Category: Press Releases

Top Hat and Wiley Partner to Enhance Student Engagement in Psychology and Anatomy & Physiology

Combining trusted content from Wiley with Top Hat’s powerful student engagement platform gives educators new opportunities to personalize instruction, foster active learning, and improve outcomes.

TORONTO – January 12, 2026 – Top Hat, the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, today announced a strategic partnership with Wiley, a global leader in authoritative content and research intelligence, that combines Wiley’s academic expertise and Top Hat’s innovative engagement tools. As part of the collaboration, select titles from Wiley’s widely respected Psychology and Anatomy & Physiology catalogs will be seamlessly integrated into the Top Hat platform, giving educators access to powerful features to personalize content, enhance student success, and save time on course preparation and delivery.

“At Wiley, we believe great content is the foundation of great teaching,” said Lyssa Vanderbeek, Wiley Group Vice President, Courseware. “Through our partnership with Top Hat, we’re delivering our respected titles in key disciplines through another avenue, a platform specifically designed to spark classroom engagement and support evidence-based teaching practices.”

Key Benefits of the Partnership

Easily Customize Trusted Wiley Content: Educators gain the flexibility to adapt select Wiley psychology and anatomy & physiology textbooks using intuitive content customization tools to rearrange, edit, delete or enrich with multimedia so course materials emphasize what matters most.

Promote In-Class Engagement: Wiley’s selected textbooks and ancillaries become the foundation for in-class engagement. Educators can use built-in classroom engagement tools, including 14 interactive question types, to make learning active and more impactful.

Make Learning Active Outside the Classroom: Wiley-authored teaching resources like question banks, slides and videos can be directly integrated within the textbook, to create a richer, more cohesive learning experience.

Enhance Teaching and Learning with Built-In AI Support: Ace, Top Hat’s AI-powered assistant, expands the impact of Wiley content by generating tailored polling questions, discussion prompts and relatable examples, while students benefit from on-demand study help and unlimited practice questions tied to assigned readings.

Support Student Success with Real-Time Data: With Top Hat, every interaction—from attendance, to readings and assessments—generates real-time insights, providing a holistic picture of student performance, and enabling timely interventions to help more learners succeed.“We are proud to partner with Wiley through a shared goal of supporting educators and students,” said Maggie Leen, CEO of Top Hat. “Together we’re redefining what’s possible with course materials and reimagining how courses can be delivered by making content more flexible, personalized, and accessible—taking another big step toward our vision to make learning personal for every student.”

Top Hat and Wiley share a common belief that by sparking better teaching and learning, we open up opportunities for fulfilling careers, better lives and a brighter world. Through this partnership, both organizations address the evolving needs of higher education, ensuring educators and students benefit from innovative, flexible and personalized learning experiences. For more information, visit tophat.com/partnerships/wiley.

About Top Hat

Grounded in learning science and powered by AI, Top Hat is the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education. We enable educators to adopt evidence-based teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities across in-person, online, and hybrid classrooms. Top Hat also provides access to thousands of digital textbooks and OER resources, along with authoring tools that let instructors customize or create their own accessible, interactive course materials. More than 1,500 institutions and thousands of faculty use Top Hat to support the learning of over three million students each year. To learn more, please visit tophat.com.

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January 12, 2026
UW–Madison Saves Students $1M Annually With Top Hat
With cost barriers removed, UW–Madison sees rapid expansion of active learning across disciplines.

TORONTO – January 7, 2026 – Through a strategic partnership with Top Hat, the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, the University of Wisconsin–Madison has eliminated student costs for using the platform while accelerating adoption of evidence-based teaching practices like active learning and frequent low-stakes assessment across courses. Over the past year, the university’s enterprise license agreement with Top Hat has saved students more than $1 million while empowering educators to deepen student engagement and learning outcomes at scale.

“Affordability and instructional excellence are top priorities for our institution,” said Kristy Bergeron, UW–Madison Learn@UW Associate Director in Academic Technology. “Top Hat is helping us directly support educators by giving them the tools they need to teach with confidence, creativity, and impact. As more faculty adopt the platform, students benefit through deeper engagement and meaningful cost savings.”

