remote learning to the iteration of the platform, Top Hat has their customer at the forefront of every decision. Top Hat is helping the education industry adapt and we are thrilled to be partnered on this next phase in their journey.”

New CEO Will Scale Top Hat’s Growth and Impact

After 12 years of guiding Top Hat’s success, founder and CEO Mike Silagadze will hand over day-to-day management responsibilities to his handpicked successor, Joe Rohrlich. Rohrlich previously held the position of Chief Revenue Officer at Austin, Texas based global software company Bazaarvoice, where he led the global Sales, Marketing, and Client Success teams to grow the company’s footprint across a range of industries and regions. The leadership transition is already underway, and Rohrlich will officially enter into his new role effective March 15, 2021. Silagadze will continue to support the company as founder and board member.

“As I led the search for Top Hat’s next CEO to guide the company through its next phase of aggressive global growth, it was important to me that our next leader is someone who combines a strong go-to-market background and track record scaling software companies with a keen focus on the customer and employee experience,” said Silagadze. “Joe is a highly strategic leader whose values and priorities align with Top Hat’s mission, vision, and strategy. I’ve had the pleasure to get to know him over the past few months, and I’m confident he is best placed to take Top Hat to new heights — for both our customers and our people.”

“Top Hat is one of those rare companies that has revolutionized a traditional industry to provide better value and experiences for their customers,” said Rohrlich. “I’m honored to have been chosen to work alongside Top Hat’s distinguished executive team and talented employee base. We have significant opportunities ahead of us and I’m excited to join the Top Hat team to improve the quality and accessibility of the higher ed learning experience.”

Building on a Year of Transformation and Accelerated Growth

By forcing the closures of higher ed institutions and bringing on-campus activities and perks to a halt, the COVID-19 pandemic refocused the perception of the value of higher ed on to the quality of teaching and learning. As educators began to embrace educational technology en masse, it quickly became apparent that both institutions and technology providers had to seize this transformational moment in order to survive.

The pandemic took hold shortly after Top Hat announced its Series D fundraise in February, 2020. The company quickly pivoted to focus on helping educators transition to emergency remote teaching and offered its platform for free for the rest of the semester. As Top Hat was built to support in-person teaching and learning, the company rebuilt the platform in time for the Fall 2020 academic term, enabling educators to enable effective active learning for their students in any teaching scenario — in-person, online, or a combination of both.

Top Hat announced a number of significant developments in 2020:

Series D fundraise
In February, 2020, Top Hat announced it raised $55M USD in Series D financing to drive the shift from traditional textbooks to digital interactive course materials. The company is working with print publisher partners to transform their print-only content into interactive digital courseware. 

Three higher ed publishing acquisitions
In May, 2020, Top Hat acquired the Canadian domestic higher ed textbook business from Nelson, Canada’s largest educational publisher, to expand its broad portfolio of best-in-class content delivered through Top Hat’s active learning platform. In August, Top Hat acquired bluedoor, an independent press that specializes in educational content for the sciences in higher education. And in January, 2021, Top Hat announced the acquisition of Fountainhead Press, an independent press with an expansive portfolio of higher ed content across multiple disciplines. With these acquisitions, Top Hat has converted hundreds of higher ed textbook titles to digital courseware on the Top Hat platform and infused them with interactive elements, enabling educators to bring active learning to life for their students in both virtual and in-person classrooms. 

All-in-one active learning platform for any teaching scenario 
Building on the company’s success with enabling educators to easily adapt their teaching methods during this climate of crisis, Top Hat made available a new fully virtual classroom product. It is part of Top Hat’s existing all-in-one active learning platform, and ensures educators can teach the same course in both in-person and online environments, as well as deliver synchronous and asynchronous learning experiences. Furthermore, Top Hat offers a free version of its teaching platform, to increase access to the technology. 

Dedicated environment to build a learning community
In July, 2020, Top Hat released Community — the free communication tool purpose-built for higher education, providing students and educators with digital spaces to easily communicate, collaborate, and build connections that will improve their academic and social lives. Community is integrated with the Top Hat platform and available to all users, effectively empowering educators with a full set of tools to incorporate active learning, improve student engagement, and build community in their courses.

