Educator Story Spotlight

Using Ed Tech to Find the ‘Aha!’ Moment

7%

increase in student evaluation scores after adopting Top Hat

90%

of students report that Top Hat made them feel part of a wider learning community

92%

of students said Top Hat improved their engagement in class

Read the story

Educator Stories

Helping professors make teaching fun and effective

Innovative educators at more than 750 campuses rely on Top Hat. Find out how they use it to engage students and build comprehension before, during and after class.

Missouri State University campus exterior.

How Top Hat Content Incorporates DEI and Career Readiness In Public Speaking

How the search for a relevant and career-oriented eText led this Public Speaking professor to Top Hat

Gordana Lazic at Missouri State University
Gordana Lazic Assistant Professor and the Basic Course Director, Department of Communication at Missouri State University
Two students sit next to one another outside.

How Two Custom Top Hat Interactive eTexts Speak to 4,000 Students in a Required Course

Using Top Hat's Composition content solutions led to greater skill-building and confidence among 4,000+ students

Nicole Fisk headshot cropped
Nicole Fisk Associate Director of First-Year English at the University of South Carolina
A student is shown in a STEM lab.

How Moving From Print to Digital Lab Materials Maximized Quality

Affordability can often come at the cost of quality. It's why this professor favors Top Hat's Biology Interactive eText.

Christine Kelly cropped circle image.
Christine Kelly Professor and Assistant Chair of the Department of Biology and Chemistry at County College of Morris

How A Top Hat Textbook Contributed to a 16% Decrease in DFW Rates

Relevance and representation were also important factors in improving student outcomes in this Introductory Chemistry course

Jennifer Donovan smiles.
Jennifer Donovan Associate Teaching Professor of Chemistry at Arizona State University

Digitizing a Print Biology Lab Manual Using Top Hat

Converting a print lab manual to an interactive and dynamic resource was key to keeping online students accountable

Mary Blakefield is shown.
Mary Blakefield Associate Professor of Biology at Indiana University East
Stephanie Dillon is shown on screen.

Increasing Grades and Reducing DFW Rates in Chemistry

How the combination of Top Hat and Aktiv Chemistry improved pass rates and final grades

Stephanie Dillon headshot rounded.
Stephanie Dillon Director of Freshman Laboratories at Florida State University

Giving Community College Students a Textbook to Prepare Them for the Real World

How a Top Hat textbook served as a stepping stone to four-year degree programs and the workplace

Carrie Miller against a green background.
Carrie Miller Professor of Chemistry at Mt. San Antonio College
An image of a campus building at Ohio University is shown.

How Top Hat Pages Helped This Math Professor Chart an 82% Course Pass Rate

Offering a high-quality and interactive Pre-Calculus experience with Top Hat Pages

Blake Regan is shown wearing a black dress shirt.
Blake Regan Associate Professor of Instruction, Russ College of Engineering and Technology at Ohio University
Jessica Roisen is shown lecturing in front of a group of students. She is wearing a blue shirt and blazer and is smiling.

Turning the Abstract Into An Absorbing Course

How Top Hat Pages allowed one professor to co-create a class resource that prepares students for the workplace

Jessica Roisen Professor of Philosophy, St. Ambrose University
An image of a professor is shown lecturing to a room of students at Indiana University.

Indiana University Lays the Foundation for Active Learning at Scale

How a school-wide licensing agreement is paving the way for evidence-based teaching practices in every course.

Indiana University School-Wide Agreement
Three students sit outside of a building on the University of Fiji's campus.

Providing the Technology and Data to Drive Student Success

How giving all students and faculty Top Hat access was credited with maintaining quality education during the pandemic.

An image of Shaista Shameem, Vice Chancellor of the University of Fiji.
Shaista Shameem Vice Chancellor, University of Fiji

How Top Hat Textbooks Helped Give HR Students Faster Access to Jobs

How custom Top Hat textbooks reduced the time it took to exit academia and enter the workforce

Michele Vincenti Chair of the Leadership and People Management Department, University of Canada West
Nisa Chand MBA Assistant Professor, University of Canada West

Using Always Up-to-Date Learning Materials to Spark Discussion and Debate

How Top Hat allowed one professor to reflect a rapidly evolving political landscape

Holloway Sparks Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Georgia State University

How Raising the Difficulty of Exams Boosted Grades by 8%

Using Top Hat questions helped professor David Guggenheim cultivate curiosity and led to improved student performance

David GuggenheimTeaching Assistant Professor of Business Administration in the Gies College of Business at UIUC

Boosting Student Retention with Affordable, Customizable Content

Professor Nancy Legge's efforts to deliver high quality, customized content have translated into better grades and a greater likelihood students will stay in class and university as well.

Dr. Nancy LeggeProfessor, Communication, Media, and Persuasion, Idaho State University.

How Customizing a Textbook Helped This Professor Illustrate Inclusivity

How a Top Hat textbook helped reduce financial and cultural barriers, which in turn, boosted grades

Lindsay TanAssociate Professor & Interior Design Program Coordinator, Auburn University
Derek Weber stands to the left of the image, wearing a white shirt with a striped blue tie.

How a Digital Lab Manual Makes Learning Clinically Relevant For Non-Majors

Authoring a custom lab manual was this professor’s answer to keeping a vibrant student body engaged

Derek WeberProfessor of Biology and Microbiology, Raritan Valley Community College

Making Assessment Time Less Daunting and More Valuable

How one professor reduced her DFW rates by using Top Hat to quiz students early and often

Elizabeth SargentBiology Lecturer, Georgia Southern University

How a Top Hat Textbook Puts Inclusion Front and Center

Discover how a Top Hat textbook helps celebrate diverse identities and even improves retention rates.