Strong satisfaction among educators and students was a key driver in the decision to move to an enterprise model. In a recent survey¹ 94% of UW–Madison students said they would want their instructors to use Top Hat again, while 85% reported that Top Hat helped them feel more engaged in the learning process. Since implementing the license agreement in 2022, the number of educators and students using Top Hat has more than doubled, with a 30% increase in the number of courses using Top Hat over the past year alone. The rapid growth in adoption has been fueled by the removal of cost barriers and a close partnership between Top Hat and UW–Madison’s Instructional Technology Group, which provided coordinated outreach and hands-on support to help faculty succeed.

“The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a champion for active learning as a pathway for stronger student success,” said Maggie Leen, CEO of Top Hat. “This partnership empowers educators with the support and tools they need to deepen engagement, boost persistence and elevate learning outcomes. We’re proud to be part of their journey.”

Top Hat’s steady release of new features is making it easier for UW–Madison faculty to increase the impact of their instruction, while reducing time and effort. With Ace, Top Hat’s AI-powered teaching and learning assistant, educators can instantly generate interactive polls, quizzes, and reflection prompts to promote active learning and frequent assessment in online and in-person lectures. These tools save valuable preparation time, while helping create more engaging, active learning environments that support student success.

About Top Hat

Grounded in learning science and powered by AI, Top Hat is the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education. We enable educators to adopt evidence-based teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities across in-person, online, and hybrid classrooms. Top Hat also provides access to thousands of digital textbooks and OER resources, along with authoring tools that let instructors customize or create their own accessible, interactive course materials. More than 1,500 institutions and thousands of faculty use Top Hat to support the learning of over three million students each year. To learn more, please visit tophat.com.

References
1. Top Hat Student Survey, Fall 2024, n=513
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January 7, 2026
Top Hat Unveils AI-Powered Content Enhancer to Fuel Title II Accessibility Compliance
New capabilities in Top Hat Ace enable educators to quickly and easily transform static course materials into accessible, interactive content.

TORONTO – October 28, 2025 – Top Hat, the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, today announced the launch of a powerful new accessibility tool in its AI-powered assistant, Ace. Ace Content Enhancer gives faculty the ability to upload existing course materials into Top Hat and receive actionable guidance to meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards with minimal effort.

Following the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2024 Title II ruling, public colleges and universities must ensure all digital content meets WCAG 2.1 AA standards as early as April 2026, depending on institution size. But for most professors, the path to compliance is anything but clear. The rules are highly technical, and without dedicated time or training, it can be challenging to ensure materials are fully compliant. Ace Content Enhancer removes this burden by scanning materials in Top Hat in seconds, identifying issues, and providing recommendations to help content meet the standards for accessibility outlined under Title II.

“We’re helping educators meet this moment by simplifying compliance and making it easier to create learning experiences that serve all students,” said Maggie Leen, CEO of Top Hat. “More than meeting a mandate, this is an opportunity to create content that’s more engaging, and ultimately more effective in supporting student success.”

A faster, simpler path to compliant courseware

With Ace’s AI-powered Content Enhancer, faculty can:
- Scan materials for accessibility issues instantly. Uploaded or existing content in Top Hat is analyzed in seconds, with specific accessibility concerns in text and images flagged for quick review.
- Remediate with ease. Recommendations and features like auto-generated alt-text remove guesswork and save time.
- Improve clarity for all learners. Suggested tone helps make content easier to understand and more effective.
- Make content more relevant. Use Ace to generate real-world examples tailored to students’ interests, academic goals, or backgrounds to boost engagement.
- Reinforce learning through practice. Ace will suggest interactive, low-stakes questions to deepen understanding and support active learning.
“Educators retain full control of their content, while Ace eliminates the guesswork, making accessibility improvements fast, intuitive, and aligned with instructional goals,” said Hong Bui, Chief Product Officer at Top Hat. “We’re providing a guided path forward so that accessibility doesn’t come at the expense of interactivity, creativity, or sound pedagogy.”

