→ Explore our suite of engaging interactive learning tools

1. Assign homework to specific students

Shore up learning gaps sooner rather than later. With personalized data delivered to your inbox every week, identify which students didn’t answer discussion or poll questions in your lecture and re-assign your PowerPoint slides to this group as homework. This will give students a chance to refresh themselves on your material, which may prove especially beneficial for those who weren’t able to join your class live. Learn more about assigning homework to specific students here.

2. Make your discussion and poll questions media-rich

Give students an interactive assessment experience. You may know how to add videos or simulations to your Pages, but you can also directly embed media into your quiz questions. Not only will students get a more dynamic, immersive learning experience, they’ll get an opportunity to consume your course material in a different medium. Plus, using videos in your quiz questions makes for a more engaging alternative to the static Scantron or multiple-choice test. Learn more about using videos in questions or discussions here.

3. Give students a blank canvas to show what they know

The principle of ‘show, don’t tell’ holds true in the higher ed classroom. Let your students respond to a discussion with a drawing—allowing learners to visually express their understanding of course concepts. This feature works wonders in disciplines like economics, where drawing supply and demand curves may be more effective than asking students to express these trends in words. Discover how to let students respond using a drawing here.

4. Offer line-by-line feedback on document submissions

Enjoy feedback functionality that will be familiar to those who regularly use Google Docs. Using our file submission question, students are able to upload PDFs, lab templates or spreadsheets to Top Hat. Take your feedback to another level by offering annotated comments at various points in PDF or image submissions. This level of detailed commentary allows students to fully understand their own learning gaps, while giving you an opportunity to flag specific areas for improvement in advance of a high-stakes assessment. Learn more about how to leave detailed feedback in PDF file submissions here.

5. Measure comprehension of the same concept over time

If you’re preparing students for an exam and want to check their understanding of tricky concepts multiple times, this feature is for you. Compare student comprehension over a period of your choosing by keeping a record of responses to the same question asked more than once. After enabling this feature, you’ll be able to compare responses submitted on date X with date Y, seeing what percentage of students answered a particular way and letting you adapt your instruction accordingly. Explore how to create multiple question report sessions for your next quiz here.

6. Annotate your slideshow with whiteboard sketches

Sometimes, visually explaining a new concept can be easier than describing it in words. Top Hat’s Whiteboard Sketch tool allows you to insert blank slides into your slideshow, which you can then draw on in real time. For instance, complement a presentation on mitosis by drawing out the various stages live, answering student questions along the way. This tool doesn’t just allow for richer, more detailed discussions, it ensures students get a visual depiction of challenging concepts before moving on to your next topic. Learn how to embed interactive elements into your slides here.

7. Embed iFrames to create a truly interactive learning experience

Tailor your learning materials to the needs of Generation Z. When creating assessments, homework or customizing chapter readings in Pages, use iFrames to link to media such as podcasts, websites, simulations and GIFs. Open the interactive toolbar in your page, select the iFrame option and paste your desired link in the field. Learn how to embed iFrames in your course content here.

8. Use Presenter View to view personal notes and real-time responses

In a single view, get all the information you need to deliver a high-quality presentation. Use Presenter View to get a second screen that’s only accessible to you. View lecture notes that you added into your slide deck and get a live report of students’ responses as they answer questions live. Plus, preview which slide is next—and shift your conversation with students accordingly. Explore the power of Presenter View in helping you deliver an impactful slideshow here.

9. Save time building and managing exams with Assessment Space

Assessment time shouldn’t be daunting for your students—or you. Assessment Space is a new test creation tool that will allow you to import questions from your courses, create new questions, delete and adjust question point values in bulk and randomize questions for easy exam versioning. Plus, for select titles, you can access a pre-built question bank tagged by criteria such as chapter, difficulty, and Bloom’s Taxonomy level to promote higher-order thinking. Students also enjoy peace of mind when writing a test. Answers to exam questions are now automatically saved and will be turned in when an exam closes (even if the student doesn’t complete their full test). Students will be able to mark certain questions ‘for review’ during their test, ensuring they don’t waste their precious time on difficult questions up front. Read more about our latest assessment advancements here.

10. Keep your course textbook fresh and relevant with in-app content updates

Give students a learning experience that mirrors the world around them. Incorporate the latest content updates without losing any customizations in your interactive Top Hat textbook. You’ll be alerted whenever new author-created content is available for your text and will be given a chance to review all updates before accepting or rejecting them. This functionality ensures that educators have access to the latest content when it becomes available, on their own terms. In-app content updates are currently available in beta format for select Top Hat textbooks. Discover how our content enhancements make it easy to keep any textbook up-to-date here.

→ Make teaching more meaningful, personalized and equitable with Top Hat

The post 10 Top Hat Tips for a More Engaging Semester appeared first on Top Hat.

You’ll also find tips on how to successfully implement clickers to encourage student participation, as well as the many ways clickers can be used, such as:

• For taking attendance
• For use in formative assessments, like multiple choice, yes/no questions, or numeric-based questions that can gauge student understanding of basic concepts and facts
• For active learning, in assessing complex, strategically-posed questions that foster deeper discussions and promote, or stem from, group work

Clickers can be a helpful tool for prompting student questions, comments and discussions. However, clickers in the classroom can be a challenge as well. Difficulty in implementation in large educational institutions, the learning curve and potential costs are a few of the drawbacks of this supplemental tool.

→ Abandon clickers and use Top Hat Basic to engage every student—for free

1. What are clickers?

Clickers, also referred to as classroom response systems, clicker response systems, or student response systems, consist of hardware and software that aid in teaching activities. They typically include a small, battery-powered handheld device with multiple buttons (think, your TV remote) that connects to a receiver.

The most straightforward way to use a clicker in class is as follows:

• Instructors pose a multiple-choice, yes/no, or similar question either verbally, with a short-answer question, or through a screen
• Students select their desired answer on their clicker devices
• Responses are beamed to the receiver, the software tabulates the results, and they appear as a graph or bar chart, often on a large screen where the entire class can review them

Clickers can promote student engagement, maintain student attention during class, and foster discussions. Teachers gain a better understanding of how well students comprehend study material and can adjust their teaching approach, or shift classroom discussions on the fly based on the results.

Students can get a better handle on their own learning progress and how they stack up against the rest of the class. And the use of clickers encourages introverted students who might otherwise not raise their hand to participate actively and anonymously, and take part in discussions. Students don’t need to worry about embarrassment if they get an answer wrong—which promotes active participation beyond the eager front row of the class.

Clickers have been used in classrooms around the world for the last two decades. The latest evolution leverages mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and Chromebooks, to facilitate not only multiple-choice questions but also deeper, more involved responses that make use of full QWERTY keyboards. These days, some clickers allow students to even compose sentence-long answers or use a touchscreen to point out items on a map or diagram.

2. The history of clickers

The concept of clickers was first discussed in the book Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom by Charles Bonwell and James Eison. Published in 1991, it explores how professors can engage students in higher-order forms of cognition, fuelled by concepts like Bloom’s taxonomy. The idea was that in order to engage students, professors needed to find a way to make them active participants in the classroom.

A small group of innovative educators began experimenting with classroom response technology, and in 1992, an early prototype called Classtalk was launched. It used a Macintosh computer and palmtops that were shared among small groups of students in a physics class to great success.

In 1997, researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology developed a wireless, Windows-based personal response system that included a receiver in the classroom and a handset for each student.

Five years later in 2002, Turning Point, a wireless clicker company that integrates with PowerPoint, was founded by three graduates of Ohio’s Youngstown State University.

Top Hat was founded in 2008 by two graduate students from the University of Waterloo, Mike Silagadze and Mohsen Shahini, and took the concept of clicker questions to a new level, allowing students to use their own smartphones and tablets as “clickers.” This not only makes the use of clickers easier to implement, but it also allows for more versatility, since students can engage beyond just singular answers, utilizing the full QWERTY keyboard.

Today, many different types of classroom response system clickers are used in higher education institutions around the world, with different functions and purposes. The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the University of California, Davis, have been using clicker technology on campus, and have both seen tremendous results.

The goal of a clicker system is to provide a more active learning experience for students. By aiding in delivering lectures more successfully, instructors are able to more effectively gauge student understanding throughout the semester, instead of just twice a year during examination time. Clickers are no longer just simple tools for polls and attendance but have become fully integrated systems that make student learning more active and engaging.

2.1. Clickers or classroom response systems?

Clickers go by many different names. They are often referred to as classroom response systems (CRS) or audience response systems. This, however, might imply that students are passive members, which contradicts the clicker technology’s central purpose, which is to actively engage all students as individual members within the learning community instead of a whole “audience.” Terms like personal response systems are also used to describe clickers, often in corporate training environments. But, as noted above, since this is the name of a specific brand, it can be confusing. For the purpose of this guide, we’ll simply call them clickers. However, modern clickers can also be mobile devices students already own, including smartphones, laptops and tablets.

3. Types of clickers

With clickers, there are a number of ways that the selections students make on their handheld devices reach the receiver that tabulates the responses. Here’s how a few different options work.

3.1. Infrared

Photograph: Gina Randall / Public Domain

This type of clicker most closely resembles a television remote control. It requires a line of sight between the students holding the clicker device and the receiver that’s connected to the computer at the front of the class. These are great for smaller classrooms, where there aren’t too many students, and the signal can clearly reach the receiver. But it can be challenging for larger classes, where not every student has a direct connection wherever the teacher has placed the receiver. Infrared clickers also only operate one way, so while instructors can see student responses, learners aren’t able to confirm if their response is recorded.

3.2. Radio

Think of this type of clicker as similar to the way you use a battery-operated RC helicopter or drone. The clicker system uses radio frequency, which is more conducive to larger classrooms with more students and two-way communication between instructors and students. However, they tend to be more expensive and can face interference from other nearby electronic devices that operate on the same radio frequency. With multiple technology devices operating on radio frequencies, many of which can be found in classrooms and on students, the use of radio clickers can be difficult in some schools.

3.3. Phone-based clicker apps

The most recent evolution in classroom response clickers, available through providers like Top Hat, is using a mobile device that the student already owns as the clicker for recording responses. This way, students can use their own hardware instead of incurring additional costs, although it does require that every student in the class has a device for participating when the teacher poses a question. Not every student will have a smartphone, but everyone should have at least a tablet, laptop, Chromebook, or even a cell phone with SMS capabilities. These all can be used as a student response system for submitting answers to a classroom poll or multiple-choice question.

Phone-based clicker apps work in real-time, over the school’s Wi-Fi network, which means a robust network is needed to handle multiple simultaneous connections from active students as they submit their answers. This is especially so if other classrooms are using clickers at the same time. Many educators are migrating to this method of clicker system given its low cost of adoption, use of devices that students have on their person in class anyway, and seamless operation.

3.4. Different types of clicker apps

There are a number of clicker and classroom response apps available to college students and instructors.

• iClicker: iClicker is a software polling system that’s meant to be paired with mobile devices or physical clicker devices to improve classroom engagement. It’s often used by institutions transitioning from hardware clickers to software response systems. 
• Turning: Like iClicker, Turning is a polling and attendance tool that collects student answers to give instructors better insight into student understanding. The app has data visualization tools, so students can see how their answers compare to that of their peers.
• Top Hat: Top Hat’s classroom response tools are part of an all-in-one platform that brings together student insights from attendance, lectures, readings, assignments, tests and quizzes to give instructors a more holistic view of student success.

4. Teaching with clickers

4.1. Setting up your class for clickers

To get started with traditional clickers, first, you need to install a software system on the classroom computer to handle clicker inputs. Then, connect a signal receiver, either infrared or radio frequency, to which the clicked responses are beamed, to that same computer.

For anything but a personal device-based system, students need to buy a clicker, which typically sells through campus bookstores. Classroom clicker prices vary, depending on what system the campus or specific instructor has chosen.

In class, once an instructor poses a question and students click their responses, the selections are beamed to the receiver, the software tabulates the data and the results are displayed and recorded. Results are anonymous, but the instructor can see which student provided which answer by linking the response to the serial number of the specific clicker or device. Having a second screen set up and connected to the computer is useful so that results can be presented in class for all students to review. Since many lecture halls already have screens of some kind, implementation is simple.

For more modern systems that make use of students’ personal devices, no software or receiver device is required. But students must bring their own devices, download the respective app, and be connected to a WiFi network. The same system must, of course, be set up on the instructors’ device, allowing students to participate in class, even in hybrid and remote learning environments. College class clickers can now be used for more than just multiple-choice, alphanumeric, and yes/no questions; and some even allow students to take quizzes and tests using the remotes, which saves instructors’ time in the grading process.

4.2. Clickers for attendance

One of the most straightforward ways to use clickers for the classroom is to take attendance. The teacher can ask “Are you here?” and students who are present can click “yes” to register their responses.

On hardware clickers, the instructor can gauge who is in attendance through a specific serial number for each clicker—and if they’re registered to student names, you might have the option to view them while keeping the data anonymous to the rest of the class.

Professors and TAs can observe which students may be absent frequently, or struggling with course material and address the situation, or award course credits to those who are consistently present in class. Instructors can also get aggregated data for a more holistic view of student attendance and participation.

School clickers are particularly useful for taking attendance in large classes, like freshman introductory courses, where logging attendance might otherwise be difficult. But be careful that you don’t cause resentment of the technology by essentially using it as a class monitor. 

Try exploring creative ways to gauge attendance to keep your students on their toes:

• Consider asking questions that are not relevant to attendance specifically, but will give you an idea of who’s there 
• If you ask students at the beginning of class whether they’ve read the required material, this will show you not only who’s there, but who has done the prep work necessary to move on to the next stage of the lecture. It holds students accountable for the work, while also serving as an efficient means of delivering things like quizzes, and assessing student knowledge in each class
• Ask students to respond to a discussion thread with a drawing or written response to a conversation prompt

4.3. Clickers for formative assessment

4.3.1. Simple recall-based polls

When it comes to asking questions, the most obvious use of a clicker for class is to see if students can recall basic facts and concepts discussed in previous classes, or touched on in reading material. A quick multiple-choice clicker quiz lets a teacher determine this before moving ahead, or deciding to go over the material once again and administering the same or a similar quiz later to determine if student understanding has improved.

This way, instructors can get real-time information about how students are progressing in the learning process, versus waiting until examination time or the submission of assignments.

