This post is written by the Top Hat editorial team.
In a highly memorable and humorous talk at Engage 2018, Top Hat’s conference for innovative higher educators, international education expert and TED talk alumnus Sir Ken Robinson spoke about the radical changes needed in education to help the next generation thrive. There are forthcoming challenges in the 21st-century—climate change, ethics around artificial intelligence, and more—and […]
In this latest video from Entrepreneur Network partner MaRS Discovery District, entrepreneur Mike Silagadze talks about making his career pivot. Watch the full video from Entrepreneur to hear more about Top Hat’s journey..
What is FERPA? FERPA, or the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, was signed into U.S. law in 1974 with two purposes: first, that college students could receive copies of their educational records and were authorized to correct them if need be, and second, to block the release of personally identifiable information from those student […]
His TED talk “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” is the most watched TED Talk in history.
As an instructor, you may have decided against using OER in the past because of concerns about the quality of the course material, or the ease of implementation. It’s time to reconsider
What makes a good teacher in higher education is not your level of knowledge, or even your ability to grade students quickly. It’s down to the relationships you build in class and how you activate those through the techniques you use to teach
Professors most readily learn from each other and by attending off-site conferences, while deeply distrusting departmental meetings, according to a new survey of nearly 2,000 professors across the US and Canada
How do clickers work? In this blog post, we cover the kinds of clicker devices available, and offer some use cases to aid student learning
Internationally acclaimed expert on creativity and innovation in education, and author of the books Finding Your Element, The Element and Out of Our Minds, was speaker at Top Hat conference
These apps for teachers, as recommended by Bonni Stachowiak of the Teaching in Higher Education podcast, will help you take back control of your information consumption and solve the mystery of where your time is going
How a digital marketing professor uses active learning tools to breathe new life into a three-hour night class
According to Susan Cain, author of the best-sellers Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts, and Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, higher education often penalizes introverts through group work and participation points—and some students even have to pretend to be extroverts in order to fit into the system. […]
The past 40 years will be seen as a time when college textbook companies ignited, expanded beyond expectation, and then began to die. And it’s all down to how people read. Prices of college textbooks have been increasing since the late 1970s when textbook companies found color printing and illustrations were far more popular with […]
Student-centered learning focuses on the meaningful needs and development of students in class, rather than the pedagogical course material as an endpoint. And it’s worth investing time in getting right, particularly if you’re currently using traditional, structured “chalk and talk” teaching methods within your course design and learning environment. But some innovative educators are evolving […]
Need a boost to your teaching as you enter into the new semester? Here are four creative teaching ideas for each stage of your course, from conspiracy theories to group projects—and links to read more about them. Week 1: Bust out the flash cards According to author Dan Chambliss, one of the most important things […]
There are no typical students, and no typical classroom. Some students might have never grown up with a university tradition in their family. Some might not know how to equally participate in a class discussion. Some may be overwhelmed, and some might start out enthusiastic but lose attention over time. For each of these scenarios, […]
The students have spoken and one thing is clear: They view their mobile devices as an essential part of in-class learning. In early November, Top Hat’s inaugural Student Pulse Survey was sent out to over 500 students, asking them for their opinions on textbooks, technology, cellphones in school and the ways that higher education might […]
The results are in from our comprehensive survey of over 5,000 educators across the United States and the world—our definitive barometer of the current trends in education. Among the most important findings: 63% say that the biggest issue currently facing their school is underfunding 78% believe students are more distracted than ever before 75% claim […]
Every teacher knows what a pedagogical lecture plan is meant to achieve in the classroom. But if you want to know how to organize your approaches towards engaging lectures that make the most of in-class time and promote deeper interaction among students and their peers, yet still focus on your instructional learning outcomes, try our […]
Educators have good reasons for turning their backs on traditional textbooks. While textbooks have until now been an essential teaching tool, they’re no longer doing the job they need to do. Here are three reasons why. 1. They’re outdated The way textbooks have traditionally been created and conceived is incredibly antiquated. Textbooks—especially the standard editions […]