The launch of Ace Content Enhancer reflects Top Hat’s broader commitment to accessibility. It builds on existing capabilities—like automatic transcription of slide content—and reinforces the company’s focus on ensuring all student-facing tools and experiences, across web and mobile, meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, including readings, assessments, and interactive content.

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ evidence-based teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. Thousands of faculty at more than 1,500 North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create personalized, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class. To learn more, please visit tophat.com.
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October 28, 2025
Top Hat and the First Nations Caring Society Award 2025 Shannen’s Dream Scholarships

TORONTO – August 1, 2025 – Top Hat, the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of the Shannen’s Dream Scholarship, presented in partnership with the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society. As lead sponsor, Top Hat is funding two $10,000 and two $5,500 scholarships, awarded to First Nations students pursuing post-secondary education in recognition of their academic excellence and outstanding contributions to their communities.

Scholarship recipients were selected based on outstanding academic performance and a demonstrated track record of promoting health, wellbeing, and equity within their communities. Whether through mentorship, health advocacy, or cultural revitalization, these individuals are already acting as important agents of change.

“We are deeply inspired by all that these individuals have accomplished so early in their lives. They are community builders, advocates, and future leaders with enormous potential,” said Maggie Leen, CEO of Top Hat. “It’s an honor to play even a small part in helping them achieve their dreams of higher education and go even further.”

Named in honor of Shannen Koostachin, a courageous youth from Attawapiskat First Nation who led a national campaign for equitable education, the Shannen’s Dream Scholarship celebrates Indigenous students who exemplify resilience, leadership, and a commitment to social change.

What makes the scholarship unique is its “pay-it-forward” requirement. Each recipient is expected to make a fair and measurable contribution to the Shannen’s Dream campaign or a related First Nations initiative. Previous pay-it-forward campaigns have included creating a guide to help students navigate the medical school application process, hosting talks and workshops on Shannen’s Dreams, and establishing an online database of scholarships for Indigenous youth.

“Shannen believed in the power of education to change lives and communities. Each of this year’s recipients carries that vision forward, not only through their academic efforts, but through their leadership and service,” said Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society. “We are proud to celebrate these remarkable students and grateful to Top Hat for helping to make the Shannen’s Dream Scholarship a reality for more First Nations youth.”

Meet the 2025 Shannen’s Dream Scholarship Recipients

Zoe Quill, a member of Sapotaweyak Cree Nation with ties to Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation, holds a BSc in Genetics from the University of Manitoba and will be attending the Max Rady College of Medicine for Fall 2025. She is a published researcher and 2024 Manitoba Indigenous Youth Achievement Award recipient, and is committed to advancing Indigenous health and representation in care.

Mercedes Stemm, a proud Mi’kmaw woman from Natoaganeg First Nation, is a second-year medical student at the University of Manitoba. With a BSc in Neuroscience and minor in Indigenous Studies, she co-created Indigenous admissions pathways and launched a national mentorship program supporting future Indigenous medical students.

Syndel Thomas Kozar, from One Arrow First Nation, is completing a Double Honours in Indigenous Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. A community advocate, Kozar holds leadership roles in youth and arts organizations, with work focused on cultural reclamation, and empowering Indigenous youth through storytelling.

Ruby O’Tennadzahe, a Dene woman from Northlands Denesuline First Nation, will begin the Bachelor of Nursing program at Red River College Polytechnic in Fall 2025. A former Health Care Aide, she brings clinical experience and a strong focus on holistic, culturally grounded care for Indigenous youth.

About Shannen’s Dream Scholarship

The Shannen’s Dream Scholarship was established to assist First Nations youth with the financial burdens of post-secondary education. The scholarship honors Shannen Koostachin, whose advocacy for safe and comfortable schools for First Nations students ignited a nationwide movement. This scholarship aims to continue her legacy by empowering First Nations students to achieve their educational aspirations. To learn more, please visit www.fncaringsociety.com.

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ evidence-based teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. Thousands of faculty at more than 900 North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class. To learn more, please visit tophat.com.

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August 1, 2025
Investing in Student Engagement: University of Georgia Equips Faculty and Students with Free Access to Top Hat

New license agreement provides all students and faculty with free access to Top Hat, reinforcing UGA’s strategic focus on affordability, student success, and innovation in teaching.

