Feature: Discussions

Lively discussions that speak your students’ language.

Discussions can be a great way to engage students—but not everyone feels comfortable speaking up. Our interactive and inclusive discussion tool sparks conversations where students are invited to share their ideas in a variety of ways, no matter how big the class.

81%

of students said Top Hat’s classroom discussions helped to increase their understanding of course material.¹

¹ Executed using customer proof points survey to 39,000 students who currently use Top Hat (April 2017)

Make class discussions feel like a group chat.

Incorporate video, images or good old fashioned plain text to spark lively conversations and drive the debate
Students can respond by text, or give more creative answers with emojis and drawings
Pose discussion questions in class, or incorporate them into readings or assignments to foster critical thinking

No student left unheard.

Give everyone a voice and explore sensitive topics by allowing students to respond anonymously
Create a safe space for students not yet comfortable to raise their hand—let them engage using their laptops, tablets and even their mobile phones

Open a window into
how your students think.

Get immediate insights from student responses to understand what’s working and what isn’t
Let your students ‘upvote’ responses to so you see which concepts need further clarification
Assign graded discussion questions to understand how students are progressing in and out of class

Actionable data for evolving teaching.

Every interaction in Top Hat leads to actionable data you can use to help students and personalize your teaching
Capture results from graded discussions in the Top Hat gradebook, along with quizzes, polls, and tests
See how your students are responding to material in class and out, so you know who needs extra support
Easily integrate with LMS platforms like Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, Moodle, and Sakai

Tools for teaching, learning, and engaging.

Discussions are just one of the many ways Top Hat enables professors to teach with engaging content, tools and activities in online, hybrid or face-to-face classrooms.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Top Hat gradebook houses every digital interaction between instructors and students. The results from attendance, quizzes, tests and assignments (including correctness and participation data) are available in the gradebook. Sync your Top Hat folders and course roster with your LMS at the start of the semester, and you’ll be given the option to include student grades as part of your sync. All data housed in our gradebook will now be automatically available in your LMS. We offer seamless integrations with all major LMS providers including Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, Moodle and Sakai

There are a number of benefits to using educational software in the classroom, including: The ability to easily track student progress, like participation and performance data, which can influence the pace and breadth of instruction. Customizing content keeps learning relevant and up to date by adding case studies and research, as well as supplementing learning materials with assessments or discussion questions. Reduce administrative tasks through autograding functionality and by centralizing course preparation and organization. Make learning more engaging through interactive readings and assignments outside of class and using polls, quizzes and multimedia elements in class to encourage students to participate and apply their knowledge. Improve flexibility and accessibility for students by centralizing resources in one place for them to use in class, at home, or on the go through Internet-connected devices.

There are literally hundreds of educational software tools available on the market today. Choosing the right option depends on your goals. Perhaps it's improving student engagement, encouraging collaboration between students or getting better insights into progress and performance. One thing to keep in mind is the potential impact on students (and faculty) in terms of the cost and added complexity that may come with using multiple tools. Top Hat conveniently provides a single platform you can use to manage your course and provide an engaging and interactive learning experience before, during and after class.

Institutions use a variety of different learning platforms. The backbone for most is typically a learning management system (LMS) such as Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, Moodle and Sakai. These platforms serve as a system of record, enabling instructors to plan and manage their courses, while measuring student progress with gradebooks. Many instructors use additional tools, including student response systems, digital courseware and testing software to engage students, provide access to learning materials (including interactive, digital textbooks), as well as give assignments and secure tests and exams. What makes Top Hat unique is that it complements learning management systems by serving as the student engagement layer, while helping to eliminate the need for additional tools that add cost and potential friction for students and faculty. Top Hat is currently used by 750 of the top 1,000 postsecondary institutions to deliver interactive readings and assignments, host polls and discussions, manage assessments and gain rich insights into student progress and performance to enhance the learning experience.