Primary research to study online learning challenges and expectations
Top Hat conducted four surveys involving 6,500 students and 1,500 higher education faculty, administrators, and instructional support staff in the United States and Canada. The goal was to understand how the events of 2020 are shaping expectations for the future and how this will affect the Fall 2021 academic term and beyond. The research studies include:

• April, 2020: COVID-19 State of Flux: 3,089 College Students on their Plans for the Fall 2020 Semester
• August, 2020: Faculty Preparedness for Fall 2020
• November, 2020: Student Sentiment for Fall 2020: 3,412 Higher Ed Students Grade the Fall 2020 Semester
• December, 2020: Higher Ed Teaching Strategies for Fall 2021

Internally, Top Hat made a number of key senior additions to the team and was recognized for its work culture: 

• Larry Indovina joined the company as the Chief People Officer to scale Top Hat’s employee experience and workplace culture
• Top Hat’s CTO Bhavin Shah won an inaugural Report of Business Best Executive Award
• Top Hat was recognized as one of Canada’s most innovative companies by the Canadian Innovation Exchange
• The Globe and Mail recognized Top Hat in its annual ranking of Canada’s top growing companies

Resources
Mike Silagadze’s open letter

About Top Hat
Top Hat is the only all-in-one courseware platform that enables active learning — a proven student-centred teaching pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — with interactive content, tools, and activities. Millions of students at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to teach and engage with students before, during, and after class, in both in-person and online education.

Contact
Top Hat
Dianna Lai Read
dianna.lairead@tophat.com

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Fountainhead’s high-quality academic content will be fully integrated into Top Hat’s all-in-one teaching platform, enabling educators who adopt these titles to deliver transformative student-centric learning experiences that change the nature of the way students learn

Fountainhead Press is Top Hat’s third traditional publishing acquisition within the last year, following the acquisitions of the Canadian higher ed textbook business from Nelson, Canada’s largest educational publisher, and bluedoor, a press that specializes in educational content for the sciences 

Top Hat’s platform enables educators with the flexibility to bring active learning to life for students in both in-person and online classrooms, with tools to take attendance, present slides, live-stream and record presentations, host discussions, give homework, assign interactive readings, and deliver assessments — all in one place

More than 3 million students are enrolled in courses using Top Hat at 750 of the top 1,000 higher ed institutions in North America

TORONTO — January 13, 2020 — Top Hat, the leading active learning platform for higher education, has acquired Fountainhead Press, an independent press with an expansive portfolio of higher ed content across multiple disciplines. Details of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition, which follows the recent acquisitions of bluedoor and Nelson’s Canadian higher ed textbook business, includes more than 500 titles used at 400 institutions. These materials are being rapidly converted into digital courseware on Top Hat’s platform and infused with interactive elements, enabling educators to easily design and deliver student-centric learning experiences customized to meet the needs of their individual classrooms in any teaching scenario — whether in-person, online, or a combination of both. 

Fountainhead Press has been developing high-quality textbooks with authors since 2002, producing personalized, content-rich course materials designed with student success in mind. Built on the principles of innovation and customer partnership, Fountainhead Press brings 250 authors in disciplines spanning communication, composition, and science to Top Hat’s platform. By converting Fountainhead’s content into interactive digital courseware, Top Hat is expanding its broad portfolio of best-in-class content designed to support, engage, and motivate the modern student inside and outside the classroom. 

“Over the past 18 months, we’ve worked with Fountainhead Press to produce high-quality, interactive, and affordable course materials on Top Hat’s platform, and have witnessed firsthand their unwavering focus on delivering excellence for their customers,” said Mike Silagadze, founder and CEO, Top Hat. “As we come together as one team, I’m excited about combining our passion to support educators to deliver rewarding learning experiences, both during the pandemic and beyond.” 

“Becoming part of the Top Hat team is an exciting evolution of our partnership,” said Scott Timian, co-founder and CEO, Fountainhead Press. “Our textbooks have come to life in the Top Hat platform, allowing us to provide current, interactive, and engaging content suitable to any teaching format. The flexibility afforded by Top Hat expands our mandate to work with faculty and institutions to create personalized, affordable custom content.”