4.3.2. Polls that test understanding

Once students have demonstrated rote memorization, move on to having students demonstrate conceptual understanding by asking questions with options that are based on common misconceptions. Ask students to provide examples of something, match characteristics with concepts, or select the best explanation for a term out of several options.

Using a framework like Bloom’s taxonomy, you can move forward with questions that help gauge deeper understanding, including the application of knowledge and critical thinking. Here are some clicker question ideas:

• Ask students to make a decision based on a real-world case study, thereby extending learning outside the classroom
• Encourage learners to analyze the relationships between related course concepts through mind maps or click-on-target questions
• Provide questions with multiple answers that all have merit but will encourage discussions about the results that have been revealed
• Ask about a student’s level of confidence in their answers using a ranking system
• Poll students about their progress towards assignments: How many have already started rough drafts of the report that’s due next week?
• Gauge how difficult assignments are by asking them to approximate how long it took them to complete one

The results from clicker polls can be eye-opening. Instructors gain a better understanding of whether they need to go over previously covered material again, and how students are progressing towards learning objectives.

4.4. Clickers for flexible teaching

You might find that students understand more about a subject than you actually think. Or conversely, you could discover that they don’t have as good a grasp on the material as you had hoped. Either way, the data provided by clickers can lead you to adapt your teaching style to course-correct.

Ask a multiple-choice question about prior material and if the majority of the class gets the answer wrong, move backward and go over the concepts again. If most get it right, forge ahead to the next stage of the lecture material as planned. If some understanding is lacking, slow down so that students who are lagging can catch up.

Adjusting teaching on the fly can more closely target areas where students need help. But it requires enough confidence to shift the dynamics from a standard and predictable lecture format to a responsive and interactive learning experience.

Clickers can be used to meet an individual teaching style, through useful and insightful questions. They can liven up otherwise drab lectures (think Ferris Bueller’s “Anyone? Anyone?” classroom scene), and help uncover areas where students need further clarification. You could create competitive and fun games that have students anticipating class time, like choose-your-own-adventure-type problems and have students select from several different ways to approach a problem. Explore the winning selection, then move on to the next most popular one, and so on.

Activities that are matched to course content, learning objectives, and your own unique teaching style will be the easiest to implement.

5. Clickers for active learning

Clickers aren’t just useful to test students. They can also be used to help spark discussions, and lead to more active learning by promoting a welcome break from the standard lecture format. Pose a question, and have students think about their answer for a minute before submitting it. Present the results, and then have students discuss it with a neighbor or in a small group.

5.1. Think-pair-share

Think-pair-share is a method where the instructor poses a question and has the class break into small groups to discuss an appropriate answer. In the ‘think’ part, use the clicker system to poll the class with a simple yes or no question. If the responses widely differ, try asking students to find and pair up with someone with a differing viewpoint to try to convince one another of the merits of their choice, and see who can change whose mind. This method can be great for humanities courses, where different opinions are often disputed, as well as for STEM topics where different scientific processes and techniques can be employed.

Once each group or pair has had time to discuss, and decide on the desired answer, they can use a clicker again to log the response. Instructors then present the revised findings and use these to foster further discussion. This technique gets the students engaged in class, away from the habit of just passively consuming material and facts, and exposes them to peers who may hold differing viewpoints.

5.2. Experiment and discussion

Clickers can further be used to encourage experimentation and discussion. Try the following:

• Ask an open-ended question relevant to the subject matter to prompt discussion among the class (pictured above)
• Encourage students to share their own opinions and relate them to their personal experiences, and show the diversity of perspectives in your class
• Leverage the anonymity of clickers to help introverted students feel more comfortable about participating
• Use results to encourage richer discussions about moral, ethical and legal issues
• Warm up for a discussion topic by posing a question, giving students time to think about their answer, and using the results to set the stage for a deeper dive into the topic, or even for experimentation or lab work. Then poll students again to see if their answers have changed, and discuss why.

Collecting data that can provide details about social behavior can bring immediacy and relevance to lectures and the subject matter. Students can anticipate the results of each poll as they are conducted, learning not only how they are progressing, but also how the rest of the class are too.

5.3. Learning about your students

When selecting a classroom response system, you should determine what sort of aggregated data it can collect. Can you use it to determine how your course should evolve? Or how students are performing, both as a class on the whole as well as individuals. Can you pinpoint specific students who are excelling, and conversely, those who might be falling behind and could use additional attention? There’s an art and a science to using clickers, and different strategies you can employ to learn more about your students, and get them engaged in their learning as well.

When used for attendance, clickers can also help paint a picture of which students are frequently missing class, or who or how many seem to not be engaged in the clicker use so you can address the issues and revamp your strategy.

If you’re deciding on a clicker solution, be sure to ask the vendor about their handling of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). FERPA protects the privacy of student education records in the U.S. and is applicable to all students aged 18 and older. FERPA gives parents and students the right to review education records, and to request corrections if they believe them to be inaccurate. Take what the vendor says and check it against your institution’s data security and retention policies.

Whatever the choice, the clicker system must be able to fit in with your educational institution’s ingrained routines. It must also meet the school’s guidelines and policies for data security, as well as the country, city, or state policies.

6. Challenges with clickers

The use of clickers is not without challenges. The educational institution and/or professor needs to approve their use and any costs associated with implementation. They need to be equipped to adopt them, whether that’s by getting the appropriate technology or having sufficient Wi-Fi bandwidth for phone-based clicker apps. There’s also an investment in time to learn how to use the system, and how to use it effectively. Educators must also get into the frame of mind of covering less material in order to dedicate their lecture time to administering clicker questions. As Brian Roberts, Instructional Technology Coordinator at Central Michigan University, explains in our clickers e-book “you have to climb the learning curve to get the full benefit of the technology.”

6.1. Inflexibility

While multiple-choice questions can be more sophisticated than you think, they are limited in what they can achieve in terms of student understanding. And there are factors that can come into play that skew the results, such as student misinterpretation, lack of participation, technical difficulties, or course material that isn’t conducive to devising useful multiple-choice, yes-or-no, or numeric-based questions. Some of the latest clicker systems can accept text-based responses, but for the most part, clicker systems are limited to basic quizzing that can’t paint a full picture of student understanding of concepts, theories, and course material. Many of these disadvantages can be turned into advantages, however—read more from Professor Andrew Petto on how he uses multiple-choice in class to find out whether students have truly understood his material.

6.2. Cost

Implementing clickers from scratch could prove expensive, not only for the students if they are required to purchase separate handheld clicker devices, but also for the educational institution to build the appropriate infrastructure. Some clicker setups, including software or apps, require recurring monthly fees. Plus, there’s a cost associated with hardware, including the receiver or, in the case of phone-based set-ups, the app. That can be a deterrent if some schools are not willing to pay and if professors are not permitted to adopt their own systems. It’s also contingent on how students perceive value, and faculty can have an influence on that. Some schools charge for clickers upfront, while others sell clickers in the campus bookstores, and some professors charge students to use them.

Also, if different professors use different programs, students may have to purchase several clickers, which can easily run into the hundreds of dollars of added costs.

6.3. Potential for cheating

As with any technology, there are always ways to get around the accuracy of clickers. Students can easily hand their clicker to a friend who can fake their attendance in class. And with multiple-choice questions, particularly if participation or accuracy does not count towards grades, some students may simply guess or click in without thinking, thus skewing the data.

7. The future of clickers

While handheld clickers have existed for a couple of decades, the future now belongs to mobile devices, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops. While not every student has all three of these devices in their arsenal, every student will likely have at least one of them that can be used as their clicker, with the appropriate app. And most students already bring at least one of these devices to class anyway. How many students, after all, don’t have their cell phones on them at all times?

Thus, setting up and implementing clickers will become simpler and more cost-effective going forward. The biggest requirement is getting a consensus between an educational institution and faculty to use them.

As clickers evolve to phone-based apps, their adoption is sure to rise, and their value in classroom settings will be further realized.

Related pages

Learn more about Top Hat’s clicker software
Learn more about Top Hat’s free classroom app

The post Clickers: The Ultimate Guide [UPDATED 2023] appeared first on Top Hat.

At our recent webinar, Klausman shared how his text supports belonging, engagement and strength-building as a means of helping students overcome ‘deficit’ thinking.

→ Free preview: Explore Composing a College Career today

Offering a unique strengths-based approach to student success

The majority of students, even those who may be academically prepared, arrive at college without the knowledge of the academy, its language and customs, or social confidence to effectively navigate campus life. This mirrors Klausman’s own experience as a freshman arriving at Portland State University. At the time, he felt completely lost and out of his element. Years later as a faculty member, Klausman sees the same mindset and desire for belonging in his own students.

In his experience, students too often internalize stories based on self-doubt: “My vocabulary isn’t very good,” or “I struggle to complete work on time.” In his latest text, Klausman offers an antidote to ‘deficit thinking’ by encouraging students to take ownership of their own stories, which can have a lasting impact on their educational mindset and college experience.

Part one of Composing a College Career reminds faculty and students of the power of story in overcoming imposter syndrome. In moving interviews with nine students, Klausman works to dispel the myth that learners are “less than” or “inadequate” upon arriving on campus. “Strength to strength” prompts within each chapter give students a chance to reflect on their existing knowledge and apply it to new situations, building confidence along the way. Students are then invited to reflect on their own narratives and definitions of success through the interactive “What’s your story?” feature.

Klausman also highlights the importance of mentorship, engagement and purpose in composing a successful college career, offering helpful suggestions to both students and faculty.

• Mentorship: Relationships have a profound impact on success. Consider connecting a non-major student with someone in your department who can help them navigate your discipline.
• Engagement: Students who are more engaged are more likely to persist. Point students to class and campus resources to ensure they have what they need to thrive.
• Purpose: Consider how your course can get students one step closer to achieving their career goals or contribute to their broader aspirations for society.

Composing an academic mindset and strategies

Klausman reminds us that when students don’t feel like they belong, it has a profound effect on their ability to thrive. If students feel like an outsider, they’re less likely to ask for help accessing resources in the library. Or avoid taking advantage of office hours or other opportunities for guidance and support. Ultimately, lack of confidence can have a cumulative effect on a student’s academic trajectory. 

Chapters in part two of the book emphasize developing an academic mindset, cultivating wellness, and forging a college identity. Part three focuses on practical skills and study habits—such as setting goals, managing procrastination and conducting research—to give students the confidence they need to realize that they are capable of growing their skillset and navigating academia.

Klausman’s textbook goes beyond the ‘what’ to answer the ‘how.’ Abandoning a deficit-based mindset, the book helps students identify and personalize strategies to build on their existing strengths to maximize their own success in college. Of course, not every First Year Experience course is the same. The good news is that the customization that Top Hat offers allows faculty to incorporate campus-specific resources and case studies into the text to better meet the needs of their students. Discover the strength-based approach that first-year faculty are widely adopting: explore Composing a College Career today.

The post Reframing the Narrative on First-Year Student Success appeared first on Top Hat.

→ Watch on-demand: Faculty guest presenters share teaching best practices

1. How do I use the Gradebook to change grade weights and search for responses to specific questions?

Top Hat’s Gradebook makes grading more efficient and effective. There’s no need to manually change the grade weight on a question-by-question basis. Instead, navigate to your course settings and click on Grades. From here, you’ll be able to change default point values. If you’d like to change grade weights in textbook chapters or assignments, start from the ‘Content’ section of your Top Hat course. Highlight the item you wish to apply custom grading to in your content tree and click ‘Adjust Points’ in the header of your preview pane.

Get a handle on which questions are tripping students up. Save time by generating Question Reports in the Gradebook versus viewing answers in individual student reports. Expand the folders in your Gradebook to reveal columns for individual questions. Hover over the cell containing the column total for a single question and click the blue report icon that reads ‘View Question Report.’ From here, you’ll be able to adjust students’ grades by editing Participation and Correctness scores. Plus, you’ll also be given the option to excuse specific students from the question.

2. How can I reward certain students for attending class and staying until the very end of my lesson?

Give students brownie points for staying for the duration of your lecture. Begin your lecture by initiating attendance: click ‘Take Attendance’ and prompt students to enter the four-digit code on your screen. From here, you may either: a) close attendance by clicking ‘Finish,’ which will prevent students who arrived late from submitting their code or b) keep your attendance open by clicking ‘Minimize and keep open.’

If you’d like to give extra points to those who are still in their seats at the end of class, simply re-launch attendance by clicking on the blue button in the bottom left-hand corner and then click on the yellow attendance button. Note that this will generate a new attendance code and will appear as a new session in the Gradebook.

3. How is Top Hat accessible to students with visual impairments?

Part of giving every student a voice includes leveling the playing field. Top Hat allows educators to lead inclusive and accessible lessons in the following ways.

• Add alternative text on images: Add alt-text to images that are embedded into a Page or Test.
• Screen reader compatibility: Top Hat may be accessed using a screen reader, including JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver.
• Keyboard navigation: The entire student experience in the Top Hat platform can be navigated via keyboard.

4. How can I customize the amount of time that students have to submit answers to my poll questions in class?

Give students some flexibility in how long they have to submit their responses to questions. When creating a question, choose from the dropdown menu under ‘Response Timer.’ You may set a question response timer when first creating the question or you may retroactively add a timer to a previously created question. If you see your students struggling or would like to give them extra time to submit a response, there are two methods to do so. You may click the timer icon and either a) add an additional 15 seconds to the clock or b) temporarily pause the timer altogether—letting students submit their answers without an active timer. You may then click on the timer icon again to start the timer where you left off.

5. How do I assign my lecture slides and discussion questions from class to my students as review?

Give students an opportunity to practice recalling key concepts and facts outside of class by assigning material as review. This means their work will not be graded. To assign content, navigate to your content tree and select the checkbox next to the items you would like to assign. Next, click on the ‘Assign’ button in the upper right hand corner of the preview pane. One of the easiest ways to ensure both your slideshow and accompanying poll and discussion questions get assigned to students is by housing everything in a single folder. You can keep your material organized by week, such as by creating a folder titled “Week One” and adding your supporting materials to the folder for review.

6. How does my feedback left in long answer and file submission questions appear on the student side?

Detailed feedback can make all the difference in helping support student comprehension. Students will be able to view the comments you leave under long answer questions from their Gradebook. To leave comments, highlight the question in the content tree, click on ‘Grade Responses’ and then type in your comments directly into the feedback field. Students will be able to see their score and feedback in the Gradebook once the question is no longer assigned.

