Join us for two days of faculty-led workshops and keynotes from leading changemakers in higher education.

Attendee Welcome

Gather with your fellow educators as we kick off the day and lay the foundation to help you make the most of your time at Top Hat Engage Orlando.

Unleashing Potential Through Metacognition

Many students struggle to develop effective learning processes and the self-regulation necessary to succeed academically. In this session, you’ll learn to implement a range of metacognitive strategies using Top Hat to help students become more aware of their learning, evaluate what’s working, and actively monitor their progress. Discover practical, low-effort techniques to foster student growth and self-reflection to unlock their full potential in the classroom and beyond.

Engaging Distracted Learners

The first minutes of class are crucial for setting the tone and direction of your course. Engaging students early, building a sense of community, and establishing clear expectations can lead to a more successful learning experience. In this workshop, you'll learn how to use Top Hat to demonstrate empathy, and apply creative strategies that engage students, minimize distractions and keep students focused throughout your course.

Improving Your Course with Evidence-Informed Iteration

Explore how frequent formative assessments and evidence-informed iteration can transform your teaching. Learn to leverage Top Hat to enhance feedback and engagement, and discover practical strategies to reimagine your assessments and assignments. Coming out of this session, you’ll be able to create dynamic and effective learning experiences that deliver the insights to drive continuous improvement and student success.

Customizing Course Content with Top Hat

In this hands-on workshop, we’ll dive into how Top Hat’s content and customization services can transform your course materials into dynamic, engaging, and affordable content that connects with students. Learn how to integrate Open Educational Resources (OER), customize national content, or create your own interactive materials. This session will give you the hands-on experience to tailor your course materials like never before.

Formulas for Success: Improving Outcomes with Aktiv Chemistry

Learn how to use Aktiv Chemistry—a next-generation learning platform built specifically for First-Year Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Biochemistry courses. In this workshop, we’ll cover best practices for driving student engagement and improving learning outcomes. Experience Aktiv Chemistry’s scaffolded question types with intelligent feedback, groundbreaking drawing tool, and Readiness diagnostic. Then roll up your sleeves to practice creating your own assignments and experience them from the student perspective before sharing your insights with fellow attendees.

Scaling Innovation in Teaching and Learning

In this workshop, we will delve into the conditions under which technology adoption thrives, identifying the essential services and incentives that drive meaningful change. Through a detailed case study of Indiana University's partnership with Top Hat, we'll uncover key lessons learned and discuss how this collaboration has led to significant improvements in student retention and success. We'll also examine the role external partners play in supporting educational institutions. With an emphasis on group sharing, our goal is to surface insights and strategies to inform your own journey in enhancing student outcomes through technology.

Speakers:

• Dr. Bradley Cohen, Chief Academic Officer, Top Hat
• Gina Londino-Smolar, Indiana University

Change Fatigue: Rebooting Innovation in the Classroom

Near constant change, new expectations, and evolving accommodations have left many faculty feeling overwhelmed and burned out. This growing weariness poses significant challenges when it comes to classroom innovation. In this session we are joined by Dr. Cavanagh, educator and author of the recent Chronicle of Higher Education essay, After a Tough Year for Classroom Innovation, It’s Time for Reset. Together, we’ll explore the challenges institutional leaders face on the human dimension of innovation. With this foundation, we’ll discuss how we can reinvigorate a culture of change—one that respects instructor autonomy and choice—to chart a path forward.

Speakers:

• Dr. Bradley Cohen, Chief Academic Officer, Top Hat
• Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh, Sr. Associate Director for Teaching and Learning, Simmons University

Top Hat Product Showcase & Learning Lounge

Test drive our latest features and connect with the team responsible for Top Hat’s more recent innovations. Spend one-on-one time with our Instructional Designers to ask questions and optimize your course experience. It’s all about setting you—and your students—up for success!

Welcome Reception & Dinner

Discuss the first day’s highlights with your peers over drinks, food, and a little magic (we’re in Orlando, after all).

CEO Welcome & Keynote Workshop: Energizing Learning with the Science of Emotion & Motivation

The pedagogical world is awakening to the power of emotion to fuel engagement and learning—and it couldn’t come at a more important time. In an era where the temptation to turn to AI to complete assignments is ever-present, capturing student attention and enhancing motivation requires us to consider the emotional impact of our course design and delivery. For this interactive presentation, we are joined by Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh, author of The Spark of Learning: Energizing the College Classroom with the Science of Emotion. Dr. Cavanagh will weave empirical evidence from psychology, education, and neuroscience before workshopping activities and assignment ideas you can implement in your very next class.