“Fountainhead Press and Top Hat are the most amazing combination I can think of when looking for instructional materials in many academic college-level disciplines,” said Dr. Désiré Baloubi, Professor of English and Linguistics, Norfolk State University. “As faculty and department chair for many years, no book has ever given me more joy and assistance in fulfilling my teaching responsibilities than Fountainhead Press’s public speaking book on the Top Hat active learning platform. The ability to customize content to meet students’ needs and achieve targeted learning outcomes is one of the best features any instructor will appreciate. It makes it possible for both faculty and students to embark together on the same journey to reach a common goal: success.” 

Transforming the Higher Ed Learning Experience to Better Serve the Modern Learner

Digital course materials already play a key role in today’s higher ed classrooms, according to a recent survey of 3,412 students in the United States and Canada conducted by Top Hat. In fact, 64 percent of students indicated that at least half of their assigned reading is digital content and 56 percent of students said that at least half of their reading content is digital and interactive. Conversely, only 38 percent of students said that at least half of their assigned reading is print content. Furthermore, 37 percent of students said they prefer to use a digital textbook. 

Over the past year, as institutions around the world have shuttered their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educators have increasingly turned to Top Hat for help with engaging their students and ensuring they can access high-quality content. In fact, the company has secured 47 percent year-over-year growth in the number of courses that have adopted Top Hat’s digital interactive content, with 175 percent year-over-year growth in student users. 

“In the same way Tesla reimagined what the driving experience can be, Top Hat is enabling educators in higher ed to transform the learning experience for students into one that is more engaging and motivating and that drives better outcomes,”  said Silagadze. “The way many students are still taught today — with print or PDF content that encourages rote memorization — is not effective. When textbooks are brought to life with Top Hat’s intuitive and easy-to-use technology, they become much more than just the vehicle for educators to deliver information to their students. Instead, they enable a world where all students are fully equipped and motivated to engage with their learning and come to class prepared. In this same world, all educators already know before stepping foot in the classroom, which concepts students struggle with and which students require early intervention. Here at Top Hat, we believe interactive textbooks powered by active learning technology will fundamentally improve the value of higher ed.” 

Top Hat’s Student-centric Textbooks Reinforce Learning and Maintain Engagement

When a traditional print textbook is transformed with Top Hat’s active learning platform, educational content becomes an effective tool for learning. Top Hat’s interactive textbooks are:

• Designed for active learning: Student comprehension is supported through engaging, media-rich interactive learning materials, assessment questions, activities, and rollover definitions, among other features.
• Fully customizable: Easy-to-use editing tools let instructors adjust content to fit their curriculum and learning objectives. 
• Designed for ongoing feedback: Leveraging an assess-as-you-go model of assessment, students get feedback on their progress and understanding as they go through the textbook. Data points show instructors where students are struggling, enabling them to easily reach out and intervene early.
• Enabling both centralized and community quality controls: Content stays up-to-date and relevant through both author-led review and community-sourced feedback.

To learn more about Top Hat:

Overview
Product video
Schedule a demo

About Top Hat

Top Hat is the only all-in-one courseware platform that enables active learning — a proven student-centred teaching pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — with interactive content, tools, and activities. Millions of students at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to teach and engage with students before, during, and after class, in both in-person and online education.

Contact

Top Hat
Dianna Lai Read
dianna.lairead@tophat.com  

The post Top Hat Acquires Fountainhead Press, Leads Digital Transformation of Traditional Higher Ed Textbook Industry appeared first on Top Hat.

Online learning is here to stay — even when campuses re-open

Sources:

Slide 4

Chart: Top Hat Teaching Strategies Survey, October 2020
1. Top Hat Teaching Strategies Survey, October 2020

Slide 5

Chart: Top Hat Field Report: Higher Ed Students Grade the Fall 2020 Semester, November 2020
2. Top Hat Field Report: COVID-19 Faculty Preparedness, August 2020
3. Ibid

Slide 6

Chart: Top Hat Field Report: Higher Ed Students Grade the Fall 2020 Semester, November 2020
4. Top Hat Field Report: COVID-19 Faculty Preparedness, August 2020
5. Top Hat Field Report: Higher Ed Students Grade the Fall 2020 Semester, November 2020

Slide 7

Chart: Top Hat Teaching Strategies Survey, October 2020
6. Top Hat Field Report: Higher Ed Students Grade the Fall 2020 Semester, November 2020