Top Hat’s file submission question allows students to upload an image or PDF in response to a question prompt. With this question type, leave comments at certain points in the file (in-line comments) or to the file as a whole (summary comments). Click ‘Submit’ to make the grade and comments visible to the student as soon as the Homework due date has passed.

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But after a year of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, perspectives are changing. Rather than simply ‘tolerate’ it, instructors are realizing that technology and the power of digital devices, apps and tools can increase engagement, encourage collaboration, spark innovation and enhance student learning.

In and of itself, education technology doesn’t result in effective teaching and learning. It still requires a guide (the educator) and a purpose (related to the curriculum). And there is effort and strategy required to integrate it effectively into your course material. But, if used with intention, education technology can be transformed from a distraction to an effective teaching tool with positive effects on student achievement.

Here are a few answers to the question of how education technology has changed today’s colleges and universities , and reasons why educators should make the most of technology inside—and outside—the classroom.

Technology affords better access to resources

With an Internet connection, we have access to information at our fingertips 24 hours a day. We can find almost anything online, in its most up-to-date version. For students, this means access to everything from research materials and educational apps to interactive edutainment and open resources from prestigious universities around the world. (Students may, however, need instruction on how to find credible resources and direction on providing proper attribution when they use them.)

Students can also supplement their learning by connecting with online groups and virtual communities in real-time, or by collaborating on group projects using tools such as wikis and cloud-based apps. And instructors can provide access to the course material (and additional resources) by setting up portals through learning management systems or providing access to course-specific software for each learner. For budget-conscious educators, open educational resources may provide useful course materials their students can access throughout a course. 

What are open educational resources?

Open educational resources (OER) are teaching, research and learning resources that explicitly allow others to use, keep and distribute them. OER are teaching resources that have an open copyright license (such as Creative Commons), or they are part of the public domain and have no copyright. Depending on the license, OER can be freely accessed, used, re-mixed, improved, and shared. OER is one way of engaging students more deeply in the learning process, moving beyond lectures and static textbook chapters. By blending technology and education, open educational resources also give instructors the tools to involve students in the creation of learning materials.

Technology can improve student engagement

Education technology can help students by making learning more engaging and collaborative. Rather than memorizing facts, students learn by doing and through critical thinking. This could be as simple as taking an interactive quiz in class or participating in tech-enabled group discussions. Or it could be as involved as playing educational games, practicing in science experiments in a virtual lab or taking a virtual field trip.

To make learning truly engaging, it must be truly interactive. Doing math on a computer isn’t any different than doing math with a pencil and pad of paper. But using augmented reality to animate math challenges is a whole different ball game. Ultimately, interactivity and technology enhance learning.

For educators, the role of education technology is endless: from using simulation tools to demonstrate how a hurricane develops, to using virtual reality to practice medical procedures. “As a growing number of medical schools bring virtual reality into the classroom, students are finding it an effective way to learn complex subject matter, such as anatomy, that’s often easier to understand with hands-on practice,” writes Chris Hayhurst for EdTech Magazine. Blended learning is a great way to ensure you’re using technology to engage your students both in and out of your class.

What is blended learning?

Blended learning is an educational approach in which students learn online as well as through traditional face-to-face teaching. Sometimes referred to as hybrid learning, blended learning is a combination of traditional in-classroom and online education with multimedia components, such as interactive discussions and polls, embedded videos and live chats. Individually, both have their advantages. Together, blended learning can offer a more engaging learning experience for students by providing them with opportunities to work both independently and with their peers and instructor to reinforce learning and achieve subject mastery with education technology

Blended learning is more than just using technology to supplement the classroom experience. Rather, blended learning requires that a significant portion of course material is delivered through online instruction using digital technology, combined with some face-to-face components. For example, students may complete lectures and homework assignments online but have in-person lab meetings. This way, students complete certain parts of the course according to their own schedule and can revisit the material as needed. The rest of student time is then spent in a classroom, lecture hall or lab, with supervised instruction.

Education technology can expand classroom boundaries

Thanks to education technology, the classroom no longer has walls. The learning environment no longer has boundaries. And instruction can be provided by any number of subject matter experts in the real world—in addition to the person teaching the course through the use of technology.

“Students in a classroom in the rural U.S., for example, can learn about the Arctic by following the expedition of a team of scientists in the region, read scientists’ blog postings, view photos, e-mail questions to the scientists, and even talk live with the scientists via a videoconference. Students can share what they are learning with students in other classrooms in other states who are tracking the same expedition,” according to an article on technology in education by Purdue University. Ultimately, technology allows students to expand their horizons by extending learning beyond textbooks and lectures and connecting it to the real world.

Technology can encourage self-paced learning

In a traditional classroom, students who were struggling to learn new concepts would quickly fall behind their peers. With self-paced learning components, however, students can advance at their own pace as part of the learning process. Those who need more time or extra help can practice outside of class with guided exercises or additional coursework. So, too, can learners who want more of a challenge.

Thanks to the always-on nature of technology, students can access online learning resources whenever they need to. These resources also have the ability to provide instructors with a sense of which students might need extra help. 

The exercise of self-paced learning with these new technologies allows students to learn digital literacy and 21st-century skills, which will have a positive impact when they enter the workforce. One such way to accomplish this goal is 1:1 computing, which provides students with the technology they need to engage in coursework.

What is 1:1 computing?

One-to-one computing (often abbreviated as “1:1”) is an educational practice where academic institutions provide every student with a laptop or tablet, allowing students to access the Internet, as well as preloaded course materials and textbooks. One-to-one computing uses the impact of technology to create an equitable classroom environment in which students have easy and equal access to information. It also boosts career readiness, since the skills 1:1 computing imparts are increasingly expected both on campus and in the office.

Technology can promote innovative teaching techniques

Education technology changes the way we access information, and also how we’re taught that information. The instructor becomes less of a ‘sage on a stage’ and more of a ‘guide on the side.’ From accessing real-world case studies online to watching video-recorded lectures to listening to podcasts, technology opens up the possibility for teaching innovation (including collaborative group work and flipped and hybrid classrooms). Instructors can also use classroom response systems to assess students’ understanding of course material, adjust the paces needed in real-time and build on students’ problem-solving skills. Moreover, digital materials can enhance the learning experience by making it more flexible, more engaging and better able to accommodate student needs.

How are digital materials used in the classroom?

Digital materials in the higher education classroom provoke student curiosity. These interactive textbooks or readings can also boost student engagement and lead to better learning and comprehension by offering multimedia components, discussion threads and embedded assessments. In order to foster deeper and more collaborative learning, many educators use education technology to share their digital materials through chat forums, discussion threads and comprehension-testing questions to assess student learning. There are also a number of online learning materials, tools and platforms that educators can use to conduct tests, quizzes and exams.

How does education technology impact student learning? A summary

While education technology is sometimes seen as a threat—and it does have its limits—integrating it into your teaching practice offers a new way for students to interact and engage with course material. And this is especially essential after students have become used to learning with technology during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to education technology tools, education is no longer confined to the walls of your classroom. YouTube videos and social media don’t have to be a distraction; they can be part of your lesson plans. The math is easy: it adds up to better learning outcomes.

References

1. Hayhurst, C. (2017, February 15). Medical Students Practice Critical Skills on Digital Cadavers. Retrieved from https://edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2017/02/medical-students-practice-critical-skills-digital-cadavers
2. How Has Technology Changed Education? (2017, April 25). Retrieved from https://online.purdue.edu/ldt/learning-design-technology/resources/how-has-technology-changed-education

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Here are five collaboration and study apps to help students form meaningful connections, share coursework and job opportunities and, ultimately, strengthen student-student bonds.

1. Discord

Discord is an instant messaging app that allows students to form group chats for audio, text and media sharing. Originally designed for gamers, Discord offers different servers, all of which have their own topics, rules and channels. Text channels enable students to send instant text messages to one another. Voice channels allow learners to send audio notes to individuals or groups. Not all students want to be on camera nor are they able to meet at a set time. Discord allows for asynchronous conversations that still make students feel part of a learning community. Students will appreciate being able to discuss assignments informally and share their progress through photos of their STEM formulas, for example, or describing how they arrived at an answer by sending a voice note to their peers.

2. Slack

Widely used in the corporate world, Slack enables students to stay in touch with their peers in and out of class. Students can create their own channels for a variety of purposes such as for group projects, sharing pet photos, note-taking and distribution and even memes. Slack also offers integrations with time management tools, Google Calendar, Google Drive, Evernote, Dropbox, Zoom and more. Students are able to share files and see one another through in-app calls, replicating the feeling of an in-person conversation. Slack allows for communication with educators, but additionally gives students the autonomy to form private groups for informal, non-academic activities including extracurriculars.

3. Goodwall

In the job market, it’s often not what you know, but who you know. That couldn’t be more true in today’s economy. Many campus jobs and co-op opportunities have been reduced due to cutbacks. Goodwall takes a social, more informal approach to the standard CV. Be sure to alert your students to this free app that allows them to connect on shared challenges, pitch their business ideas and discover internship and scholarship opportunities. Users are able to network with their peers from their institution and beyond. 

4. Padlet

Not everyone can commit to synchronous classes. Similarly, not everyone feels comfortable raising their voice in front of the entire group. Padlet serves as an online Post-It board, allowing students to create flashcards or individual notes in discussion boards. Post a question on your board. You could ask students what their ‘muddiest point’ of your lecture was at the end of class, or get students to share an interesting article they read in the past week that relates to your course material. Students can additionally create their own boards for a variety of purposes, like celebrating birthdays in friend groups or crowdsourcing ideas on an upcoming biology experiment. Even though students aren’t together, these boards can help replicate spontaneous back-and-forth conversations held in class.

5. Top Hat

Top Hat helps your students stay connected with one another before, during and after class. Create moments of connection between students by posing interactive discussion questions in class. Students can respond to one another’s comments, creating a lively learning environment. Give every learner a voice by using anonymous discussions to promote unrestricted debate and dialogue. Students can ‘upvote’ responses to discussions, giving them an indicator of who else is in the same boat. Even better, extend discussions outside of class and ask students to continue engaging with their peers on their own time—whether through lecture activities or homework assignments.

Andrew Duffy, Master Lecturer of Physics at Boston University, uses Top Hat to deliver lectures, labs and discussions—ensuring Physics never becomes a “spectator sport.” Top Hat has helped him create an interactive, discussion-rich learning environment that gets his students excited to learn. On the flip side, Duffy now gets the real-time feedback he needs to spot struggling learners. This approach has, in turn, boosted student confidence. “They walk out of our course feeling like they know this stuff, because they’ve had so much practice at it.”

References

1. Top Hat (2020). Top Hat Field Report: Higher Ed Students Grade the Fall 2020 Semester. https://tophat.com/teaching-resources/interactive/student-survey-report/

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Top Hat recently surveyed 2,071 undergraduate students who learned with our platform and interactive textbooks in the Fall 2021 semester. A common thread: Top Hat’s dynamic courseware is a game-changer in keeping students engaged and actively learning before, during and after class. Below, we share key takeaways for those seeking to find ways to deliver meaningful, engaging and student-centered learning experiences. 

→ Browse the Top Hat Catalog for hundreds of dynamic textbooks

Students are more aware than ever that digital doesn’t mean dynamic

Generation Z is used to interacting with personal, timely and relevant content outside of academia. So why not incorporate materials that check this box within your course? With Top Hat, educators can customize content any way they like, representing the unique needs and backgrounds of a digital-first generation in the process. It’s what students want—84 percent reported that Top Hat content was more engaging than a traditional textbook.

Over the last decade, players in the textbook market have released e-texts with questions and case studies in an attempt to meet the needs of Gen Z. But there’s an issue that can no longer be ignored: Digital doesn’t mean dynamic. More than three-quarters of learners using Top Hat courseware enjoy the additional interactivity, customization and insights.

Turn every student into an active and engaged learner

When students feel seen and heard in the classroom, they’re more likely to perceive real value from their higher ed investment. Top Hat has helped shore up learning gaps, with frequent and insightful opportunities to check for understanding. This has only helped maintain engagement during, and beyond, class time. “The entire platform was extremely user-friendly. I wish that my entire university used this platform. It definitely contributed to my academic success,” shared a student from the University of Southern Maine.

Not everyone feels comfortable reaching out for help. However, the more students are provided with low-stakes assessments, the more opportunities they have to apply and gauge their own understanding of course material. Top Hat polls, quizzes and discussions have played a direct role in creating these opportunities, which have led to better information retention. “Top Hat gave me the opportunity to see what I truly comprehended in the class and what I needed to work on later,” said a student from East Tennessee State University.

Survey methodology

Survey responses were collected by Top Hat from 2,071 college and university students from across North America between December 6 and December 13, 2021. The top five disciplines represented were Biology, Chemistry, Anatomy and Physiology, Communication and Psychology.

→ Top Hat Catalog: Explore hundreds of dynamic textbooks

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At the EDUCAUSE 2021 conference, many educators and administrators shared tips and learnings on how they reimagined their courses to better support student needs during a time of continued uncertainty. And here we’ve compiled key insights on how to drive student outcomes from presentations given by Demian Hommel (Senior Instructor and Research Faculty at Oregon State University), Jennifer Sparrow (Deputy CIO at The Pennsylvania State University), and Joe Rohrlich (CEO at Top Hat) at this year’s event. 

1. Boost engagement by designing your assessments around Universal Design for Learning and learning science principles

Summative assessments, as Demian Hommel notes, have historically fallen short in their ability to provide timely and frequent feedback to the educator on where their students’ learning gaps are. And traditional assessments like long-form multiple choice tests are inherently inaccessible. “Summative assessments can sometimes be seen as dead ends,” he says. “They don’t assess where students are nor do they provide them with options for moving forward.” Instead, Hommel suggests instructors incorporate more opportunities for diagnostic and formative assessments, which can serve as pulse checks throughout the academic term. These regular touchpoints help make sure students are on track to meet course objectives, while providing educators with opportunities to reach out to struggling students early and often.

