Author Archive

Top Hat Staff

This post is written by the Top Hat editorial team.

  1. The Possibilities of An Agile Classroom: Sir Ken Robinson

    His TED talk “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” is the most watched TED Talk in history.

  2. OER Gets Serious: It’s Time To Take a Second Look

    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

  3. Easy Ways to Use Exit Tickets in Class

    Students aimlessly filing out of class two-thirds of the way through? There’s an established way you can let them go out of the door with purpose and accomplishment: exit tickets

  4. What Makes a Good Teacher in 2018: 3 Traits to Develop

    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

  5. Why Academic Careers Shine Outside of the Meeting Room

    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

  6. How Do Clickers Work? 4 Ideas for Classroom First-Timers

    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

  7. Sir Ken Robinson Announced As Keynote Speaker At Engage 2018

    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

  8. 6 Apps For Teachers Struggling With Information Overload

    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

  9. How I Taught This: Keeping Nighttime Students Engaged and On Task

    How a digital marketing professor uses active learning tools to breathe new life into a three-hour night class

  10. Susan Cain’s 6 Things to Know About Introverts in the Classroom

    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. […]

  11. How The 5 Main Textbook Companies are Being Disrupted

    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 […]

  12. Student-Centered Learning: 3 Ways Students Can Take Over

    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 […]

  13. 4 Creative Teaching Ideas to Use During Your College Course

    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 […]

  14. 4 Professors Share Tips On Teaching Diverse Students

    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, […]

  15. Cellphones in School are Essential to Learning, Say Students

    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 […]

  16. Current Trends in Education: Professor Pulse Survey 2017

    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 […]

  17. How to Organize a Lecture: Use This Free Planning Tool

    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 […]

  18. OER vs. Textbooks: 3 Reasons the Future is OER

    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 […]

  19. Top Hat Wins PROFIT 500 Excellence In Innovation Award

    Top Hat has received Canadian Business magazine’s PROFIT 500 Excellence in Innovation Award, recognizing its work pushing boundaries in education and technology. PROFIT 500 is the country’s most prestigious yearly celebration of entrepreneurial achievement. For nearly 30 years, it has measured businesses on five-year revenue growth to identify the most dynamic and successful firms in […]

  20. Engage 2017’s Innovative Educator Awards: Who Won and Why

    Engage 2017 wasn’t just about learning new teaching techniques—it celebrated innovative educators who used new methods to meet their classroom goals. In our inaugural Innovative Educator Awards, these following four educators showed focus, spirit and imagination in improving their student engagement and results. Top Author Beth Hammett—College of the Mainland, TX English Beth Hammett began […]