Get started with Top Hat at Liberty

Top Hat is an interactive, cloud-based teaching platform that enables professors to engage students inside and outside the classroom using devices they already own.

With Top Hat, instructors can:

  • Turn students’ internet-connected devices into teaching tools—with Top Hat, there’s no need for additional hardware
  • Take attendance effortlessly and accurately—our location-based attendance technology means only students who are actually in class get counted
  • Engage your class in a more meaningful way—create polls, questions and discussions that encourage participation and conversation, and give you real-time feedback
  • Create interactive homework that provides hints and feedback to help students master their course material.
  • Track student performance with the Top Hat Gradebook
  • Integrate with Liberty LMS (Canvas)

Highlights of Top Hat Lecture

Top Hat provides both students and faculty with the ability to do more in the classroom!

Attendance

Take attendance and track who shows up to class with a simple response platform.

Questions

Submit answers to questions during a lecture and see results instantly.

Discussion

Keep the discussion going during class by submitting questions and sharing thoughts.

BYOD

Never carry an extra device around again. Just bring your own web-enabled or SMS device.


Top Hat has been proven to increase engagement in lectures and improve learning outcomes

95% of professors found Top Hat easy to use

(Results of the 2016 University Information Technology Services report on Top Hat usage at Indiana University)

84% of students strongly prefer Top Hat to other engagement tools

(Christopher Kondo, Department of Marketing, California State University Fullerton)

82% of professors believe Top Hat increased their effectiveness as instructors

(Results of the 2016 University Information Technology Services report on Top Hat usage at Indiana University)

81% of students said Top Hat helped to increase understanding of course material

(Krystal Drysdale and Dr. Orlen Grunewald, Department of Agricultural Economics, Kansas State University)


Available Platforms

To use the Top Hat web app, your device should be running an up-to-date version of your chosen browser or operating system. You can run the Top Hat web app on the following platforms:

  • Web app (use Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Internet Explorer)
  • iOS app
  • Android app
  • Mobile web app (use Android native browser, Android Firefox, Android Chrome, or iOS native Safari browser)

Canvas Integration

Top Hat has built-in Canvas integration which allows professors to sync class rosters and grading information between both platforms. For detailed instructions on how to customize the integration with the Canvas Gradebook, see Educator: Advance Canvas Integration.

Registration & Subscription

All users can create an account by going to TopHat.com. Liberty University and Top Hat are set up with single-sign-on (SSO), which means that you can use the same credentials that you have for all Liberty University resources.  If you are a student, you will need an access code to complete registration. Access codes grant students five years of access to Top Hat. 

Training

Information Services offers training courses on the technology related products and services used at Liberty University. These training courses are available to faculty and staff in a few different formats including on-demand, remote, and in-person. Other training resources are also featured for other commonly used tools. Visit www.liberty.edu/ITTraining to learn more.

Top Hat also provides the following training resources:

Support

Top Hat offers a wide variety of support for their products. If you need assistance, please visit Top Hat’s Customer Support database where you can check out a variety of issues. If you are having issues accessing your account or setting it up, then please visit one of our IT HelpDesk Locations.

Instructors

To create and set up your Top Hat account and course on your own, follow the instructions in the Professor: Liberty University Quick Start Guide.

Top Hat also offers free services to instructors to facilitate their use of Top Hat, including:

  • One-on-one orientation to Top Hat with a trained Top Hat specialist
  • Two meetings with an instructional designer from Top Hat
  • QTI question bank uploads directly into Top Hat Tests

To take advantage of these services, contact Barbara Karapostolakis (barbara.karapostolakis@tophatmonocle.com)

Students

  • Problems with your Top Hat account (including grades not appearing correctly in the course gradebook): Contact Top Hat Support.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

As a Faculty member, how can I get training?
There are several training options from which to choose. Training via webinar is available from Top Hat. Any request for training can be sent to IT Training by emailing ITTraining@liberty.edu or the Top Hat team: barbara.karapostolakis@tophatmonocle.com.

What are the benefits of using Top Hat?
Top Hat provides access to many helpful features, such as attendance trackingdiscussions, and an innovative design. To learn about how Top Hat integration works, please view this Canvas Integration article.

As a Faculty member, am I required to use Top Hat?
No. It is not required for you to use Top Hat in your residential courses. However, if you would like to use a Classroom Response Technology, Top Hat is the only university-approved solution. 

How much is a subscription?

For FacultyFree!

For Students: Liberty University receives an educational discount which makes Top Hat affordable at a great price.

  • Semester: $24
  • Annual: $39
  • Lifetime: $71