Slide 8

Chart: Top Hat Field Report: Higher Ed Students Grade the Fall 2020 Semester, November 2020
7. Top Hat Field Report: COVID-19 Faculty Preparedness, August 2020
8. Top Hat Field Report: Higher Ed Students Grade the Fall 2020 Semester, November 2020

Slide 10

Chart: Top Hat Teaching Strategies Survey, October 2020
9. Top Hat Teaching Strategies Survey, October 2020

Slide 11

Chart: Top Hat Teaching Strategies Survey, October 2020

Slide 12

Chart: Top Hat Teaching Strategies Survey, October 2020

The post Top Hat Field Report: Higher Ed Teaching Strategies for Fall 2021 appeared first on Top Hat.

The role of educators has become more important than ever, as survey finds students whose instructors prioritize active learning, community, and belonging in the virtual classroom are motivated, engaged with learning, and likely to return to school in the Spring 2021 academic term

More than half of students report their instructors are pursuing a student-centred approach to teaching and embracing active learning principles 

Students assigned more tools to support the learning process experience greater difficulty with technology

In contrast to many market insights about freshmen and their higher ed experience, this survey found that first-year students are likely to return to school in the Spring — especially when their instructors enabled human connection and active learning in the virtual classroom 

Compared to the Spring 2020 term, students are now more willing to continue on their academic journey, despite the short-term uncertainty of the higher ed experience

TORONTO — November 12, 2020 — In a new survey conducted halfway through the Fall 2020 academic term, students were clear about two aspects of their current higher education experience. First, they still preferred in-person learning to online learning. Second, and more importantly, students who believed their instructor made an effort to understand their goals, interests, and challenges — and actively engage them in the learning experience —were likely to return to school in the Spring 2021 term.

The Top Hat Field Report: Higher Ed Students Grade the Fall 2020 Semester survey was conducted by Top Hat, the leading active learning platform for higher education, of 3,412 higher education students in the United States and Canada. The survey was designed to uncover student sentiment about the online learning experience now that educators and institutions have had months to plan for the Fall academic term. The report shares insights on their experiences and highlights the challenges adjusting to online learning. It also sheds light on how different teaching practices, technology and tools, and connection with instructors and fellow students impacted their learning experience this Fall.

“When we surveyed students in the Spring, shortly after emergency campus closures driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, they told us that the emergency remote instruction they received left much to be desired,” said Nick Stein, CMO, Top Hat. “While they were understanding back then about the incredible challenges their schools and instructors were facing, they had much higher expectations about how their education would look in the Fall. Thankfully, what our latest student survey shows is that many instructors are providing the more engaging, interactive and human experience students desperately need. Instead of replicating a ‘sage-on-the-stage’ lecturing model over Zoom, many educators are leaning in to active learning and creating community in their virtual classrooms. And we are also seeing that students are likely to continue their studies next term and beyond.”  

“Top Hat’s release of a second survey allows the higher ed community to gain valuable insights into the remote and hybrid student experiences that will mostly continue through the spring term,” said Phil Hill, partner at MindWires, LLC. “It is becoming more and more evident how important increased student engagement is and will be to enable student success during the pandemic.”

Students Continue to Give Low Grades to the Online Learning Experience

Ahead of the Fall 2020 academic term, institutions invested in technology, tools, and training for educators to provide high-quality online learning experiences. Yet many instructors expressed a lack of confidence in whether students would be successful this term — and students felt the same way. Almost seven out of 10 (68 percent) students indicated they were not learning as effectively online as they would have in person. More than half (54 percent) expressed at least some concern about their ability to pass the current school term. 

Despite months of planning by institutions for the Fall academic term, students indicated many factors that contributed to their difficulties with adjusting to online learning. This included a lack of an engaging in-class experience (76 percent), lack of face-to-face interaction with faculty and students during class (75 percent), lack of reliable access to study spaces (48 percent), the need to balance coursework with caregiving responsibilities (39 percent), difficulty navigating or using online learning tools (38 percent), and difficulty accessing online learning materials (28 percent).

Adding to the challenges was the loss of on-campus resources integral to their educational success and experience, including access to study spaces (64 percent), fitness and sports facilities (45 percent), technology (22 percent), and food services (21 percent).

