Turn real-time student data into real impact
Top Hat brings together attendance, participation and assessment data to give you a holistic picture of student progress. Get real-time insights into who’s thriving, who needs support and what you can adjust to drive better outcomes.
*Spring 2025 Top Hat Student Survey (n=17,672)
Capture meaningful insights in the moment
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Measure understanding instantly with live polls, quizzes and discussions that reveal comprehension in real time
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Gauge student sentiment on the fly using emoji reactions that surface confusion, confidence or excitement—without interrupting your lecture
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Track progress beyond class with interactive readings and homework that show completion, accuracy and preparedness before your next session
Identify at-risk students, early
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See the full picture with attendance, participation and performance data in one powerful Gradebook
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Spot trends from post-lecture reports and weekly course summaries that highlight both class-wide patterns and individual performance
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Streamline grade management by syncing all Gradebook data with your Learning Management System
Tools for teaching, learning and engaging
Real-time insights 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.
Why educators and students love Top Hat
I like how [Top Hat] combines slides, quizzes, and participation all in one platform, so I feel more involved and organized. It also makes it easier to review material and track my progress throughout the course.
Student
Bishop’s University
What I liked best about using Top Hat was the grades feature, where I was able to see all my grades, including: attendance, live questions, participation, quizzes, and exam scores.
Student
University of Texas at Dallas
I liked that having graded questions throughout the class motivated me to stay focused and actively engage in lectures.
Student
University of Calgary
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I find my teaching insights in Top Hat?
When you teach with Top Hat, you can use our platform software to track student progress in real time. Top Hat collects assessment, attendance, and participation data in real time, putting actionable learning insights at your fingertips. You can use the Top Hat Gradebook to get a view of your entire course and each student’s performance—attendance, participation, test and assignment results. Learn more about the Gradebook in this Support Center article.
What is the Top Hat Gradebook?
The Top Hat Gradebook houses student performance and participation scores, making it home to a variety of learning insights. The results from attendance, polls, discussions, quizzes, tests and other assignments (including correctness and participation data) are available in the Gradebook. Educators can also use the Gradebook to generate reports for individual students to track their progress throughout the term, tracking things like attendance, total number of questions answered, total number of correctly answered questions and average scores segmented by participation and correctness. This learning analytics software gives educators real-time insights into how each student is faring throughout the course. Students can use the Gradebook to track their grades as they go.
How does Top Hat Gradebook integrate with my LMS?
Grades regularly sync from Top Hat to your LMS, so every student knows where they stand. Simply 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 be automatically available in your LMS. We offer seamless integrations with all major LMS providers including Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, Moodle and Sakai.
What are the benefits of Top Hat real-time data and insights?
Essentially, real-time data and insights empowers educators to adapt their teaching on the fly to best help their students succeed. Top Hat collects learning insights from assessment, attendance, and participation data in real time, which allows educators to understand which parts of their courses are working and which students need extra help. Educators can use polls, quizzes, and discussions to gauge student comprehension, and adapt their course material as needed. With the Top Hat Gradebook, educators get a holistic view of participation and performance that shows class-wide trends while also helping to identify and support at-risk students.
Watch this video to learn more.
How does Top Hat integrate with my LMS?
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.