TORONTO – June 17, 2025 – Top Hat, the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, today announced that the University of Georgia has entered into a new enterprise agreement that will provide campus-wide access to the Top Hat platform at no cost to students or faculty. This initiative supports UGA’s continued efforts to promote high-impact teaching practices, student affordability, and innovation in the classroom.

Top Hat’s interactive teaching platform as well as content authoring and customization tools will be available to UGA faculty to enhance in-person, online, and hybrid courses across disciplines. With this agreement, UGA joins a growing number of leading institutions investing in Top Hat to empower instructors to improve learning outcomes and student success at scale.

“We are proud to support the University of Georgia in its efforts to deliver proven, student-centered teaching practices,” said Maggie Leen, CEO of Top Hat. “This partnership ensures every student and educator at UGA has access to the tools they need to drive learning and achievement, while reinforcing the university’s focus on affordability, innovation, and evidence-based instruction.”

This initiative reflects UGA’s commitment to both student affordability and instructional excellence. With Top Hat, faculty can adopt and customize low- or no-cost course materials—including OpenStax and OER—helping to reduce costs for students while delivering engaging, evidence-based instruction. The platform enables instructors to easily integrate active learning strategies, such as frequent low-stakes assessments and reflection prompts, which are proven to enhance student engagement and academic outcomes. Top Hat’s AI-powered assistant, Ace, streamlines course prep by generating high-quality questions directly from lecture content, and supports students with on-demand study help and unlimited practice opportunities—reinforcing learning both in and out of the classroom. Real-time data from polls, quizzes, and assignments also empowers educators to continuously monitor progress and improve instructional impact.

The University of Georgia is recognized nationally for excellence in teaching and learning, student completion, and affordability. The enterprise agreement with Top Hat is part of UGA’s broader commitment to building a world-class learning environment and increasing access to affordable, high impact teaching and learning resources.

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content and tools enhanced by AI, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 900 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact [email protected] for media inquiries.

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June 17, 2025
Top Hat Named Courseware Solution Provider of the Year

Prestigious EdTech Breakthrough award highlights Top Hat’s leadership in delivering flexible, AI-powered courseware to support faculty and students.

TORONTO – June 6, 2025 – Top Hat, the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, has been named the 2025 Courseware Solution Provider of the Year. The annual EdTech Breakthrough Awards honor organizations that push the boundaries of educational technology—benefiting students, educators, and institutions across North America and around the world. In a global field of over 2,700 nominations, Top Hat stood out for its efforts to empower faculty to create and deliver engaging, connected, and affordable learning experiences for students.

“Receiving this award is an honor and supports our belief that better student outcomes begin with the course itself,” said Maggie Leen, CEO of Top Hat. “We’re proud to support thousands of faculty with tools that make it easier to adopt proven teaching practices, and grateful to our team for the creativity and care they show everyday in making great learning experiences a reality for more students.”

Now in its seventh year, the EdTech Breakthrough Awards have become a benchmark for excellence in educational technology. The program celebrates the industry’s most visionary companies—those dreaming bigger, innovating further, and setting new standards for enhancing the practice of teaching and learning. Top Hat’s selection reflects its track record of building solutions that drive measurable academic outcomes and dramatic improvements in student engagement, inside and outside the classroom.

Top Hat’s courseware platform gives instructors unprecedented flexibility to tailor content to their teaching goals. The platform integrates interactive assessments, multimedia, and AI-powered tools that allow educators to instantly create in-class questions and reflection prompts. This makes it easier than ever for instructors to apply evidence-based practices like active learning and low-stakes assessment. Students also benefit from AI-powered on-demand study support and unlimited practice questions rooted directly in course content.

Top Hat has a long-standing commitment to helping faculty adopt, adapt, or create modern, interactive course materials that improve engagement and comprehension while advancing institutional goals around student affordability and equity. By supporting the use of low- or no-cost learning materials—including customizable OpenStax and OER titles enriched with interactive features—Top Hat empowers educators to design meaningful learning experiences that reflect their unique pedagogical goals while reducing costs for students.