Speakers:

• Maggie Leen, CEO, Top Hat
• Dr. Sarah Rose Cavanagh, Sr. Associate Director for Teaching and Learning, Simmons University

Innovation for the Higher Ed Classroom

Join us for an exciting look at how Top Hat is enabling you to put the power of evidence-based teaching practices to work in your classroom. See how the latest enhancements to Ace, our AI-powered assistant, are making it easier to engage students and reduce course prep, while giving students unlimited opportunities to practice applying learning. We’ll also unveil how we’re continuing to personalize learning for you and your students while making course management more intuitive and impactful than ever. It’s all about giving you the tools and inspiration to make your next term the best it can be!

Speakers:

• Clare Castro, Sr. Product Marketing Manager, Top Hat
• Sue-Mun Huang, Group Product Manager, Top Hat

Birds of a Feather Luncheon + Top Hat Product Showcase

Get to know your peers and share your teaching journey with instructors in your discipline. Plus, spend time at the Product Showcase and test drive the latest innovations from Top Hat and Aktiv Chemistry.

Engaging the Masses: Active Learning in Large Lectures

When the new norm is for lectures to be recorded and posted online, it can be challenging getting students to show up to class. Not so for Dr. Michelle Cadieux, who has turned her 500+ student lectures into must-attend events. Dr. Cadieux will share how she uses Top Hat to get students to experience learning first-hand and make them active participants in all elements of the lecture. As you will see, when students are part of the content, learning happens naturally!

Speaker:

• Dr. Michelle Cadieux, McMaster University

Inclusive by Design: Equity-Minded Teaching with Top Hat

A recent study found an 11.5% decrease in course withdrawal rates for Indiana University faculty who use Top Hat. Prioritizing active learning is an important part of this success story, as is ensuring all students have equitable access to technology. In this interactive presentation, Dr. Gina M. Londino-Smolar will explore how to use inclusive learning practice in Top Hat to provide all students with the same opportunities and learning experiences. She’ll also cover how to redesign assignments, learning materials, and student resources to make your course more equitable, inclusive, and engaging for all.

Speaker:

• Dr. Gina M. Londino-Smolar, Indiana University

Cracking the Code: Unlocking Success in Introductory Chemistry

How did Kimberly Arnold achieve significant gains in student exam performance and reduce DFW rates by 13%? In part, sleuth work that helped her identify and address learning bottlenecks in her course. Join this session to learn about Arnold’s remarkable journey. You’ll also get a front row seat to see how she combines Aktiv and Top Hat to connect with students, and create a supportive space for self-assessment, low-stakes practice, and community building.

Speaker:

• Kimberly Arnold, Indiana University

Make Learning Relevant and Meaningful if You Want To Make It Stick

Getting students to read is hard enough. The bigger challenge is helping them connect with and retain what they have learned in a foundational course! Discover how to spark curiosity and motivate students using ‘big picture questions,’ storytelling, and techniques like retrieval practice, spaced practice, and interleaving that all combine to solidify understanding. Dr. Irene Foster will also demonstrate how she uses AI to design problem sets that resonate with student interests and identities, and assigns community service projects where students teach others what they have just learned.

Speaker:

• Dr. Irene Foster, George Washington University

From Theory to Practice: AI-Powered Active Learning with Top Hat

It started with a dose of inspiration at our last Top Hat Engage and led to a revamped text and an embrace of all things AI. Dr. Whitney Sivils-Sawyer will share her journey using AI and Top Hat to scale sustainable, high-impact teaching practices, including frequent assessments, and the creation of an interactive text purpose-built for her course. You’ll learn about her passion for student belonging and her go-to practices for making learning active, collaborative, and engaging at every stage.

Speaker:

• Dr. Whitney Sivils-Sawyer, Louisiana Tech

Closing Keynote: The Value of Play

As we wrap up an inspiring, insight-filled day, the question is: where do we go from here? With so much vying for our time back home, how do we keep the momentum going? To answer these questions, Dr. Cohen will explore the value of play in embracing change and innovating our teaching practice. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and engage one more time as we reflect on the practices we’re taking back into our classrooms.

Speaker:

• Dr. Bradley Cohen, Chief Academic Officer, Top Hat

Cocktail Reception

Join your peers and the Top Hat team as we enjoy time for refreshments, connecting with new friends and old, and reflecting on the day.