Active Learning Platform - How to Use Top Hat (for Students)


Introduction

  • Top Hat is an active learning platform you can use to engage students both in and out of the classroom with interactive slides, graded questions, customized content, videos, discussions and polls.
  • Students can use their phones or computers to participate.Top Hat is integrated with Canvas for syncing the student roster and gradebook.

Contents

Create Account

For detailed instructions, see Student: LTI Course Enrollment (Canvas).

You should not enroll manually to the course (via the Join Code or direct URL), otherwise you risk being removed from the Top Hat course.

  1. Go to Assignments in Canvas and click on a Top Hat assignment that your professor has created to open it.
  2. Click on Load Top Hat LTI in a new window.
  3. On launch, you will see that you need to log in with your Virginia Tech Top Hat account. Click Log in with school account.
  4. Click Accept to consent to release your data if prompted.
  5. On the next screen, you can create a new Top Hat Student account, or if you have an existing account you can login as you normally would.
    1. To create an account, enter your name and email address and click Next.
    2. Enter in your student ID number and phone number.
    3. Your account is set up. Click Continue.
  6. You'll see a message confirming that you've been added to the course. You will also be directed to purchase access to your course or redeem an access key if you haven't tied it to your Top Hat account yet.

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Purchase/Redeem Access

Redeem your access key for Top Hat or purchase access to your course either when you create your account or after you log in.

Pricing is as follows:

  • One semester: $28
  • One year: $43
  • Four years: $90

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Log Attendance

For detailed instructions, see Student: Attendance.

  1. Once your professor opens the attendance session, enter your course and go to the Classroom tab.
  2. Click Attendance.
  3. Enter your attendance code then click Submit.

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Resources

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Getting Help

Both Top Hat and Canvas support Top Hat.

  • Top Hat support email: support@tophat.com 
  • Top Hat support call-in: 888-663-5491
  • Canvas support: click Help on any Canvas screen

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