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ evidence-based teaching practices through interactive content, tools, and activities in in-person, online, and hybrid classroom environments. Thousands of faculty at 900 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class. To learn more, please visit tophat.com.

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June 10, 2025
Top Hat Is Now ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Certified!
TORONTO – April 28, 2025 – Whether it be student grades, assessment responses, engagement data, or contact information, the safety of your data is our priority at Top Hat. As the leading engagement platform used by more than 750 higher education institutions, we’ve implemented several technical and operational measures to keep our promise. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce that Top Hat has received a certificate of compliance for ISO/IEC 27001:2022!

Read on to learn what this means for our business and users.

A new milestone in Top Hat’s privacy and security journey

The ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification is the international gold standard for information security management. This achievement highlights our dedication to safeguarding user data through a complete set of information security controls, which are routinely audited by an independent third party. CPSI Certifications Inc., a certification body with more than 30 years of experience, performed the audit and awarded the certification. Our certification reflects our continuous commitment to upholding the highest level of security standards to protect user data. This credential applies to both the Top Hat and Aktiv SaaS platforms.

“Achieving ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification is a significant milestone for us. It reflects the strong security foundation we’ve built to protect our users’ data and demonstrates our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of information security,” says Que Sengmany, Director of Information Security at Top Hat. “For our users and partners, this certification provides assurance that we’re following globally-recognized best practices to manage risks and safeguard information.”

Our security philosophy

At Top Hat, we’ve used the following pillars to guide our security philosophy.
1. Confidentiality: Ensuring that information is accessible only to authorized individuals
2. Integrity: Maintaining the accuracy and completeness of information and processing methods
3. Availability: Guaranteeing that only authorized users have access to information when needed
These principles continue to be our North Star as we continue to safeguard sensitive company and user data. Curious to know more about our technical security measures? Visit our Security page today.

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content and tools enhanced by AI, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact [email protected] for media inquiries.
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April 28, 2025
Indiana University Faculty Who Focus on Student Engagement Using Top Hat See 11.5% Decrease in Student Withdrawal Rate

Course withdrawals carry significant academic and financial consequences for students and universities. Studies consistently demonstrate that withdrawing from first-year courses can greatly increase a student’s risk of discontinuing their studies, reducing their likelihood of completing a degree (Akos & James, 2020).

TORONTO – October 22, 2024 – Top Hat, a leading provider of student engagement solutions for higher education, has released the first significant finding in an ongoing research initiative with Indiana University exploring the impact of student engagement leveraging Top Hat on retention and academic outcomes. The study, involving an analysis of hundreds of courses from the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters of 2023, observed that the use of Top Hat by instructors resulted in an 11.5 percent decrease in the mean student withdrawal rate compared to similar course types without using the platform. In absolute numbers, this would equate to approximately 289 of the sampled Indiana University students continuing their course work during the 2023 academic year. The findings highlight the positive impact of integrating Top Hat into course delivery on student retention, particularly in introductory courses that often have higher drop-out rates.

The Top Hat platform empowers educators to use frequent low stakes assessments to increase student engagement during lectures through interactive polls, quizzes, and discussions. The use of frequent low stakes assessments have been shown to improve student confidence, academic outcomes and retention (Meer & Chapman, 2014). The principles of active learning can also be extended outside of class through Top Hat Pages, a content editing and personalization tool that enables instructors to create or customize their own interactive learning materials. Every interaction is captured by the platform, providing students with real-time feedback, while empowering faculty with data-driven insights they can use to identify struggling students and improve the impact of their instruction.

“Indiana University is deeply committed to the success of our students, and the findings from this research demonstrate how the thoughtful integration of instructional technologies has contributed to strengthening our undergraduate retention,” said Gina Londino-Smolar, Ed.D., Teaching Professor at IU Indianapolis. “Implementing active learning and frequent assessment, which have been shown to improve student outcomes, has been an important focus for us and our partnership with Top Hat has been instrumental in enabling us to scale these practices across our institution, ensuring a consistent, high quality learning experience for our students.”