Enabling Connections with Technology and Fostering Community in the Classroom Impact Student Retention

While challenges with online learning continue to impact student experiences, the survey indicated positive developments in student experiences, led by dedicated instructors who are focused on improving human connection in the virtual classroom. 

In the Spring 2020 shift to emergency remote teaching, more than half (53 percent) of students surveyed told Top Hat they no longer had regular access to their instructors. Almost seven out of 10 (69 percent) students no longer had regular access to their peers. This survey indicated slight improvements in this regard: 46 percent of students indicated they do not have regular access to their instructors and 65 percent of students no longer have access to their classmates.

Students equipped to easily stay in touch with their instructors are more motivated: In the current academic term, the majority of students said they have been provided with tools beyond email to stay connected with instructors (70 percent) and peers (61 percent). These students are significantly more motivated and engaged with learning outside the classroom than the average student. What’s more, 73 percent of students who are adequately equipped are likely to return to school in the Spring 2021 term. Conversely, of those students who reported not being provided with tools to stay connected with instructors, only 64 percent are likely to return to school in the Spring 2021 term. It is also important to note, however, that although the majority of students appreciated having the tools to stay connected, many also reported having difficulties staying connected in virtual environments. (chart)

Instructors who take the time to get to know their students impact student retention: Almost nine out of 10 (87 percent) educators agree that fostering community is a top concern. This academic term, almost six out of 10 (59 percent) students say their instructors have taken steps to create a sense of community in the classroom. When asked about how their instructors are engaging with them, 73 percent agreed their instructors are making an effort to understand students’ academic goals, interests inside and outside of the classroom, and issues that might prevent them from participating fully in the course. Among this group of students, 73 percent say they are likely to return to school in the Spring 2021 term. In comparison, among their peers whose instructors have not prioritized understanding student goals and needs, only 62 percent say they are likely to return to school in the next term. (chart)

When Learning is Active, Students See More Value in their College Investment

According to Top Hat’s Faculty Preparedness Survey from August 2020, educators were making concerted efforts to prepare for the Fall academic term by embracing teaching approaches strongly associated with improved student engagement and learning outcomes. Almost seven out of 10 (67 percent) instructors received training and support to deliver active learning or student-centered learning. 

Many students agree their instructors are making learning in the virtual classroom more active: Their instructors promote discussion and interaction among students (60 percent), get students to work and collaborate together (53 percent), and challenge students to apply what they have learned (66 percent). 

Instructors who promote active learning help drive student retention: Students who agree their instructors make regular use of activities to promote discussion and get students working and collaborating together find the online learning experience more engaging than the average. The impact of making learning active doesn’t stop here, either. These same respondents are also more likely to see value in their college investment, to have a higher opinion of their school, and to say they plan on returning for the Spring term. 

Students are Overwhelmed by Technology — and the Volume of Disparate Tools is Affecting their Learning Experience

Technology is now central to the learning experience but many students are struggling to find their virtual bearings. Almost all (98 percent) students are learning online in some capacity. So it is concerning that, given this term’s heavy reliance on online learning technology, close to 40 percent of students reported difficulties navigating these tools. Plus, almost 30 percent reported similar challenges with accessing online learning materials. 

Students who are assigned fewer tools experience less difficulty with technology: Many students are using a number of different technology solutions to attend class meetings, complete homework and assignments, and communicate with their instructors and peers. Almost half (49 percent) of students use four or more technology tools to support the learning process. Of these students, 43 percent noted having difficulty navigating tools and platforms. Comparatively, of students who reported using only one tool, 26 percent had difficulty navigating and using online learning tools.

Students like having the ability to connect virtually with video: When asked about their experience using video chat and streaming in the virtual classroom, almost 80 percent of students said that video chat and live streaming have made online learning somewhat or significantly better. And the majority (66 percent) confirmed they like tuning in to real-time lectures and discussions using video conferencing. Seventy-two (72) percent of students responded positively when asked about the importance of using video to connect with instructors and peers. And while most students prefer to attend classes in person, 41 percent are open to the possibility of continuing to use video to engage with instructors and fellow students after the pandemic. 

Freshmen are Less Likely to Feel Impacted by School Closures

Perhaps one of the most pressing concerns at the top of administrators’ minds is how students’ current experiences with online learning will impact student retention. According to this survey, 73 percent of first-year students indicated they are likely to return to school for the Spring 2021 term, compared to 68 percent of later-year students. 

