Lauren
D’Entremont

Lauren D’Entremont is a junior student studying Biology at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Unsure of what she wanted to do after high school, she completed a two-year Liberal Arts degree. But shortly after finishing, she had a change of heart when she discovered her love for Biology. She was drawn to her new four-year program because of her devotion to animal welfare, and hopes to earn her PhD in Marine Biology so she can lead hands-on research projects.

Testing became much more enjoyable with Top Hat.

D’Entremont learns best when her classes are engaging and when she can get immediate feedback on how she’s progressing. Unfortunately, online courses during the pandemic didn’t always fill this need. With most consisting of only synchronous lectures or recordings, D’Entremont found herself lacking motivation to wade through dry and mundane classes. Her studies began to feel overwhelming, her attendance dropped, and worst of all, she wasn’t sure where to go for help.

When D’Entremont returned to in-person classes in Fall 2021, Top Hat played an important role in reviving her motivation. Her professor in Forensic Psychology makes effective use of the dynamic courseware platform to keep students engrossed in their learning. “The professor asked multiple choice questions as the class went on, which definitely helped me better understand the topics we were discussing,” D’Entremont explains. She also appreciates being able to review the slides on her own time. “It was beneficial to be able to go back and review what we’d done, and it was more organized than our LMS,” she adds.

“The quizzes are my favorite part! We do them on our laptops and can see our grades right then and there which is really helpful.”

Assessments once came with a good deal of stress. But as D’Entremont can attest, testing became much more enjoyable with Top Hat. “The quizzes are my favorite part! We do them on our laptops and can see our grades right then and there which is really helpful,” she says. D’Entremont also uses lecture slides, questions, and quizzes to help her study for exams—all of which are accessible from the platform.