Author Archive

Harleen Dhami

Harleen Dhami is a Senior Growth Marketing Specialist for Top Hat. During her tenure at Top Hat, she's interviewed acclaimed educators including Dr. Bryan Dewsbury and Dr. Christopher Emdin. She works to amplify the stories of both faculty and students alike through case studies, blog posts and ebooks. Harleen holds a Master's Degree in Professional Communication from Toronto Metropolitan University. In 2020, she was the recipient of a Gold Quill Award of Merit presented by the International Association of Business Communicators.

  1. 4 Ways the Pandemic Is Challenging Graduate Students

    Pursuing a graduate degree in 2020 and 2021 means dealing with research, teaching and financial hurdles

  2. Survey: Interactive, In-Class Engagement Makes a Difference to Students

    Even though first-year college students are more likely than students in later years to say they intended to return to school in the spring (73 percent versus 68 percent), they’re less confident they’ll see the value of the investment in higher education (45 percent compared to 51 percent), according to a recent survey done by […]

  3. Student Impressions of Online Learning Improve Modestly This Fall

    Top Hat’s survey of 3,400 undergraduates in the U.S. and Canada finds that nearly three-quarters of students who say their instructors are meaningfully interacting and engaging with them say they are likely to return for the spring semester, compared to less than two-thirds of students who disagree that their professors are doing so. While satisfaction […]

  4. Comparing Spring and Fall 2020 Results From Top Hat’s COVID-19 Student Surveys

    Top Hat was among the first to survey students about their experience learning online back in April, 2020. Six months later, Top Hat is one of the first out of the gate again with fresh results from our October 2020 COVID Student Survey. Kevin Kelly, a specialist in online teaching, learning, and technology, analyzes and […]

  5. Student Sentiment for Fall 2020: Survey of 3,412 Higher Ed Students Finds Educators Prioritizing Human Connections and Active Learning, Influencing Higher Likelihood of Student Retention in Spring 2021 and Beyond

    The role of educators has become more important than ever, impacting student motivation, engagement, and retention.

  6. If You Want To Work in Canada, These Are the 15 Hottest Startups Hiring Right Now

    The advent of remote work could set off a new wave of migration to Canada. Business Insider has named Top Hat among the 15 hottest startups hiring in Canada right now. See the full list.

  7. Ed-on-Ed: Addressing Civil Unrest in Higher Education

    Get insights on colleges’ plans to protect students during election week and more in our roundup of the top trends in higher ed

  8. Canada’s 50 Best Executives 2020: They led their companies through COVID-19 and built a better country in the process

    Top Hat’s Chief Technology Officer Bhavin Shah has been awarded an inaugural Report on Business Best Executive Award. This award acknowledges Shah’s role in leading Top Hat’s efforts to build a platform that provides flexibility to support all teaching scenarios, while ensuring the experience is as engaging as possible. See the full list in The […]

  9. Zooming In and Zoning Out: Combat Zoom Fatigue in Education

    Video calls can be exhausting. Here’s how to make them work for you and your college students.

  10. Top Hat CTO Bhavin Shah Wins 2020 Report on Business Best Executive Award

    Shah’s proven track record of customer focus and technical innovation recognized with award from The Globe and Mail celebrating excellence among non-CEO leaders

  11. Colleges Can Turn Classes Into Virtual Communities. Here’s How.

    COVID-19 has not only shaken up the way we deliver instruction, but the pandemic also threatens the bonds that connect students to each other and their campuses. If incoming students do not see the difference between the online instruction offered by their community college and by a traditional four-year residential school, many university administrators should […]

  12. Top Hat Chooses Vonage to Power Video Capabilities for its Widely Adopted All-in-One Higher Education Teaching Platform

    Top Hat enables educators to keep students engaged with real-time video lecture streaming and access to recordings of class meetings

  13. 8 Practices To Build an Online Learning Community

    Today’s professors are now learning community managers—and these tips from Top Hat’s Senior Manager of Customer Onboarding and Instructional Design, Mike Di Gregorio, can help instructors create a vibrant and engaging learning space. Read the article on eCampusNews to learn more.

  14. Creating an Equitable Classroom Community in 7 Steps

    Invest in students’ personal and academic success by building an equity-minded learning environment

  15. 7 Steps Professors Can Take to Build More Inclusive Classrooms

    Inclusivity and equity need to be at the forefront of your classroom this semester—here’s how to get started

  16. A Hybrid Education Format Is Sticking Around. Here’s How We Can Improve the Model

    One clear challenge learners and educators are facing is staying engaged. Research by Top Hat found that 78% of students say the online class experience, up until now, has been not engaging. It is unfortunate that what is being counted as online learning during COVID-19 is actually remote teaching using very little of what we […]

  17. 9 Ways to Embrace Community Management in Higher Ed

    Help all students thrive online by seeking out new ways to enhance communication and collaboration

  18. Top Hat Appoints Larry Indovina Chief People Officer to Support Next Phase of Growth

    Proven HR leader with 20+ years of success building high growth organizations will focus on scaling Top Hat’s award-winning employee experience and workplace culture Indovina’s track record of effectively integrating acquired companies will support Top Hat’s recently announced M&A strategy, including acquisitions of Nelson Education and Bluedoor Publishing  More than 3 million students are enrolled […]

  19. Canada’s Top Growing Companies: 2020

    Top Hat placed No. 230 on the 2020 Report on Business ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies. Canada’s Top Growing Companies ranks Canadian companies on three-year revenue growth. Launched in 2019, the editorial ranking aims to celebrate entrepreneurial achievement in Canada by identifying and amplifying the success of growth-minded, independent businesses in Canada. In total, […]

  20. Top Hat Recognized in The Globe and Mail’s Second-annual Ranking of Canada’s Top Growing Companies

    This achievement is due to the tireless efforts of our talented team that is reshaping the future of higher ed.