The study’s primary objective is to evaluate the influence of Top Hat on various student outcomes, with an initial focus on withdrawal rates—a key indicator of student success. The collaborative research project, approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), involved analyzing data from thousands of individual courses. From the original large dataset, similar courses based on discipline and level were identified in order to equalize the sample size and undertake a more accurate analysis. After filtering the dataset, 235 unique Top Hat courses were compared against a similar set of 235 unique courses that did not use Top Hat.

Indiana University began working with Top Hat in 2017 and, based on high rates of faculty adoption, made the decision to offer the platform free of charge to all students by entering into an enterprise license agreement the following year. By addressing concerns around equity, student affordability and ensuring compliance with respect to data privacy and standards for web accessibility, adoption has increased substantially. For the 2023/2024 academic year 1,022 faculty and 51,679 students across more than 1,900 individual courses from all nine IU campuses used Top Hat to enhance learning.

“This study reinforces the importance of providing faculty with tools that make evidence-based practices, like active learning, easier to adopt,” said Maggie Leen, CEO of Top Hat. “The data speaks for itself—when instructors have access to the tools to support effective teaching methods, it can lead to stronger student engagement and higher persistence. We’re proud to be part of Indiana University’s efforts to increase on-time graduation rates for their students.”

The 2030 IU Strategic Plan has one pillar dedicated to Student Success and Opportunity with a commitment to student affordability and experience throughout their educational journey to have success in the workplace and beyond. The incorporation of Top Hat to engage students with the course content, reducing withdrawal rates, can be seen as a direct contribution to the pillar for student success.

Since its founding in 2009, Top Hat has continued to introduce new features to make proven teaching methods more accessible to instructors. Most recently, Top Hat announced the release of Ace, an AI-powered teaching and learning assistant that enables instructors to generate assessment questions and discussion prompts based on their lecture slides and course materials. As a personalized study assistant, Ace allows students to break down challenging concepts, find guidance tackling difficult homework assignments, and create on-demand practice questions they can use to prepare for high stakes assessments.

The initial findings will inform both Indiana University and Top Hat’s future strategies for enhancing student outcomes. The research initiative is currently focused on identifying patterns of usage by instructors across disciplines and their impact on student engagement and academic performance. Ongoing analysis is exploring the impact of Top Hat on the academic experience of various student populations, including historically underrepresented groups with a focus on how the platform supports equitable access to learning, improves engagement, and contributes to closing achievement gaps.

About Indiana University

Indiana University (IU) is one of the nation’s leading public research universities, with 90,000 students across 930+ academic programs, seven campuses, two regional academic centers and nine School of Medicine campuses. Since 1820, Indiana University has helped students create brighter futures while also driving innovation, from breakthroughs in DNA technology to cancer research to trailblazing cultural programs and resources. IU is home to world-class academics with the country’s largest medical school, the world’s first school of philanthropy, the top-ranked Kelley School of Business and O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, and the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering, the nation’s first school of informatics. The university’s campuses are united by IU 2030, an aspirational vision for a bold and ambitious future focused on student success and opportunity, transformative research and creativity, and service to the state of Indiana and beyond. Learn more at iu.edu.

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content and tools enhanced by AI, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact [email protected] for media inquiries.

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October 22, 2024
Top Hat Expands AI Capabilities To Further Reinforce Evidence-Based Learning

TORONTO – September 25, 2024 – Leading provider of higher education engagement solutions Top Hat announced today three new innovative additions to its platform’s growing AI capabilities that further the company’s mission of empowering evidence-based learning.

The new optional features are an extension of Ace, Top Hat’s AI-powered assistant launched in fall 2023, which has already been embraced by more than 40,000 educators and students to foster more impactful learning experiences. On top of helping educators quickly adopt proven teaching strategies and scaling personal support for students, Ace now provides new tools to help foster discussion and practice.

“Top Hat was founded as a technology company in 2009 with one mission: reimagine the lecture experience. Today, we are rethinking how AI can change the entire higher education experience,” said Maggie Leen, CEO of Top Hat. “Ace wasn’t designed to replace anyone or anything—it was designed to enhance connections between educators and students by facilitating the kinds of evidence-based learning that we know leads to improved outcomes. These new innovations further that capability, while continuing to give educators and institutions complete control over how Ace is used.”