Several low-stakes assessments, versus a major exam at the end of the semester, can also help students realize what material they are and aren’t comfortable with early on. To help with information retention, Hommel employs interleaving, a learning science concept, in his courses. “You introduce a new unit before students are ready and then turn back to the previous material—perhaps when students already feel like they have mastery—and continually embed low-stakes assessments,” he shares. 

Using Top Hat has helped Hommel to facilitate regular pulse checks that give him the valuable feedback he needs to support every student. “Top Hat’s flexibility has been a big part of pre-, during and post-class opportunities and making sure students understand this information in multiple modes,” says Hommel. Top Hat has allowed for multiple means of engagement—whether through discussions, word clouds or click-on-target questions—which align with UDL best practices.

2. Embrace ‘small data’ to effectively support student outcomes

You’ve likely heard of ‘big data’ before. But ‘small data,’ regular insights which point to patterns in student engagement and comprehension, may be more revealing. By leveraging real-time signals and insights, educators can better tailor their support to boost student outcomes and create a class environment (whether online or in person) that encourages engagement and curiosity. For example, educators at Penn State leverage tools to monitor student performance, comprehension, attendance, and engagement. Taking advantage of this data allows advisors to personalize their outreach to at-risk students, ensuring all learners get the timely and up-to-date support they need.

Katie Thompson-Laswell, Senior Instructor of Human Development and Family Science at Kansas State University, is one of many professors who relies on the iterative signals and insights that Top Hat offers in order to create the conditions for her 200+ students to thrive. She’s now able to easily address three critical aspects of the learning experience: performance, engagement and perceptions of value.

• Performance: Regular, small-stakes assessments provide Thompson-Laswell with insight into how students are progressing from the first day of class—all while providing opportunities to intervene with struggling students early in the term.
• Engagement: Top Hat pinpoints engagement, attendance and completion metrics, enabling her to adjust the pace of her delivery and reading and homework assignments accordingly.
• Perceptions of value: Thompson-Laswell uses two-way communications in the form of assessments, polls, and more delivered through student response systems to gauge whether the material resonates with students. Here, she can also measure whether students see connections between course content and the real world.

Create the conditions for students to thrive on your campus. Top Hat is here to support you in addressing your institutional and teaching challenges—book your complimentary meeting with us today.

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Over the last 18 months specifically, students have perceived learning loss largely due to the nature of their online learning experience. Concerns around mental health and finances haven’t helped, either. But all hope isn’t lost. Enter the power of iterative, constant signals and insights—or ‘small data’—which help establish the right conditions for students to receive and perceive meaningful value from their college investment. 

How institutions can take advantage of real-time signals and insights

You’ve likely heard of big data before. In the context of higher ed, this translates to the results of student performance after a high-stakes exam. But often, this is too little, too late. Real-time signals, or ‘small data,’ is continuously captured and served up through learning tools to help educators understand and support students. These insights can even be harnessed to course-correct live, depending on how well students are understanding the topics being taught.

Unlike big data, ‘small data’ offers a glimpse into student progress early and often. Top Hat provides the necessary signals and insights to detect patterns in student engagement and retention—here’s how.

• Attendance data generated in each class can reveal insights into course satisfaction and even a sense of belonging. Instructors can use this data to get chronically absent students back on track.
• Poll and quiz grades offer educators a view into what students are and aren’t comprehending. These data points let instructors know which topics to review and refresh students on during lectures before introducing new material.
• Interactive textbooks, with discussion and poll questions interspersed throughout, alert instructors to how well students are engaging with course content outside of class time. These signals may even spotlight areas worth reviewing at the start of the next class.

Top Hat’s all-in-one teaching platform enables educators to capture and analyze these actionable insights from a single, consolidated gradebook. When used correctly, this data paints a comprehensive picture of student performance—at the class and individual student level—and makes it easy for instructors to adjust and build on the learning experience. 

A data-empowered pedagogy informed by Top Hat and Canvas

Penn State University is one of many institutions using Top Hat to get the essential signals and insights that help students derive value out of their learning experience. They realize that the best student outcomes stem from making effective use of in-the-moment insights. Top Hat is one of two platforms that have helped them in their mission.

Penn State’s site-wide license of Top Hat lets instructors use the platform without barriers. Because of that, they’re able to receive constant signals and insights on student performance and retention, which wouldn’t be possible with an LMS alone. 

Top Hat supercharges Penn State’s chosen LMS, Canvas, giving educators the ability to use data to make informed decisions on the depth and breadth of their course delivery. Top Hat lets instructors engage their students through interactive readings, assignments and polls, providing actionable insights to allow educators to identify at-risk students and embrace a mentorship mentality to get these learners back on track. Canvas serves as the administrative arm, keeping all data in one place.

Want to use Top Hat with your LMS? It’s as simple as syncing your course roster in Top Hat with your learning management system.

References

1. New Survey: Looking For a Job? Employers Value Soft Skills More Than Ever Before. (2021, July 28). Express Employment Professionals. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/07/28/2270394/0/en/New-Survey-Looking-For-a-Job-Employers-Value-Soft-Skills-More-than-Ever-Before.html

The post The Impact of Real-Time Signals and Insights on the Student Experience appeared first on Top Hat.

1. Provide students with regular feedback on their progress

Timely and constructive feedback can lead to better engagement in the long run. Not only does regular feedback remind students that they can turn to you for support, it can also expose learning gaps early and often. Effective feedback, which focuses on areas for improvement and work ethic, as opposed to intrinsic ability, can also build confidence. Informal polls, anonymous discussions, social media and one-on-one check-ins are great approaches that can provide regular insights into how students are faring academically and emotionally. Providing regular feedback will further allow you to intervene early if issues arise, helping struggling students get back on track.

✓ Helpful educational technology: iClicker, Zoom, Top Hat

2. Centralize your learning materials and take full advantage of your LMS

In a Top Hat survey of 3,052 post-secondary students, 84 percent indicated that it’s important to access learning materials, lectures and assignments in one place. Housing all of your course content under one roof will make it easier for students to find and complete their work—especially in an asynchronous setting.

Looking to create a centralized learning hub for your students? Consider pairing Top Hat with your learning management system. Use polls and discussions in Top Hat to interact with learners in class and then export participation and completion data to your LMS. Learn how Top Hat’s partnership with D2L Brightspace will make it easy for you to give students access to course content and track class performance in one place.

✓ Helpful educational technology: Canvas, Blackboard, D2L Brightspace, Top Hat

3. Provide flexibility by using a mix of synchronous and asynchronous course elements

A healthy balance of synchronous and asynchronous teaching materials will win students over in our new normal. Synchronous or real-time teaching allows for immediate interaction with peers and can create a sense of belonging on the student-student and student-educator level. Asynchronous or self-paced teaching is an equally effective approach, where students can structure their own learning schedules accordingly. The latter modality is also an equitable and accessible way to keep students engaged outside of class—which wouldn’t be possible with synchronous methods alone.

✓ Helpful synchronous educational technology: Go-to-Meeting, YouTube Live, Zoom

✓ Helpful asynchronous educational technology: Pearson Revel, Poll Everywhere, Top Hat

4. Use small group activities to foster collaboration

Though students may have mixed feelings about it, group work can help engage learners in and out of the classroom. If you’re teaching a hybrid class, breakout rooms offer an easy way for students to communicate and connect no matter where they are geographically. In order to get the most out of your small group activities or breakout rooms, refer to the best practices below:

• Make students feel comfortable: Feeling awkward or uncomfortable around a new group of people can stifle participation. Start each group activity by asking a conversation starter or facilitating an icebreaker exercise (even during the middle of the semester).
• Assign roles: Assign one person to be a group leader, another to be a note taker and someone else to report back to the larger group at the end in order to maximize equal participation.
• Ask students to submit their work at the end of the activity: If students know they need to submit a document at the end of an exercise, they’re more likely to contribute. Consider asking students to create a Google Doc at the start of the activity to keep track of their responses and observations.

✓ Helpful educational technology: LiveWebinar, Zoom

5. Take advantage of informal communication spaces or back channels

Back channels—which mimic texting—encourage all students to participate via live chat. Depending on where they’re used, back channels let students receive immediate feedback from their professors or teaching assistants. Live chat or discussion boards can also make students feel more comfortable raising concerns or asking questions versus asking live questions in front of the entire class. If you’re part of a back channel with your students, consider posting the transcript to your LMS after your lecture ends. Students can then skim through to seek answers to questions they had or review concepts on their own time.

✓ Helpful educational technology: Discord, Zoom, Top Hat Community

6. Record your lectures when possible

When used as a supplement to in-class instruction, lecture recordings are proven to boost student learning. Online learning made it clear that teaching and learning don’t necessarily have to occur simultaneously. Plus, not every student will be able to attend a live lecture due to connectivity issues. While you might hesitate to record your class if you’re teaching fully in person, video modules create the flexible, accessible learning environment that students want. Recording in-person lectures can be easily accomplished via screen-recording software or by using educational technology that captures your lecture and chat transcript in one place. 

✓ Helpful educational technology: Panopto, Zoom

7. Remove timed tests and use test windows instead

Swap timed tests for test windows next semester—where students can complete an assessment across an extended period of time. This empathetic practice also lets students create the conditions for successful test taking without the added stress that comes with connectivity, familial or employment concerns. Flexibility will be key in giving students a memorable and engaging course experience—and leaving tests open across the weekend can be a great place to start.

✓ Helpful educational technology: Kahoot!, Mentimeter, Quizlet, Top Hat

8. Offer low-cost, digital learning materials and textbooks

The last year has only accelerated the shift away from traditional print books in favor of digital courseware. With increased financial strain from employment cutbacks or new caretaking roles, the last thing students want is to fork over hundreds of dollars for a print book. PDFs are a more cost-effective alternative to print—but digital interactive textbooks offer the greatest educational ROI. The latter offers a more affordable, up-to-date learning experience with real-world examples, multimedia and practice questions woven throughout. 

Top Hat’s Catalog offers hundreds of low-cost digital materials—ranging from question banks to digital interactive textbooks—across all disciplines. Browse through the collection to find the perfect textbook for your next course.

✓ Helpful educational technology: Macmillan, McGraw-Hill, Pearson Revel, Top Hat

The post 8 Ways You Should Use Ed Tech In Your Classroom appeared first on Top Hat.

Prior to March 2020, some would say that technology allowed you to experiment in pedagogy, democratize the classroom and reach Generation Z students. Others may have argued that technology in the classroom could promote cheating. But after 2020, technology in education has become essential—especially as the COVID-19 pandemic forced higher ed and public schools to swap face-to-face instruction for distance learning. 

Below, we share 20 best practices for using technology in the classroom—and offer workable solutions that will help you meet the needs of your students. You can also download our free guide, which highlights how five acclaimed educators use technology to help their students excel in any course.

How technology can support learning outcomes for today’s students

Students are digital natives. They’ve grown up with technology; it’s woven into their lives. In fact, it’s one of the basic 21st-century skills that they’ll need in school and the workplace. 

Technology integration in the classroom now begins during elementary school and carries through to high school and higher education. But using computer technology in the classroom isn’t just about digital devices in class—it relates to anything that facilitates an interaction between teacher and student. Technology in education programs could be seen as a culprit, or it could be harnessed to improve student engagement and effectiveness—and that’s what we’ll discuss below.

“Digital education is generating new learning opportunities as students engage in online, digital environments and as faculty change educational practices through the use of hybrid courses, personalized instruction, new collaboration models and a wide array of innovative, engaging learning strategies,” says David Goodrum¹, Director of Academic Technology and Information Services at Oregon State University.

“Furthermore, a 21st century view of learner success requires students to not only be thoughtful consumers of digital content, but effective and collaborative creators of digital media, demonstrating competencies and communicating ideas through dynamic storytelling, data visualization and content curation,” Goodrum says.

Types of classroom technology

Education technology allows you to engage, interact with, and inspire students in and out of your class. Plus, certain types of technology tools like podcasts or video streaming platforms can help meet the unique learning styles of your cohort. Many of the technologies below are used to operate online education programs—including lectures, labs, group meetings or class tutorials. Plenty of higher education institutions have already integrated some of the following technology tools into their degree programs today.

• Learning management systems (LMS) such as Canvas, Moodle and Blackboard allow you to manage courses, assign homework and tests, and track student grades.
• Digital courseware such as ebook products by Pearson, McGraw-Hill and Macmillan can be used to create and distribute teaching resources (such as textbooks or question packs) to students as a way to create engaging homework experiences.
• Classroom response systems including iClicker and Poll Everywhere help students reflect on their learning via polls or discussions in class.
• Virtual classroom tools like Microsoft Teams and Zoom are used to host synchronous online lectures and let participants engage in breakout rooms or ‘share their screen’ with one another.
• Remote proctoring software like Proctorio and Honorlock help maintain academic integrity by monitoring student behavior during tests and flag behavior indicative of cheating.

This article looks at the pros and cons of using technology in the classroom. We’ll also share the advantages and disadvantages of technology in the classroom when incorporating new digital teaching and assessment techniques into your lesson plans.

8 pros and cons of using technology for student engagement

The pros:

1. Technology in the classroom helps ensure full participation

Online polling and other digital tools help to engage all students, including shy students who wouldn’t normally raise their hands in class. Online engagement systems allow you to regularly check in with students for feedback on course materials and assignments. Student insights can also be used to help spot areas where learners might be struggling. 

Student response systems help learners measure their understanding of a topic while professors can see what areas they need to review. For instance, iClicker offers questions that may be multiple choice or true or false. Students are then asked to identify a correct answer to a question in exchange for participation points from a professor. Clickers, virtual classroom software and assessment platforms like Socrative or Kahoot! can make for great engagement tools for educators looking to enhance their lectures. Student response systems help foster digital citizenship in the classroom and give students an opportunity to engage in class and get rewarded for it at the same time.

Another active learning technique that education technology can facilitate is offering students quizzes (not for credit). At the beginning of the class, students can gauge familiarity with a subject by taking a quick, anonymous quiz on the topic you’re teaching—and this can also inform and direct what you need to focus on. At the end of the class, facilitating the same quiz again allows all students to gauge what they do and don’t understand.

2. Using technology in the classroom allows you to experiment more in pedagogy and get instant feedback

Technology allows for more active learning. You can increase engagement through online polling or asking quiz questions during online lectures, with instantaneous results. If you’re using a digital textbook, subject matter is dynamic and timely with embedded links to relevant materials or immersive multimedia. 