First-year students perceive this academic term differently from students who are further along in their higher education career. Overall, freshmen were much more likely than later-year students to report that school closures had minimal impact on their quality of life (34 percent versus 27 percent respectively) and education (30 percent versus 22 percent respectively). 

Freshmen reported they are less impacted by the switch to online learning: This survey indicated that, while freshmen do not have previous on-campus experiences to compare with, they were far less likely than later-year students to report loss of access to student services (18 percent versus 29 percent), faculty (41 percent versus 50 percent), and classmates (63 percent versus 68 percent). They were less likely to report missing on-campus resources such as food services (18 percent versus 23 percent), technology (18 percent versus 25 percent), and study spaces (57 percent versus 71 percent). They also indicated fewer difficulties adjusting to online learning, being less likely to report lack of regular reliable access to the Internet (18 percent versus 23 percent) and having to balance coursework with caregiving (28 percent versus 38 percent). (chart)

Instructors are driving retention of the Class of 2024 by embracing the idea that learning is active: Digging deeper, the survey shows the extent of impact instructors have on student retention. Among first-year students who agree their instructor has made an effort to understand their goals, interests, and challenges, 76 percent said they are likely to return in the Spring term. Conversely, among their freshmen peers whose instructors have not made that attempt, only 62 percent are likely to return. This same pattern is evident amongst freshmen whose instructors promote discussion in the classroom and enable collaboration among students — 76 percent and 77 percent respectively are likely to return to school. Comparatively, among their peers whose instructors do not promote discussion and enable collaboration, only 68 percent of students are likely to return. (chart)

Instructors Play a Key Role in Student Satisfaction and Retention

While COVID-19 will continue to upend the world of higher education for the foreseeable future, educators are making progress in improving the online learning experience for students. More instructors are embracing proven approaches that engage and motivate learners. Students are better armed with technology to communicate and collaborate with faculty and peers. By embracing active learning principles to deliver engaging and rewarding learning experiences, and by using community-building activities to humanize the virtual classroom, educators are impacting students’ motivation and coloring how students feel about the academic term. 

At the administrative level, concerns about student retention continue to run deep. According to Top Hat’s student survey in the Spring 2020, only two-thirds of students indicated they had not changed their plans to attend school in the Fall 2020 term — the good news is that, according to this latest survey, that percentage of students has gone up. The majority (70 percent) of students say they are likely to continue their studies into the Spring 2021 academic term, despite the short-term uncertainty of the higher ed experience. 

Perhaps the most important takeaway in all of this is the remarkable power of community. Creating a sense of belonging in the virtual classroom has far reaching effects: Students are more engaged, they have a higher opinion of their institution, and are more likely to return for the coming semester. Creating community in the virtual classroom may be one of the best means available to keep students engaged this year — and ensure they re-enroll next year

Resources

Survey report: Top Hat Field Report: Higher Ed Students Grade the Fall 2020 Semester report

Chart: Student Sentiment for Fall 2020: By Level of Support from Instructors

Chart: Student Sentiment for Fall 2020: First Year Students

Research Methodology

Survey responses were collected by Top Hat from 3,412 undergraduate students in the United States and Canada from October 2 to 11, 2020. Demographic breakdowns are as follows:

Institution type

4-year public: 71 percent

4-year private: 18 percent

2-year public: 11 percent 

Country

United States: 82 percent

Canada: 16 percent

Other: 2 percent

Student’s year of study

First year: 47 percent

Second year: 26 percent

Third year: 16 percent

Fourth year: 11 percent

About Top Hat

Top Hat is the only all-in-one courseware platform that enables active learning — a proven student-centred teaching pedagogy that promotes deep understanding, critical thinking, and subject mastery — with interactive content, tools, and activities. Millions of students at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to teach and engage with students before, during, and after class, in both in-person and online education. 

Contact

Top Hat

Dianna Lai Read

dianna.lairead@tophat.com 

The post Student Sentiment for Fall 2020: Survey of 3,412 Higher Ed Students Finds Educators Prioritizing Human Connections and Active Learning, Influencing Higher Likelihood of Student Retention in Spring 2021 and Beyond appeared first on Top Hat.