AI-Generated Discussion Questions

First among the new features is the ability to use Ace’s AI-powered lecture enhancer to generate discussion questions in a few clicks, allowing educators to encourage more student interactions in classroom sessions. Ace generates the questions from educators’ own lecture slides, making it easy to use the proven strategy of low stakes, frequent assessments to drive student participation.

The discussion question generation option is available now to all Top Hat users.

Expanded Study Assistant Access

The availability of Ace’s study assistant feature has been expanded to all Top Hat users on desktop and in the mobile app. This gives all students access to the kind of personalized study support normally only available through a tutor, whenever and wherever they need it. Students are already using Ace to break down concepts, find guidance through difficult homework questions, and test their knowledge anytime and anywhere.

AI-Powered On Demand Practice Sessions

Ace’s new practice tool lets students independently test their knowledge, when they want and as often as they choose. Students simply start a quick practice session on the Top Hat mobile app, and Ace generates multiple choice questions based on the content in their assignment. They then get instant feedback so they can review their learnings and score in each session, helping build confidence in their understanding of the material.

Students can now generate practice sessions in Top Hat Interactive eTexts as well as additional content their instructor assigns.

What do students think of learning with Ace? They love it. As Arielle Bennett, student at the University of Pennsylvania puts it, “Ace is AMAZING!! It answered all of my questions in a timely, detailed manner and provides the best summaries of the chapter. With Ace, I have taken more precise and in-depth notes and have better understood the course content as well.”

For more information on how Top Hat is using AI responsibly and securely to foster impactful learning, visit https://tophat.com/ai-guiding-principles/.

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content and tools enhanced by AI, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact [email protected] for media inquiries.

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September 25, 2024
Only 12% of Faculty Use AI Regularly Despite Seeing Value for Course Design & Delivery
TORONTO – September 19, 2024 – Top Hat, the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, today announced the release of its latest faculty survey report, From Promise to Practice: Harnessing Gen AI for Evidence-Based Teaching. The report details the current use of AI among 300+ college and university educators in improving the quality and impact of instruction.

Key findings:
- Faculty who receive formal training are more likely to agree generative AI is helpful in enhancing course design and delivery and to use AI for guidance on incorporating evidence-based teaching practices.
- While ChatGPT debuted almost two years ago, only 12% of instructors use generative AI on a daily basis to support their teaching practice.
- Institutions are not meeting the demand for faculty development. Of the 49% percent who’ve received training on generative AI, 48% have relied on organizations outside of their institution.
Access the report.

The conversation around AI has been dominated by concerns over academic integrity and growing urgency to promote student AI literacy. What has received less attention is the role of AI in supporting evidence-based teaching practices proven to positively impact student persistence and success.

“Using AI to improve course design and delivery remains a promising yet largely unrealized opportunity,” said Dr. Bradley Cohen, Chief Academic Officer at Top Hat. “By putting evidence-based teaching practices at the heart of efforts to advance faculty adoption of AI, institutions stand to realize the combined benefits of ensuring more faculty appreciate the potential value of AI—while advancing teaching methods shown to improve student persistence and success.”

The report found that most instructors express optimism about the potential of AI to enhance instruction. Yet lack of exposure and inconsistent training remain key obstacles in realizing the potential of AI in accelerating evidence-based teaching practices like active learning, frequent low-stakes assessments, and helping students to ‘learn how to learn.’

Read the report, along with insights and guidance on accelerating faculty AI adoption.

About Top Hat

As the leader in student engagement solutions for higher education, Top Hat enables educators to employ proven student-centered teaching practices through interactive content and tools enhanced by AI, and activities in in-person, online and hybrid classroom environments. To accelerate student impact and return on investment, the company provides a range of change management services, including faculty training and instructional design support, integration and data management services, and digital content customization. Thousands of faculty at 750 leading North American colleges and universities use Top Hat to create meaningful, engaging and accessible learning experiences for students before, during, and after class.

Contact [email protected] for media inquiries.
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September 19, 2024