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Feature: Discussions

Lively discussions that speak your students’ language.

Discussions can be a great way to engage students—but not everyone feels comfortable speaking up. Our inclusive and interactive discussion tool sparks conversations where students are invited to share their ideas in a variety of ways, no matter how big the class.

81%

of students said Top Hat’s class discussion questions helped to increase their understanding of course material.1

1 Executed using customer proof points survey to 39,000 students who currently use Top Hat (April 2017)
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Make class discussions feel like a group chat.

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    Incorporate video, images or good old fashioned plain text to spark lively conversations and drive the debate

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    Students can respond by text, or give more creative answers with emojis and drawings

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    Pose interactive discussion questions in class, or incorporate them into readings or assignments to foster critical thinking

No student left unheard.

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    Give everyone a voice and explore sensitive topics by allowing students to respond anonymously to the class discussion questions

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    Create a safe space for students not yet comfortable to raise their hand—let them engage using their laptops, tablets and even their mobile phones

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Open a window into
how your
students think.

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    Get immediate insights from student responses to class discussion questions to understand what’s working and what isn’t

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    Let your students ‘upvote’ responses so you see which concepts need further clarification

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    Assign graded discussion questions to understand how students are progressing in and out of class

Actionable data for evolving teaching.

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    Every interaction in Top Hat leads to actionable data you can use to help students and personalize your teaching

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    Capture results from graded discussions in the Top Hat gradebook, along with quizzes, polls, and tests

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    See how your students are responding to material in class and out, so you know who needs extra support

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    Easily integrate with LMS platforms like Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, Moodle, and Sakai

Tools for teaching, learning, and engaging.

Discussions 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why educators and students love Top Hat.

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