Sergio JuárezAssistant Professor, Department of Communication, California State University, Fresno

How Top Hat Helped Foster Confidence and Engagement Among 400+ Physics Students

Boston University physics lecturer Andrew Duffy relies on Top Hat to keep students motivated to learn before, during and after class

Andrew DuffyMaster Lecturer, Department of Physics, Boston University

How Top Hat Helped Boost Student Enrollment During the Pandemic

Interactive discussions and a digital textbook helped boost enrollment in this course—even in a pandemic

Nicole McNicholsAssociate Teaching Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington

How Top Hat Helped Brown University Create a Vibrant Active Learning Community—On Campus and Remotely

Asynchronous features and community-building capabilities helped professors succeed in person and online.

James FoleyAssistant Director of Digital Learning & Design, Brown University

How Flipping the Classroom with Top Hat Gave This Prof the Tools for Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Learning

Biomedical Sciences professor Sarah Sletten improved student evaluations, engagement and interaction—in person and remotely

Sarah SlettenAssociate Professor of Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota

How an Interactive Top Hat Textbook Helped This Professor Succeed in the Move to Remote Learning

Human Development and Family Science instructor Katie Thompson-Laswell keeps learning personalized to students’ lives with course material authored through Top Hat.

Katie Thompson-LaswellSenior Instructor of Human Development and Family Science, Kansas State University

This Professor Thrives Teaching Remotely By Using An Interactive Textbook On Top Of Her LMS

Biology instructor Christina Alevras creates an engaging self-paced learning environment that prepares students for their academic futures.

Christina AlevrasInstructor of Biology, University of Saint Joseph

Using Ed Tech to Find the ‘Aha!’ Moment

Geography professor Demian Hommel uses Top Hat to improve student engagement—and help students care about the world around them.

Demian Hommel Headshot
Demian HommelSenior Instructor, Geography, Environmental Sciences and Marine Resource Management, Oregon State University

Simplifying the Switch to Online Teaching with Interactive Top Hat Content and Courseware

Criminal Justice lecturer Daniel Maxwell was able to maintain course continuity after COVID-19 closed his campus

Dan Maxwell Headshot
Daniel MaxwellLecturer, Criminal Justice Department, Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, University of New Haven

How Formative and Summative Assessments in Top Hat Improved Grades Without Sacrificing Course Standards

Biology professor Sue Ellen DeChenne-Peters needed a way to understand how students were comprehending course material.

Sue Ellen DeChenne-Peters
Sue Ellen DeChenne-PetersAssistant Professor, Biology, College of Science and Mathematics, Georgia Southern University

Using Top Hat Motivated a Large Class of Non-Science Majors to Care About Chemistry

Professor Kirsten Grant leveraged Top Hat’s presentation, assignment and textbook solutions to inspire student learning and improve test scores.

Kirsten GrantClinical Professor, Department of Chemistry, CUNY, Hunter College

This English Professor Improved Grades in an Online Course

Frequent assessments and discussion questions allow professor Brooke Archila to easily identify struggling students and difficult concepts.

Brooke ArchilaAssociate Professor, English, Madisonville Community College
todd curtis

How Top Hat Helped This Professor Teach Difficult Concepts in Courses with 900 Students

Student learning improved thanks to robust assessments and interactive textbooks with graded readings.

Todd Curtis
Todd CurtisSenior Lecturer, Department of Classics, University of Texas

How Top Hat Improved Attendance and Engagement in a Blended Learning Course

The use of Top Hat increases student participation levels and helps professor Michael Rehm win an innovative teaching award.

Michael Rehm
Michael RehmSenior Lecturer, Department of Property, University of Auckland Business School
Ricardo Nogueira Customer Story

Top Hat Was Essential to Student Success in This Massive Class

Nogueira starts using Top Hat for every part of his course—even authoring a textbook on the platform—in order to improve engagement in learning and student success.

Ricardo Nogueira
Ricardo NogueiraSenior Lecturer, Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University
University of Connecticut

The Impact of Participation on Exam Scores

John Redden co-authors a Top Hat textbook to offer students extra credit.

John ReddenAssociate Professor, Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut

Saving Hundreds of Hours Grading

Joshua Osbourn uses Top Hat to monitor student comprehension with regular in class quizzes. Thanks to Top Hat's secure testing capabilities, he can prevent cheating and instantly provide feedback on student…

Joshua OsbournAssociate Professor, Chemistry, West Virginia University

Textbooks That Keep Students on Track

"To expect students to purchase the hard copy textbook (currently retailing for approximately $130) and then perhaps not even read it, was a huge waste."

Met Mamut professor
Dr. Mem MahmutSenior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University

Textbooks That Revolutionize Student Motivation and Engagement

Jamie Pomeranz's students master evolving issues in public health through Top Hat. 83% of students agree that the interactive platform encourages participation during difficult in-class debates.

Jamie PomeranzAssociate Professor, Ethics and Legal Issues in Public Health, University of Florida

Saving Students Over $1 Million

OSU consolidates technology and reduced costs with Top Hat.

Boosting Student Performance with Technology

Luke Green uses Top Hat to foster a safe, inclusive learning environment. Using the app in class and at home for interactive readings helped him increase course averages by 4% and decrease DFW rates by 12%.

Luke GreenInstructor, Communications Studies, St. Cloud Technical & Community College

Improving Student Engagement in 400+ Classes

Top Hat encourages students to participate more despite this course's sensitive subject matter.

Matt NumerAssociate Professor, Health Promotion, Dalhousie University
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