Use Discussions, Poll Questions, and Quizzes

Top Hat has a variety of features designed to help engage students in your class and assess their knowledge of course content. Low-stakes knowledge checks can be done through discussions and poll questions, while there are also options for more high-stakes assessments with quizzes. This module explores these functions of Top Hat while also providing best practices for using Top Hat to engage students and assess knowledge. 

 

Discussions

You can create discussions directly in Top Hat. Discussions can increase interaction among students within the classroom and promote student-centered learning. They can also be a way to check for understanding during class.  

Discussion settings can be customized in Top Hat by choosing grading options and response types. In addition, you can set grading schemes for discussions in Top Hat. Explore the following links to learn more about creating discussions and discussion grading: 

 

Poll Questions

In addition to discussions, you can also create polls to engage students with content during your class. Top Hat polls offer a variety of question types, such as multiple choice, fill in the blanks, matching, and click on target questions. There are also specific question types for math and chemistry questions. 

There are several advanced options for different question types. You can choose, for example, to have students’ answers graded, to have students answer as a group, and/or to run a timer during the question.  

To explore the full array of question types and the different options available, consult the following link: 

You also have the option to create an anonymous question in Top Hat to increase engagement and participation. To learn more about anonymous questions, see below: 

 

For suggestions on best practices for specific question types, see: 

 

Quizzes and Tests

Unlike poll questions and discussions, Top Hat quizzes are more high-stakes assessments. Top Hat offers different ways to administer quizzes, including open book, live monitoring, and remote monitoring.  

For more information on these options, see the following link: 

You can also use the Assessment Builder in Top Hat to easily create and manage quizzes. However, please be aware that there are limitations to this tool. 

 

Penn State Practical Use

Both professors Tim and Kim use Top Hat to engage students and assess knowledge. 

Tim uses engaging warm-up questions at the start of each class to break the ice and ease students into the learning environment. At the end of each class, he also utilizes discussion questions in Top Hat as reflective wrap-up questions to encourage critical thinking about the day's lessons and to gather feedback on his teaching methods. 

Kim also creates in-class check-in questions to facilitate active learning, including Click-on-Target questions.  

Explore the following resources to learn more about how Tim and Kim use Top Hat: