Top Hat | Student Response Systems
What Is It?
A Student Response System (SRS) is used in a classroom to rapidly collect answers to questions from every student, and if desired, to graphically display a summary of data. This helps instructors activate the classroom as well as peers to engage with each other while interacting with complex materials.
Top Hat | This system utilizes no separate hardware but rather asks students to use the devices they already have with them in class including a phone, tablet, or laptop. No additional hardware needs to be installed on the computer to run polling and Top Hat is integrated with Canvas and has the ability to synchronize grades. If you intend to use the Top Hat student response system, please complete this planning form so that technology support will be available to you and students.
What Can I Do with It?
Take Attendance | Top Hat SRS now features secure attendance technology that includes location information from students’ phones in recording class attendance data. Learn more about using Top Hat for accurate attendance and class participation at IUB.
Student Engagement | SRS can be used to increase student engagement during class, to assess student preparation and learning, and to seek students’ opinions and attitudes.
Peer Instruction | SRS have been shown to be especially useful for peer instruction, in which students are presented with a thought-provoking question and allowed to submit an individual answer. After the results are displayed, students discuss their answers and reasoning in pairs or small groups.
Low Stakes Assessments | SRS can be associated with an individual student, therefore can use utilized to administer low-stakes assessments.