Whether adding a single tool for a specific project or term, or making a more dramatic change such as a flipped classroom, being well-versed in technology can help build credibility with students and even fellow colleagues. Video conferencing software, live polls and discussion boards are all ways to form feedback loops with your students. An LMS such as Moodle and polling software like Poll Everywhere can also help educators get an instant understanding of student comprehension.

3. There are countless resources for enhancing education and making learning more fun and effective

From apps and e-textbooks to organizational platforms, there’s no shortage of tools that can transform the classroom. Some instructors are turning toward classroom ‘gamification,’ the use of competitive scenarios, and the distribution of points and rewards to make the online classroom more fun and engaging. The key to ensuring these methods are also effective is designing them to support your course learning objectives. Digital storytelling, where students use simulations to immerse themselves in a fictional environment, can make learning more exciting and relatable for students. Gamification also allows for interactive lessons and can reduce passivity in the classroom. 

Some gamification activities introduce healthy competition to your class. In role play, for example, students are asked to pose arguments on behalf of historical figures. Technology can greatly aid the implementation of classroom games, while students may be incentivized to complete their assessments. Blended learning can also play an effective role here, whereby student curriculum is partially delivered in person and partially via digital means.

4. Technology makes it simple for students to collaborate and engage in group work outside of class

Gone are the days when one student was tasked with creating a PowerPoint presentation for a group. Through technology, students can start working on a project together in class and seamlessly collaborate, communicate and bounce ideas off one another using social media, interactive whiteboards and more. Physical and social barriers no longer exist, letting students work together from anywhere and at any time. Technology has also enabled students to engage in spontaneous discussions and find instant answers to problems or questions they may have about a topic.

The cons:

5. Technology in the classroom can be a distraction

Tech savvy students may find it hard to concentrate in class when a wide range of digital devices are around them. It can be hard to keep students’ attention while lecturing behind a screen, but James Lang², Professor of English and the Director of the D’Amour Center for Teaching Excellence at Assumption College, has a solution. Lang argues that change renews attention—meaning that if students are starting to tune out, it’s time to incorporate opportunities for class discussions. Lang calls these moments ‘signature attention activities’ as they are designed to spark engagement in the midst of a slump.

Matthew Numer, an assistant professor in the School of Health and Human Performance at Dalhousie University, says in an article for The Chronicle of Higher Education that banning laptops is an “insult” to students. “Our students are capable of making their own choices, and if they choose to check Snapchat instead of listening to your lecture, then that’s their loss. Besides, it’s my responsibility as an educator to ensure that my lecture is compelling. If my students aren’t paying attention, if they’re distracted, that’s on me.” To Numer, students glancing at their mobile devices may indicate that a course’s curriculum and instruction needs to be revamped.

This makes the notion of creating a structure and culture of respect all the more important from day one. Identify specific projects, opportunities for breaks and your intentions for participation and engagement using technology in the classroom. Creating expectations and guidelines for students—and sticking to them—will be important for them in respecting your boundaries.

6. Technology can disconnect students from social interactions

Many people are skeptical of technology and what it does to students’, and everyone else’s, ability to verbally communicate.

By creating assignments in class that use both technological tools as well as oral presentations and group collaboration, student learning has the potential to become more dynamic and interactive. Participation can also go beyond verbal communication. Consider how your LMS, discussion board or live chat can be leveraged to increase student engagement.

7. Technology can foster cheating in class and on assignments

Students have always found ways to cheat, but the digital age makes it even easier—from copying-and-pasting someone else’s work to hiring an essay-writer from an online essay mill. Here, digital technology could end up hindering students’ professional development.

While technology could be seen as yet another avenue for cheating, it’s possible to structure assignments and exams in a way that makes cheating difficult. Alternatively, you can make exams open-book and focus on problem-solving and mastery rather than retention. Some classroom software allows you to set questions that are subtly different for every student, making them focus on the technique rather than the answer. Ed tech software such as Turnitin is already well-established in most higher education settings. With COVID-19, some institutions have relied on proctoring software to maintain academic integrity from a distance. These assistive tools can help professors maintain academic integrity. 

8. Classroom technology doesn’t necessarily make students more accountable

While it can certainly help, technology use in the classroom doesn’t always mean students are more likely to stay on top of their deliverables. For example, it can be tricky to know if your students are viewing the full lecture recordings or coming to class having completed their assigned readings. Social media and other ed tech platforms don’t necessarily indicate completion. Some LMS providers may show if a student has opened a file, but that only says so much. Whether students have reviewed, absorbed and are able to retain that information is a question that—like traditional learning materials—not all classroom tech can solve.

7 pros and cons of using classroom technology to increase flexibility

The pros:

9. Technology can automate a lot of your tedious tasks

Automation can speed up tedious, time-consuming tasks, such as keeping track of student attendance and performance. Engagement tools can help streamline grading for writing assignments, discussions and participation, as well as answer common student questions, which otherwise could seem daunting due to their objective nature.

The canonical example of this? One professor at Georgia Tech coded an artificially intelligent teaching assistant. ‘Jill Watson’ was able to answer a selection of student questions and pass any that she couldn’t handle to a real person. Integrating technology in the classroom has the potential to reduce the amount of time spent on minor tasks.

10. Technology in college classrooms gives students instant access to fresh information that can supplement their learning experience

There is value in having textbooks and course materials that are always up to date, which can even include additions suggested by students. This also fosters a more collaborative learning environment—students can share information, work together on group projects and interact with their instructor online. Collaboration between professors and their students is put into practice through a learning management system (LMS) such as Moodle or Blackboard, where professors upload new content for students to review online. 

Educational technology enables students to engage in an ongoing cycle of learning: before, during and after class. Student response systems such as clickers can also help learners apply their understanding of concepts covered in class and can indicate areas that need to be reviewed. For Generation Z, technology is arguably the best way to meet student needs. Demian Hommel, Senior Instructor of Geography and Environmental Sciences and Marine Resource Management at Oregon State University, uses a classroom response system to poll students every few minutes during lectures. “Using technology to help students understand the trends and patterns that are going to affect them is transformative,” he says.

“Using technology to help students understand the trends and patterns that are going to affect them is transformative.” —Professor Demian Hommel

11. Students have the choice to learn in real time or at their own pace

Using technology in the classroom has given students more choice in, and control over, their learning experiences. Learning tools have also given professors the flexibility in how to deliver their lectures or labs. For instance, students can tune into live-streamed lectures hosted at a specific time, while others can view lecture recordings on their own if they’re unable to attend a live session. Plus, real-time lessons in online learning can help students feel a great sense of belonging and camaraderie that would otherwise be lost. 

Asynchronous learning provides a new level of flexibility for both students and educators. For example, instead of waiting for students to show up at your office, host your office hours via Zoom and let your students know that they’re free to drop by during a given time frame. Additionally, technology can be used to help students take asynchronous tests. Just make a test available on your LMS for a 48-hour period so that students can take their assessment at a time and place that works for them.

12. Address the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines with thoughtful technology use

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for ensuring your course delivery meets the needs of all students. It’s the ultimate way to provide flexibility in how, when and where learning takes place. The three tenets of this framework are providing multiple means of engagement, representation and expression. 

In order to represent content in a variety of ways, you might consider complementing a textbook reading with a podcast. Alternatively, multiple ways of expressing students’ understanding could mean offering students learning opportunities through journal articles or video reflections. Finally, multiple forms of engagement might mean gauging students’ interests at the start of the term through icebreakers or a student interest inventory—and then use these insights to tailor your units of study accordingly.

The cons:

13. Lesson planning might become more labor-intensive with technology

The task of adapting technology into your classroom can seem daunting or overwhelming. In many ways though, using technology can become as natural to you as any daily activity.

When you’re choosing classroom technology, it’s important to engage with the software vendor and make sure you have the appropriate level of support in place. Some questions you should ask include whether they supply training or onboarding, and what their reliability statistics and support functions are. After all, you don’t need to be the person all the students come to if the technology goes offline.

The most important factor is to allow yourself time to learn how to use a new ed tech tool and make sure you ask for, and receive, the support that you need.

14. Students don’t have equal access to technological resources

An online education should be accessible to students. But some students can’t afford iPads or even the textbooks required for class. Others simply do not have reliable Internet access. Point these students in the direction of your institution’s library or community resources, or create assignments that allow them to work in groups and share resources. You might also consider using open educational resources (OER), which provide a cost-effective alternative to the traditional college textbook. Don’t make technology the focus of your class, and don’t make it a barrier. Incorporate it in a holistic and inclusive manner—and ensure you do your part to find equitable learning solutions.

15. Technology in education can create privacy concerns

Video conferencing or web-hosting solutions have brought with them some concerns around data protection. For example, do platforms offer end-to-end encryption in basic plans provided to students? Social media handles set up as part of a tutorial or learning activity can also lead to student information being accessed by a wider audience than intended. What’s more, Zoombombing—disruptive intrusions into a video conference call—became a common occurrence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And though they maintain academic integrity, remote proctoring solutions can make test-takers feel uncomfortable. Students may not want to have their homes shown in front of a proctor and being monitored can increase stress and anxiety.

5 pros and cons of using technology to aid instructional design 

The pros:

16. We live in a digital world, and technology is an essential life skill

Being digitally literate is more than obtaining “isolated technological skills,” according to the NMC Horizon Report: 2017 Higher Education Edition. Rather, it’s about “generating a deeper understanding of the digital environment, enabling intuitive adaptation to new contexts and [the] co-creation of content with others.” Here, the traditional whiteboard is almost extinct, while technology has never been more essential in the virtual classroom. Creating presentations, learning to differentiate reliable from unreliable sources on the Internet and maintaining proper online netiquette are all vital skills that students will learn to develop in the classroom. 

Technology use can also help universities deliver a better return on the investment students pay for their education—as well as make learning relevant to a primarily Generation Z audience. Mobile technology in classrooms is a must-have if students want to be prepared for almost any career today. Student achievement may be boosted if they have the means to continue working on projects outside of the classroom.

17. Classroom technology is a cost-effective alternative to traditional course materials

Technology can help save students hundreds during a semester. Rather than asking students to buy a copy of five different textbooks, some professors might want to direct students to their institution’s library or adopt open source textbooks. 

Using technology in the classroom has its benefits for the environment as well. Institutions can reduce the amount they spend on ink and paper by distributing important documents in a centralized digital location. As opposed to asking students to buy a print book from your campus bookstore, authoring your own digital, interactive book can help students save big. Katie Thompson-Laswell, Senior Instructor of Human Development and Family Science at Kansas State University, was able to save her students $70 on course materials in the spring 2019 semester. Two years later, new cohorts of students continue to enjoy a low-cost, interactive homework experience from anywhere.

The cons:

18. The quality of research and sources students find may not be credible

The Internet is a blessing and a curse. Your students may need guidance on identifying legitimate and unreliable sources. Many colleges have writing centers that can help with this. You can also use OER—ranging from lecture notes, examinations, assignments and textbooks—and adapt them to fit the needs of your course and students. How can you tell if content is written by a competent authority? Use these tips to find effective OERs. Top Hat’s Catalog—filled with hundreds of low-cost, interactive textbooks—is also a reliable source of OER you can use, regardless of your discipline or teaching modality.

19. Some classroom technologies could eventually replace professors

Classroom technology has helped position educators as a ‘guide on the side’ versus a ‘sage on the stage.’ But that shift in the role that professors play has the potential to put them on the sidelines—especially with online learning. Technology has automated many learning processes such as grading. With asynchronous online learning especially, it’s possible that students could now have little-to-no interactions with their educators compared to their experiences in the traditional classroom.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which prioritize unlimited participation and open access, let students gain an unrestricted learning experience without a professor present. Platforms like Coursera let students watch on-demand video lectures from leading universities and companies for a fraction of the cost of a university degree. These platforms even offer selective degree and certificate programs. Other platforms like LinkedIn Learning prioritize skill-based learning, which allows students to complete courses or learning modules at their own pace—without the guidance of an instructor.

20. Institutions’ lack of IT support can make it challenging to evaluate and implement new classroom technologies

Where do you begin if you’re new to teaching? Educators may understandably feel overwhelmed when adopting new tools and platforms to meet the needs of their Generation Z students. While colleges may have a site-wide license for a particular LMS, educators are often left to their own resources to decide how to bring their material to life. Depending on the scale and quality of instructional design services offered at their institution, this can be a lengthy and uneasy process.

How classroom technology can help you meet your teaching goals next semester 

This past academic year has highlighted the essential role that technology plays in student learning. No matter where you’re teaching next semester, the best practices for using classroom technology below can help make your course more engaging, interactive and active. For additional advice, download our free guide on how to effectively use technology in your next face-to-face, hybrid or online classroom.

Technology in the classroom: The final verdict

It’s clear that the benefits of technology in the classroom outweigh the cons. But the key to technology in the classroom is always going to be the teacher-student relationship, because that’s where the education happens. Technology can be a highly effective tool, but that’s all it is—a tool. In today’s hyper-connected world, sensible use of technology can enhance education. By using technology as an aid in the classroom, educators can create memorable and impactful learning outcomes for their diverse group of college students. For best practices on how to integrate technology in your classroom next semester, download our free guide packed with tips and tools five professors have used to give their course delivery a boost.

References

1. Kelly, R. (2018, January 11). 7 Ed Tech Trends to Watch in 2018. https://campustechnology.com/Articles/2018/01/11/7-Ed-Tech-Trends-to-Watch-in-2018.aspx?Page=1
2. Dhami, H. (2020, August 13). James Lang’s Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It. [Blog post]. https://tophat.com/blog/james-lang-distracted/

The post 20 Pros & Cons of Technology in the Classroom in 2021 [+ Free Tech Tips from Profs] appeared first on Top Hat.

We caught up with Ogilvie to understand why a mechanistic approach is the most effective way to teach chemistry. We also discussed how the shift from print to digital benefits both professors and students—and how Ogilvie has seen that come to fruition with his organic chemistry text. Here are the key takeaways.

A more interactive, effective and dynamic way of teaching organic chemistry awaits you. Learn more today.

1. Connecting the dots for students is essential with dense subject matter

When he was a student, Ogilvie found organic chemistry courses complex because it was challenging to visualize why certain reactions occurred. This was something he wanted to solve for in his book. A large part of his text teases out chemical patterns that will help students better understand reactions and processes—through plenty of interactive simulations and animations to put difficult topics into practice.

