Case Study: Dalhousie University boosts student engagement and critical thinking with Top Hat

Dalhousie University boosts student engagement with Top Hat in 450-student classes

Dalhousie University, a large Canadian institution, faced a challenge in a large human sexuality class where the sensitive subject matter and class size of 450 students hindered student participation and made it logistically difficult to assess comprehension. Professor Matt Numer sought a way to improve engagement for a course where participation was a significant part of the final grade. The vendor, Top Hat, and its Top Hat Classroom product were identified as a potential solution.

The solution implemented by Top Hat allowed students to use their own devices to anonymously answer questions and contribute to discussions, which made them more comfortable engaging with the provocative material. The results were highly positive; students rated Top Hat 9.2/10 for fostering engagement and 8.4/10 for improving critical thinking. A study conducted over three semesters with approximately 1,100 students confirmed that Top Hat succeeded in promoting undergraduate engagement and comfort with the course material.

Dalhousie University