A mechanistic-first approach to teaching organic chemistry may in fact be the way of the future. In a 2012 study,¹ it was found that reasoning—one of the tenets of the mechanistic approach—over rote memorization in organic chemistry led to greater success in answering problems that involved a transfer of knowledge. “I’m hoping that our book sets the stage for how people will think about organizing their course and that we changed the thinking in organic chemical education,” Ogilvie says. Indeed, Top Hat has pioneered a new way of teaching organic chemistry, with the support of professors like Ogilvie. Interactive, digital textbooks, housed in the Catalog, are built to reflect real-time developments and are fully customizable.

2. Helping students see relevance by reinforcing that learning is more than just memorization

Re-reading information, highlighting every other line and making flashcards are all commonly used studying techniques. But a mechanistic chemical approach aims to convey the process—or formula—required to arrive at a solution, which in turn, helps students visualize reactions. In this vein, Ogilvie and his five co-authors have worked to dispel myths about studying chemistry. “My students think that it’s the worst course ever because there’s so much to memorize. But when they actually understand how to apply that logic, it really isn’t that hard. And students who do well eventually do realize that,” says Felix Lee, co-author and teaching professor of Chemistry at the University of Western Ontario.

Also essential in ensuring students really grasp the material: frequent testing. Organic Chemistry: Mechanistic Patterns comes with checkpoints at the end of various sections and subsections within each chapter, allowing students to gauge their knowledge. Effie Sauer, co-author and Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, reflects on drafting engaging checkpoints for students to use as a study aid. “I put myself in my students’ positions and came up with problems that integrated ideas from elsewhere in the chapter to try and avoid having siloed, compartmentalized information,” she shares.

3. Incorporating animations, annotations and assessments can save you time in your course prep

Traditional textbooks don’t cut it when it comes to showing reactions, structures and mechanical interactions. Static PDF textbooks aren’t user friendly, either. To meet the needs of a dynamic, three-dimensional field like organic chemistry, an interactive, digital textbook reaps benefits for both students and professors. Digital, all encompassing textbooks like Ogilvie’s offer an immersive way of learning chemistry, which allow students to play with structures and visualize why reactions work in a certain way. Mechanistic Patterns is filled with over 185 interactive simulations, pre-built question banks and formative assessment questions—many of which are auto-graded. Plus, educators and students can enjoy lifetime access to this interactive text.

The future of mechanistic organic chemistry is undoubtedly digital. Since online learning isn’t going away anytime soon, the need to shift from print to digital is essential—especially to bring a dynamic subject like chemistry to life.

Top Hat textbooks let educators create learning materials around the needs of their course and students. Learn why Organic Chemistry: Mechanistic Patterns is the perfect fit for any introductory-level class.

References

1. Grove, Nathaniel & Cooper, Melanie & Cox, Elizabeth. (2012). Does Mechanistic Thinking Improve Student Success in Organic Chemistry? Journal of Chemical Education. 89. 850-853. 10.1021/ed200394d.

The post 3 Ways to Bring Your Organic Chemistry Course to Life appeared first on Top Hat.

We sat down with Ow to better understand why digital—over print—is a more effective way of teaching general chemistry, and how an interactive textbook can mitigate the financial and comprehension challenges students once faced.

There’s a more active and cost-effective way to teach general chemistry. Learn more here.

Giving students confidence in their learning is essential to keeping them motivated

Student perceptions of chemistry vary greatly. Some learners have had exceptional experiences with chemistry in high school, while others have struggled. Depending on your connection with students, some learners might not feel comfortable reaching out for help. Ow aims to level the playing field for all students, no matter what their prior experiences with chemistry look like. “I think students feel intimidated by comparing themselves with others,” Ow says. “I really try to get them over that hurdle and make them feel like they can fit in. That’s what drives me in my profession every day.” By authoring his own digital text, Ow has made great strides in prioritizing student equity. He’s reduced costs and is giving learners ample opportunities to test their understanding of chemistry in advance of tests or exams.

Saving students money while doubling down on impact keeps course enrollment numbers up

Lab manuals, textbooks and supplementary material costs can quickly pile up. For students learning during a pandemic, the last thing they want to do is pay for unnecessary supplies or a book where only six to seven of the ten chapters will be assigned. “If a student is going to fork over money for a book, it should be to their advantage. I want to make chemistry accessible to them financially,” Ow says.

Ow deliberately turned to a digital textbook solution that would allow students to skip buying both a text and the book’s solution manual—often sold separately. “A student’s wallet should not be a hindrance to their ability to succeed in class,” he says. By writing his own digital book, Ow aims to serve up course content, discussions and practice questions in one place—plus provide students with instant access to solutions. Students can read multimedia-rich chapters at their own pace and then rely on immersive question types like click-on-target to gauge their own understanding of concepts.

Testing students through regular checkpoints helps them become active learners

It’s not enough to passively read a textbook. Students must apply what they’ve read through questions, discussions or polls to showcase their understanding. Traditional textbooks often reserve the end of each chapter for comprehension checks. But in Ow’s textbook, each chapter is interspersed with 50-70 practice questions, meaning students have plenty of opportunities to build upon their confidence in a particular unit of study. “Chemistry is a problem-solving based class. We incorporate a step-by-step problem-solving approach in the chapters, which students find to be incredibly effective,” Ow shares.

Regular checkpoints will translate into increased confidence in chemistry topics over time—one of Ow’s goals as a chemistry educator. Instant feedback on correctness also lets students refresh themselves on certain pieces of information before proceeding. “A digital book makes the most passive readers engaged and active. Embedded questions are designed such that they’re almost gatekeepers and students shouldn’t read on until they fully answer and comprehend questions,” Ow tells us.

Using an interactive textbook makes subject matter more approachable

General Chemistry offers chapter summaries, interactive problem-solving exercises and multimedia to engage Generation Z learners—even those who lack confidence in chemistry. Not all instructors have used, or are considering using, a digital textbook in their courses. But Ow believes that this is a more user-friendly, comprehensive mechanism to learn chemistry—one that will allow students to thrive in and out of class. “Generally, the way chemistry is presented is where the difference can come into play. I think the book is excellent for instructors in terms of flexibility and ease of use,” he shares. “When you have the relatively lower costs, in addition to the efficacy that Top Hat has shown for students, it’s definitely a win-win situation.”

Make sure your general chemistry students are engaged, active and confident—in and out of class. Learn how Franklin Ow’s General Chemistry can help.

The post How to Give General Chemistry Students Confidence appeared first on Top Hat.

Written with an interactive-first approach, Forsey’s latest digital textbook, Organic Chemistry I & II, is perfectly engineered for a generation of learners that prefers to actively engage with the content, rather than passively reading and trying to absorb the material. 

We ask Dr. Forsey how he uses his latest digital, interactive textbook to increase student engagement.

Click here to learn more about Top Hat’s interactive digital textbooks, proven to drive academic success, wherever learning takes place.

Supporting the flipped classroom

Forsey is something of a pioneer in the world of active learning, having flipped his classroom in the late 1980s. Instead of lecturing, he wanted to use his class time for discussing complex course concepts and working through labs and problem-solving activities with students. To do this he created pre-tests and chemistry theory videos for students to consume beforehand, laying the groundwork for more productive class time.

This thinking is alive and well in his latest work. Forsey’s digital interactive Organic Chemistry textbook intersperses digital lecture videos with pre-lab quizzes and engaging learning activities. A longtime advocate of making students feel accountable for their learning, textbooks integrated into a learning platform gives Forsey a holistic view of how his students are performing in all areas of the course.

Keeping learning fresh

It’s a fact. Gen Z reads less than previous generations—and when they do, they’re used to engaging with content the same way they do on social media platforms. Taking advantage of  Top Hat’s interactive learning capabilities, Forsey has created an active reading experience using similar approaches, including explanatory graphics, videos, animations, and interactive activities. 

Chunking content into bite-size pieces and interspersing with videos and questions is just one of the reasons Forsey’s latest book appeals to today’s students. In fact, in his experience, students often end up spending just as much or more time consuming the content, whether watching a video or testing their understanding of the material as they go.

With a Top Hat digital interactive textbook, instructors can provide immediate feedback through autograded questions that provide actionable insights into student learning. Through 14 different types of questions embedded directly into the textbook, students can be tested on skills ranging from basic recall to complex skills like visualization.

Blending innovation with empathy

Forsey recognizes that his students are busy, so he wants to make sure all of his learning resources are available on mobile devices, so students can do their readings and complete homework assignments when it makes the most sense for them. “Some students told me they read their textbooks on their phones on their commutes and they can open their textbook whenever they have a spare moment to study. I love the convenience of an online textbook provides for students,” Forsey says.

When students come to his office hours, they show Forsey screenshots on their device of textbook questions they want to go over or chapters they are struggling with. Forsey likes that it has made helping students easier. This way, they can store their questions on their devices without the need for lugging around a heavy paper textbook.

As a committed educator, meeting students where they are means making an effort to be as present as possible. Forsey seeks out the tools that allow him to do just that. Through his interactive digital textbook, Forsey has up-to-the-minute insights on students’ progress and where they might be struggling. This way, he can tailor his lectures, email answers and office hours accordingly. “I firmly believe that what an instructor says and does can either cause stress and anxiety or provide an emotional boost to help students through the difficult parts of the course,” he says.  

Click here to learn more about Top Hat’s Organic Chemistry course and Dr. Forsey’s textbook, Organic Chemistry I & II.

The post Modernizing Organic Chemistry Textbooks With an Interactive-First Model appeared first on Top Hat.

At our recent virtual event (view the recording here), two professors reflected on how they use customizable and media-rich Top Hat textbooks to keep students motivated and build community through discussions. Here are the key takeaways.

Why the shift from print to digital is long overdue

It’s critical to match your course text to the needs of your students. Unfortunately, traditional print textbooks don’t always cut it. “Most professors settle for a text that is close enough to where they want to go—only about 70 percent of the way there,” shares Donna Battista, VP of Content at Top Hat. However, as two innovative professors found, the Top Hat Catalog—filled with hundreds of interactive titles—puts students at the center of the course experience. “With Top Hat, we really allow instructors to match the courseware to their class and not have to match their class to the courseware,” Battista continued.

1. Customize your book to meet your learning objectives

Amanda Haage is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the University of North Dakota. Haage teaches 350 students and uses Top Hat’s Anatomy and Physiology in her asynchronous classes. She uses what she calls a ‘badge progression model,’ rewarding students with badges for completing milestones such as finishing a chapter or completing a set of questions. Haage customizes the section introductions of her Top Hat book to correspond to a badge, helping students understand what skill level they’re working towards. “It’s a nice way for students to move through the content and see the connections you want them to see,” Haage says.

Bríd G. Hanna is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Hanna teaches 80 students in a primarily synchronous but blended format. She adopted Top Hat’s Principles of Microeconomics and greatly appreciates the ability to embed her own questions throughout. “I’ve made the textbook my own. I chose to emphasize certain chapters so students know what’s examinable,” she says.

2. Bring your content to life with interactive elements

As Haage found, 3D simulations are an invaluable tool to illustrate how our bodies function. The benefits for students are two-fold: they get an immersive, media-rich learning experience, and they don’t have to buy additional software for activities or problem sets. “I found it super helpful for students to have a package that’s cheaper than most A&P textbooks. They get both things: the active learning piece with embedded questions and the 3D modelling software. That’s what pushed me to choose the Top Hat textbook and build my new courses around it,” Haage says.

“They get both things: the active learning piece with embedded questions and the 3D modelling software. That’s what pushed me to choose the Top Hat textbook.”

For Hanna, the questions in her Top Hat textbook form the foundation of live classes. She has adopted a flipped model, where students are expected to come to class having completed their reading—and be prepared to engage in classroom exercises. Interactive question types such as click-on-target allow students to quiz themselves informally, while Hanna uses this data to dispel misconceptions. “I try to get to the questions as quickly as possible because that’s how economics students learn: by thinking on their own,” she says.

3. Use student insights to create an engaged community

Allow students to digest readings on their own, as Haage does in her course. She uses Top Hat Community to split students into teams of five and then poses daily questions related to the assigned readings. In a self-paced learning environment, this has been a valuable way to get students interacting in small groups and with Haage. 

With plenty of textbook and in-class questions posed by Hanna, she benefits from an aggregated view of student performance. “The Top Hat reports that I receive indicate which students are doing well and what questions are tripping students up. This really drives what I do in the classroom,” she says. Students also benefit from accessing real-time insights on how they’re performing in class. “I strongly believe that having students pose their response and then get almost immediate feedback on why their response was or wasn’t correct helps cement those concepts,” Hanna reflects.

Learn how interactive textbooks can be part of your complete teaching toolkit. Click here to get started.

References

1. Ryan, T. (2020, January 16). How Gen Z and Millennials Watch Video Content & What That Means for Production Teams. Rev. https://www.rev.com/blog/how-gen-z-and-millennials-consume-video-content-what-that-means-for-production-teams
2. Does Gen Z Read Books? Answering 4 Big Questions About the Generation. (2020, March 16). YPulse. https://www.ypulse.com/article/2020/03/16/does-gen-z-read-books-answering-5-big-questions-about-the-generation/

The post 3 Ways to Drive Reading Comprehension Using a Digital Textbook appeared first on Top Hat.

Index

1. What is OER?
2. How is OER used in education?
3. Why is OER important?
4. OER textbook initiatives across the country
5. Why should you choose OER?
6. Low or no cost
7. Flexibility and scalability
8. Publicity
9. OER grant programs
10. The drawbacks of OER
11. Quality
12. No built-in interactivity
13. Updatability issues
14. What is the future of OER?
15. The rise of digital textbooks
16. Top Hat textbooks offer a flexible learning solution
17. References

What is OER?

Open Educational Resources (OER) are research materials stored in the public domain. OER course materials are released under an open license that grants users free use and redistribution.¹ In 1997, California State University created MERLOT to provide students with mostly free, open source materials for higher education. Four years later, David Wiley, Assistant Professor at Utah State University, proposed a license for free and open content to eliminate copyrighted material. As Open Access gained traction it led to the rise of the Public Library of Science (PLOS)—one of the largest databases currently holding 11,000+ open journals.² Creative Commons is a nonprofit that helps overcome legal obstacles when sharing knowledge online. Unlike this organization, which boasts more than 1.1B open resources for free use, text in Wikipedia is copyrighted and is under several international licenses.

How is OER used in education?

OER increases access to education and offers readily available resources for self-directed or just-in-time teaching. OER awareness shows steady growth year-over-year. In a report by WCET and Bay View Analytics, 26 percent of educators knew what OER was in 2014–2015, whereas in 2018–2019, nearly 50 percent of educators were aware of OER.³ There are five key points that govern Creative Commons licenses. Here are what the “5 Rs” of OER mean in higher education.⁴

In the same report, the challenges associated with OER are explored. Roughly half of educators believed that there was not enough open content for their subject while 30 percent of respondents expressed concern over the quality and ability to update material (more on this below). That said, OER is more widely adopted at colleges nationwide. Traditional publishing companies such as Cengage tweak their offerings to incorporate OER-based materials—which include free e-textbooks from sources like OpenStax—into their portfolios.⁵

Why is OER important?

Textbook costs have ballooned over the past decade. Students have had enough and have fought for open access course content. The Ontario Undergraduate Student Association (OUSA) started the #TextbookBroke campaign, an initiative which highlights current courseware costs for students.⁶ Financial strains that have come as a result of COVID-19 have made it even more important for students to learn anytime and anywhere—at a fraction of the cost of traditional books. The benefits of open resources for students are three-fold: 

1. Students don’t have to purchase expensive materials 
2. Students can access these resources on their own time
3. Books stored in the public domain offer free, online alternatives⁷ 

OER textbook initiatives across the country

OER textbooks are at the heart of OpenStax—Rice University’s initiative which publishes high-quality, openly licensed courseware for free online use.⁸ OER Commons Hub and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation also distribute open learning materials for students. OER Commons Hub allows groups to design Hubs which meet target audience needs⁹ and the Hewlett Foundation collaborates with content producers and policy groups to support the adoption of an OER ecosystem.¹⁰

Why should you choose OER?

Low or no cost

Educators who use OER instead of traditional courseware can help students save big. Students in Ontario, Canada have already saved $1.7M¹¹ and due to minimal costs, students can take full course loads without being overwhelmed with financial woes. In the United States, 65 percent of students skip buying the assigned textbook because it’s unaffordable.⁷ Data from 600 courses at 120 U.S. institutions show how the average price for traditional materials in one course is $134 while a course using open courseware costs $17. Students are therefore able to save up to $117¹² per each course that adopts open textbooks.

In the United States, 65 percent of students skip buying the assigned textbook because it’s unaffordable.

Flexibility and scalability

OER provide extensive scalability which allow platforms to distribute open materials at a rapid pace. Open textbooks can also be used to reflect changes in subject matter—even more necessary in a continually evolving economic, political and social world due to COVID-19. Educators can use an existing OER and adapt it to their lectures and can engage students through multimedia versus plain text.¹³ 

City University of New York (CUNY) and the State University of New York (SUNY) are the recipients of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s $8M investment towards mitigating the unreasonable cost of traditional courseware. Cuomo’s investment works in favor of adopting OER and exploring Z-degrees—programs without any textbook fees.¹⁴ Free and open source materials can be contextualized to a specific course since OER permits flexibility to revise existing content, add new content, and combine parts of resources together without the burden of copyright regulations or intellectual property licenses.¹⁵

Publicity

Due to the nature of open textbooks, OER enable professors to showcase their research interests to audiences beyond their course or semester-specific cohort. Publicly accessible courseware can provide benefits not just for current students and professors but also for alumni. These readily available learning materials enable graduates to engage in an ongoing cycle of lifelong learning.¹⁴ 

OER grant programs

States such as Maryland, Massachusetts and North Dakota offer OER grant programs to support faculty adoption and to help students save. Foundations such as the Hewlett Foundation also invest in OER to improve access to education, personalized learning and student success among underserved learners. Others like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have invested in OER infrastructure and technology. The result? More OER use in courses with high enrollment numbers.³

Top Hat’s Catalog offers free or low-cost, high-quality and engaging course materials for any discipline. Explore the Catalog here.

The drawbacks of OER

Some professors at leading institutions hesitate to adopt OER in their classrooms. Here are some commonly viewed disadvantages of OER, along with some helpful workarounds.

Quality

How can professors ensure their students receive the most accurate, reliable information from sources which are constantly being adapted? It’s important to fact-check suspicious teaching materials and incorporate peer-reviewed courseware wherever possible, as exists in Open Textbook, MERLOT and content found in the Top Hat Catalog. All three sources incorporate OER assessments to gauge whether an e-textbook is peer-reviewed. Rubrics can also be a good indicator of an open source’s integrity—they’re designed to improve accountability and can show how near or far an OER aligns with Common Core State Standards.¹⁶

No built-in interactivity

Storing open source materials in an institution’s digital repository or on a campus website aren’t the most interactive and sustainable options in the long-run. Housing open content on a specific platform limits its accessibility since it becomes static and limited to specific audiences. However, Creative Commons is an effective alternative for ensuring that multiple audiences can interact with open content. Under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0—the most updated license guidelines—you may share and adapt content freely, as long as appropriate credit is given to the originator.

Updatability issues

Repurposing content has its downsides, namely, outdated educational materials. It can be a challenge for professors to recognize which version of a digital textbook is the newest one and which ones are outdated at first glance. Equity issues may arise for schools within the same district who opt to use a different version of the proposed courseware¹⁷ and so it’s key to ensure the quality of open source material is as precise as need be. Please refer to the “Quality” section above for tips on how to evaluate open learning options for your course.

What is the future of OER?

The future of higher education may be facilitated predominantly by OER—as the CARE framework shows. Proposed by Lisa Petrides, Douglas Levin and C. Edward Watson, this framework comes with four pillars: contribute, attribute, release and empower. CARE is designed to diversify stakeholders of OER, promote OER adoption and advocates for student success through greater access, equity and affordability. OER stewards work to put the CARE framework into practice in the following ways.

• Contribute: Stewards must actively contribute to efforts which raise awareness and distribution of OER
• Attribute: Stewards must practice conspicuous attribution to ensure credit is given where it’s due
• Release: Stewards must ensure OER can be released beyond the platform in which it is created and delivered 
• Empower: Stewards must empower and support non-traditional voices in the creation and adoption process of open content¹⁸

Postsecondary institutions are praised for their efforts to move towards innovative pedagogies like OER. In 2018, the U.S. Education Department awarded $4.9M in OER funding to a STEM-based open courseware initiative out of the University of California, Davis. UC Davis also partners with 11 other U.S. institutions who have the same mission.¹⁹ The Open Textbook Pilot is another U.S. federal grant program that supports projects at postsecondary institutions which advocate for open textbooks. The Open Textbook Pilot was recently renewed for another $7M in 2021.²⁰

The rise of digital textbooks

COVID-19 has made it even more necessary for educators to abandon traditional textbooks. Some college libraries²¹ are now being forced to quarantine print textbooks—making it a challenge for students to readily access their course materials. Digital textbooks let students access their coursework from anywhere, some of which can even be viewed without an Internet connection. 

Thought leaders in higher ed also see digital books as the way of the future. For instance, Bill and Melinda Gates’ annual letter from 2019 depicts the standalone college textbook as “a thing of the past.”²² Traditional textbooks aren’t readily accessible, aren’t dynamic and most importantly, come with a hefty price tag. Students won’t be willing to fork over hundreds at a time for courseware—especially during a global pandemic.

Bill and Melinda Gates’ annual letter from 2019 depicts the standalone college textbook as “a thing of the past.”

Top Hat textbooks offer a flexible learning solution

Top Hat’s online bookstore offers affordable and interactive alternatives to traditional print books. Customize any textbook to suit the needs of your students and your course. Take advantage of embedded simulations, multimedia and diagrams or add your own to any textbook. Plus, use discussion questions to ensure students understand core concepts. Access hundreds of interactive titles in the Catalog from bluedoor Publishing, Fountainhead Press, Nelson Education and more. 

Are you teaching a niche course or looking to further personalize the learning experience? Bring your dream textbook to life through Top Hat’s authoring tools. Katie Thompson-Laswell, Senior Instructor of Human Development and Family Science at Kansas State University, struggled with engaging her 200+ students in and out of class. Her solution was authoring her own book titled Introduction to Human Development, which not only engaged her large classes but helped save students $70 on course materials.²³

Create a textbook that your students won’t want to put down. Learn more about Top Hat’s authoring capabilities here.

References

1. Open Educational Resources (OER). (2018, October 23). UNESCO. https://en.unesco.org/themes/building-knowledge-societies/oer
2. Bliss, T.J. and Smith, M. (2017). A Brief History of Open Educational Resources. In: Jhangiani, R S and Biswas-Diener, R. (eds.) Open: The Philosophy and Practices that are Revolutionizing Education and Science (pp. 9–27). London: Ubiquity Press. doi:https://doi.org/10.5334/bbc.b.
3. The Impact of OER Initiatives on Faculty Selection of Classroom Materials. (2020). WCET and Bay View Analytics. http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/impactofoerinitiatives.pdf
4. The 5 Rs of Using OER. (n.d.). Nova Southeastern University. https://nsufl.libguides.com/oer/5rs
5. McMurtrie, B. (2017, December 19). Use of Free Textbooks Is Rising, but Barriers Remain. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www.chronicle.com/article/Use-of-Free-Textbooks-Is/242086
6. Joseph, A. (2018, October 1). #TextbookBroke Campaign Highlights Cost of College Textbooks. [Blog post]. https://tophat.com/blog/textbookbroke-campaign-college-textbooks/
7. Report: Make Higher Education Affordable. (2014, January 27). U.S. PIRG. https://uspirg.org/reports/usp/fixing-broken-textbook-market
8. Who we are. (n.d.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/about
9. What is an OER Commons Hub? (n.d.). OER Commons. https://www.oercommons.org/about-hubs
10. Open Education. (2016, August 03). William + Flora Hewlett Foundation. https://hewlett.org/strategy/open-education/
11. #TextbookBroke. (n.d.). Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance (OUSA). https://www.ousa.ca/textbookbroke
12. Nyamweya, M. (2018, December 20). A New Method for Estimating OER Savings. SPARC. https://sparcopen.org/news/2018/estimating-oer-student-savings/
13. Benefits of Using OER. (n.d.). Penn State. https://oer.psu.edu/benefits-of-using-oer/
14. Pasela, S. (2019, January 11). Open Education Resource Initiative Reports Success. CUNY University Faculty Senate. https://www1.cuny.edu/sites/cunyufs/2019/01/11/open-education-resource-initiative-reports-success/
15. Step One: What Are OER, Why Are They Important, and What are the Barriers to Adoption? (n.d.). BC Campus. https://opentextbc.ca/studenttoolkit/chapter/step-one-what-are-oer/
16. Himmelsbach, V. (2017, November 21). Tips for Finding Good OER Content for Your Course. [Blog post]. https://tophat.com/blog/find-good-oer-content-tips/
17. Sparks, S. D. (2017, March 28). What Is OER? Answers to 5 Questions About Open Educational Resources. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/03/29/what-is-oer-5-questions-about-open-oer.html
18. Petrides, L., Levin, D., & Watson, C. (2018, March 4). Toward a Sustainable OER Ecosystem: The Case for OER Stewardship. The CARE Framework. https://careframework.org/
19. Lieberman, M. (2018, October 2). Single Project Earns Federal OER Pilot Grant. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2018/10/02/department-education-awards-pilot-oer-grant-uc-davis-open
20. Open Textbook Pilot Grant Program. (n.d.). SPARC. https://sparcopen.org/our-work/open-textbook-pilot/
21. McKenzie, L. (2020, October 13). Textbooks in Short Supply Amid COVID Quarantines. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/10/13/covid-19-forces-college-libraries-quarantine-textbooks-hitting-low-income-students
22. Gates, B., & Gates, M. (2019, February 12). Our 2019 Annual Letter. We didn’t see this coming. GatesNotes. https://www.gatesnotes.com/2019-Annual-Letter
23. How an interactive Top Hat textbook helped this professor succeed in the move to remote learning. (2020). Top Hat. https://tophat.com/customer-stories/kansas-state-university/

The post The Ultimate Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER) appeared first on Top Hat.

Top Hat’s online bookstore offers thousands of affordable interactive textbooks. Click here to explore.

Digital textbooks are made to withstand health and safety challenges

With a pandemic that shows no signs of slowing down, some colleges like Roger Williams University are taking precautionary measures.¹ The campus’ library quarantines print materials for 72 hours before returning the books to their shelves. For students who rely on libraries for textbook access, this delay is far from ideal. The current health crisis may cause both health and accessibility concerns for many nationwide, but digital books are a safer and more equitable solution for every learner.

In Top Hat’s recent survey of over 3,400 post-secondary students, 31 percent of learners stated that most of their assigned readings came in the form of PDFs. Another 26 percent of students stated that most of their assigned courseware was in the form of digital interactive textbooks—versus 15 percent for traditional textbooks. It’s a growing contingent of people using virtual courseware, and that’s a good thing. Digital books give learners access anytime, anywhere, without having to make a trip to the campus library or bookstore. Plus, international students can appreciate being able to access and download readings on their digital devices.

The print textbook market is taking (another) hit

Some students may prefer physical textbooks for their tactile nature. However, the print publishing market has been dealt its share of challenges this year due to the pandemic. A number of printers have been forced to shut down their plants and cease operations.² Textbook revenue from university presses saw a decline of over 21 percent in March 2020 alone.³ Printing companies such as Quad are now up for sale, after three plant shutdowns and the company not being able to recover from a significant stock price drop in March.

The average print textbook goes out of date every three years⁴—but e-textbooks guarantee students permanent, up-to-date access to course content. The four largest textbook publishers—McGraw Hill, Wiley, Cengage and Pearson—along with platforms like Amazon, thrive on being able to release new editions. But with COVID-19, digital courseware, including open educational resources (OER), allow for free use and redistribution. Plus, educators can customize some e-books to meet their course needs without having to assign a new book to their students.

Students are able to save big by switching to digital learning experiences

Research shows that Americans owe more than $1.5 trillion in student loan debt. Even more worrying, four-year degree holders take an average of 19.7 years to pay off their loans.⁵ Bill and Melinda Gates’ annual letter from 2019 paints the standalone college textbook as “a thing of the past.”⁶ Data from this year support the Gates Foundation’s stance on traditional school textbooks: on average, students in higher education spent seven percent less on course materials this fall compared to last year.⁷ Amid plenty of non-academic concerns, paying hundreds for a book that students will likely never look at after the course finishes isn’t top of mind.

Daniel Maxwell, a lecturer in the criminal justice department at the University of New Haven, found students were struggling with the $200 price tag that came with his course textbook. “Students will do anything to get out of buying them and if they do buy them they won’t use 95 percent of the book,” he says. Maxwell abandoned his print book in favor of Top Hat’s interactive textbook and found that the benefits were two-fold. Not only did students perform seven percent better on their quizzes after using Top Hat, they also saved $150 per semester.

Bring your dream textbook to life using Top Hat’s authoring tools. Learn more here.

References

1. McKenzie, L. (2020, October 13). Textbooks in Short Supply Amid COVID Quarantines. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/10/13/covid-19-forces-college-libraries-quarantine-textbooks-hitting-low-income-students
2. Gouty, M. Unexpected Effects of the Pandemic on the Publishing Industry. Medium. https://medium.com/the-innovation/unexpected-effects-of-the-pandemic-on-the-publishing-industry-b0cf5d9e3f54
3. Alter, A. (2020, May 19). Coronavirus Shutdowns Weigh on Book Sales. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/19/books/coronavirus-book-sales-march-2020.html
4. Dhami, H. (2019, July 10). The Average Print Textbook Goes Out of Date Every 3 Years. Top Hat. https://tophat.com/blog/print-textbook-editions/
5. Student Loan Debt. Nitro College. https://www.nitrocollege.com/research/average-student-loan-debt
6. Gates, B., & Gates, M. Our 2019 Annual Letter. We didn’t see this coming. GatesNotes. https://www.gatesnotes.com/2019-Annual-Letter
7. Hill, P. (2020, Nov. 8). Fall 2020 Updates: What do college students actually spend on course materials. Phil on EdTech. https://philonedtech.com/fall-2020-updates-what-do-college-students-actually-spend-on-course-materials/

The post Print vs. Screen: Why Traditional Textbooks Are Now Obsolete appeared first on Top Hat.

Keeping connections strong

Teaching and learning in online and blended environments continues to be an adjustment for all. When we’re working outside our comfort zones, our instinct to control often kicks into high gear. But this can be counterproductive at a time when many students are already struggling to adapt to learning online and coping with life in a pandemic.

Leading with empathy and inclusivity are good places to start. For Michelle Miller, Professor of Psychological Sciences and President’s Distinguished Teaching Fellow at Northern Arizona University, this means accepting that the most inclusive thing to say is, “However you can join us is how you can join us.” It means understanding some students may not have all eyes on you at all times in every lecture, and that’s okay.

Josh Weiss, an educational technology specialist at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education, notes that there “may be a tension between keeping students comfortable and still allowing personality to come through,” Weiss said. “The camera doesn’t have to be on for that, but there does have to be an extra effort if it isn’t.”

Engagement without facetime

Shawn Kim, director of Digital Learning Initiatives at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, recommends trying different approaches to understand if students are paying attention. This can be as simple as using polls during class, interactive whiteboards or reaction buttons like a thumbs-up. “Seeing someone’s face is only one component of academic engagement,” he said. “The learning material itself, how it’s presented and what’s happening at home are a few other contributing factors.”

Offering other avenues to check in helps you meet students where they are while allowing them to engage in a way that makes sense for them.

Off-camera connection building may mean thinking outside the box. Consider using breakout rooms for small-group discussion, with a “share-out” when students return to the larger group. This is where one student volunteers to update the rest of the class on what they discussed in their small group. You can also try getting creative with live chat features and have students post comments. When teaching large classes, discussion forums are an easy way to gain deeper insights into student understanding, as well as where they might be struggling.

Give your students the break they need

If you’ve ever ended a Zoom call and immediately been hit by a wave of sleepiness, it’s not just the mid-afternoon slump or the caffeine wearing off. Video chat tools can actually make you feel like you’re performing for the camera. It can also be tiring to look at your own face all day. The reality is these platforms were all designed for video conferences or informal catch-ups, rather than a primary teaching and learning tool.

Zoom requires a new level of concentration because much of the body language and non-verbal cues we rely on to communicate are harder to discern. An overload of on-screen distractions can make it a challenge for our brains to process everything we see, especially in large group calls with a gallery view display.

Consider having students join your Zoom class with a plain virtual background (if they feel comfortable) or recommend students turn their video feed off altogether. You can request students to turn their video on only when asking a question or presenting a project. Giving your students a break from being on-camera helps them stay alert in course content, instead of focusing on distractions on-screen.

Alternatively, you can structure your synchronous lectures to keep talking and presenting to 10 min increments. This can be followed by a video or independent review that helps expand or come at the learning objective in a different way. When followed by an activity like a short quiz or discussion question, this helps break things up in a way that keeps things fresh and avoids an overload of on screen time.

Learning in the long-term

Higher education institutions will rely on online and hybrid learning for the foreseeable future. For this reason, it’s important that students and instructors find ways to connect and engage, while still maintaining a comfortable learning environment for all, regardless of where they may be tuning in to class.

The post Zoomed Out: Should Students Be Required to Keep Their Webcams On In Class? appeared first on Top Hat.

Video brings learning to life for students, and is helpful for both visual and auditory learners. It is also a cornerstone in building a sense of community and connection in the virtual classroom. Video streaming is an essential part of online teaching and learning—and that’s doubly true with Gen Z students. “Gen Z students’ embrace of video as their main communication medium is unprecedented,” said Corey Seemiller and Meghan Grace, authors of Generation Z Goes to College. “This isn’t about being too lazy to read. Experiencing video and people’s perspectives in real-time in fact shows a huge capacity for empathy.”

Video is also an indispensable tool for injecting active learning into your courses. Here we list some of the best practices for incorporating video into your online learning environment.

Keep your videos bite-sized

Why it’s important: While video is an essential tool for the virtual classroom, make sure you’re not simply recording an uninterrupted lecture stream. The reason: chunking. Chunking is a learning science method that breaks down content into smaller pieces, so the brain can easily digest new information. The brain needs this assistance because our memory can only hold a limited amount of information at one time. As a best practice, keep video segments to 10 to 15 minutes in length. It is also important that video content is organized in a logical and intuitive way to make it easier for students to navigate. Content that is conceptually related helps to create deeper and more meaningful connections and is easier for learners to digest.

Plan ahead to maximize student engagement

Why it’s important: Just as you plan your lectures ahead of time, you need to plan your video content in order to maximize student engagement. Create an outline for each video including the learning objectives you will cover along with opportunities for students to reflect on or apply what they’ve learned. Planning ahead will ensure your material is presented in a logical manner and will allow you to determine which course concepts fit best with a particular medium. Some concepts are well suited to asynchronous delivery such as through video, while more complex material may be best shared synchronously where students have the opportunity to clarify potential sticking points. You should also plan to incorporate breaks in your video to allow students the opportunity to assess what they’ve learned or apply the information using discussion questions or problem-solving exercises.

To dimensionalize learning, instructors can embed videos from other sources or their own pre-recorded videos in homework assignments, interactive digital textbooks, and by interspersing video segments within lecture content. This helps students digest learning material in a number of ways.

Put it into practice with Top Hat:  You can embed videos you’ve created on another platform such as Zoom or YouTube by using the Top Hat Pages feature. Pages makes it easy to add video recordings to textbook chapters or to create interactive homework assignments. To embed a video, simply draft a page from the create menu and use the interactive elements bar to paste a YouTube or Vimeo link. You can also use iframes to embed videos from other platforms (as long as they are secure links).

If you are planning to live-stream synchronous lectures, you can still make these longer lecture videos bite-sized and interactive by breaking up the content using Top Hat questions. After every ten minutes or so of lecturing, present a Top Hat discussion or formative assessment question. Answers can then be displayed using a heat map or word cloud, allowing students to see how their peers are engaging with the material. Breaking up your video content in this way helps students shift from listening to applying what they just heard. To learn more about embedding videos using Pages, click here.

Use video to build community

Why it’s important: It’s not surprising that students learning online often contend with feelings of isolation. In an online class environment, it is more difficult for students to ask questions, collaborate and otherwise communicate with their instructor and peers. For this reason, it’s important to be authentic in your videos. Record them once. If you have a hiccup, that’s okay—it’ll help students relate to you. You can also encourage students to share their own video presentations to create connections between peers. Virtual office hours are another great way to build stronger connections with students and give them the opportunity to raise questions or get additional support around certain concepts or course mechanics.

Put it into practice with Top Hat: You can host live office hours a couple of ways using Top Hat. One option is to start a live video stream by using Zoom or Microsoft Teams. You can then present a discussion question for students to post their responses or questions in real-time. You can adjust the settings in your discussion to determine who can see the questions and how they are seen. For example, you may choose to allow the whole class to see the questions and who has responded or you can have responses displayed anonymously. While this may be a little different than the traditional approach to hosting office hours, reviewing discussion threads one-on-one can be a great way to stimulate more open dialogue and create a sense of community by learning together.

The post Why Video Is the Key to Creating an Engaging Online Class appeared first on Top Hat.

As college courses transitioned online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for flexible tech-based learning activities for engaging students inside and outside the classroom has surged. The right tech-based learning tools and platforms provide students with an immersive experience that matches the way they’ve become accustomed to learning. It also makes it easy to teach online, providing instructors with valuable real-time insights into student progress and understanding.

Switching from a face-to-face classroom to an online course requires adjustment for instructors and students alike. If the medium is the message, then you can’t replicate the exact same lecture you had planned for a face-to-face classroom in the online world—at least not without making a few adjustments that will benefit student learning. Moving into online teaching requires an agile approach. Here are four ways instructors can leverage the tools that students are already comfortable with to create high-quality and dynamic learning experiences in the virtual classroom.

1) Temperature checks

Insight—and the feedback it generates—is essential in online or hybrid courses, helping online teachers tailor the learning experience to student needs. Feedback, when combined with frequent testing, is equally important for students who want to know where they are excelling and where to focus their study efforts for future assignments.

Frequent, low-stakes assessments or ‘temperature checks’ give students a number of chances to demonstrate their comprehension of course concepts as the term progresses. Gauging individual student success early and often—and acting on insights—has been shown to significantly impact student retention. These regular evaluations also provide online instructors with an opportunity to share specific feedback on areas to improve, rather than just a percentage or letter grade. These progress checks can be collected in an active learning platform like Top Hat or in learning management systems to track individual student success.

To get regular insights on student understanding, have students complete a short ten-minute pre-lecture assignment on their laptops or cellphones. Comprehension checks—in the form of polling or discussion questions—can also be interspersed between lecture slides so instructors can see how students are feeling about newly introduced course concepts, even in online environments. Click here to learn about how Frank Spors, professor at Western Health Sciences University, increased student outcomes with pre-lecture assignments in Top Hat.

2) Anonymous discussions

Today’s college students are much less tolerant of a one-size-fits-all approach to their college education. For instructors, this means shifting from a homogeneous approach to one that is more personalized. Customizing courses based on student learning styles also plays a role in creating inclusive classroom experiences. Promoting inclusivity is ultimately about embracing the different identities, backgrounds and lived experiences that students bring to their classrooms. This starts with equipping educators with the means to understand important and often invisible differences among students in online classrooms.

Online polling questions and anonymous discussion threads make it easier to capture the diversity of lived experiences and viewpoints throughout the learning process—even when course material may be polarizing or sensitive in nature. This, in turn, creates a more empathetic teaching and learning environment. Questions and discussion threads can be interspersed with lecture slides, so students who are tuning in asynchronously can participate as well. These interactions generate student data that can be used by instructors to provide timely feedback and tailor future course content.

3) Peer-reviewed assignments

Helping Gen Z engage with course material starts with active learning. As part of creating engagement with students, it is important that they learn to give, as well as receive, constructive feedback from their peers as part of the grading process. Peer-reviewed assessments help students develop higher-order thinking skills and make evaluative judgments based on assignment criteria. In giving and receiving feedback, students strengthen essential soft skills that help prepare them for further academic pursuits and professional life.

Instructors can assign small groups or partners to review one another’s work as a part of online instruction. This can also be helpful for video assignments, which are purpose-built to assess soft skills, as well as an understanding of course concepts.

This exercise—where students are both giving and receiving—builds their investment in coursework. It also clarifies the relationship between their assignments and where they can improve. Students are made to engage with course content in different ways, which encourages the self-reflexivity that strengthens their critical thinking skills over the course of their online education. Peer-reviewed assignments are designed to help students develop into lifelong thinkers and writers who learn to question their own work, values, and engagement instead of simply responding to assignment instructions.

4) Discussion forums

Generation Z is highly collaborative and approaches learning with a community-based mindset. They enjoy learning from their peers as well as their instructors and often comprehend course material better in a group setting. Discussion forums and chat channels give students the opportunity to talk about course topics with each other and with the professor, replicating the feel of a traditional classroom. Opportunities for discussion can be interspersed with lecture slides, to break up course content into more digestible chunks.

Virtual discussions help students absorb the class material and share ideas with one another. Students are able to gather their thoughts and ideas before sharing their reflective responses. Discussion forums are also a flexible option for engagement in asynchronous classes, as students can add their responses when they view lecture videos on their own time.

Discussions forums build community with peers and faculty members in online learning environments. They create opportunities for students to practice and sharpen a number of skills, including the ability to articulate and defend positions, consider different points of view, and create in-depth reflective responses. Discussion threads give all students a voice, especially those who are normally quiet in a face-to-face classroom environment, and those who need more time to compile their thoughts or want to avoid potential conflict or disagreement. They empower students to view and respond to their peers in a safe and respectful manner.

Looking forward to fall

Tech in the classroom plays to Generation Z’s strengths. They are collaborative and community-minded and expect the concepts they learn to be tailored to them, similar to the content they consume or the items they buy. For higher education institutions, the challenge of replicating this may seem daunting, particularly in online learning environments. Shifting from a homogeneous approach to one that is more personalized does require new tools and approaches but with careful consideration and thoughtful design, students can experience a dynamic personalized college experience, wherever learning takes place.

The post 4 Ways Tech Can Elevate Learning in the Virtual Classroom appeared first on Top Hat.