Case Study: Georgia Southern University improves biology exam grades with Top Hat

Georgia Southern University boosts midterm scores 7% with Top Hat

Georgia Southern University, a large public research university, needed a way to better gauge student comprehension in a large molecular biology course. Assistant Professor Sue Ellen DeChenne-Peters sought a versatile assessment tool from a vendor like Top Hat to track student progress and implement more frequent, evidence-based teaching practices before it was too late for students to catch up.

Using the Top Hat platform, the university implemented weekly formative and summative assessments, including click-on-target questions. This solution provided immediate insight into student progress, allowing for timely interventions. Top Hat enabled a significant reduction in midterm exams while improving outcomes; the average midterm grade increased by seven percent, with the median rising from 64 to 71 percent, without sacrificing course rigor.

Georgia Southern University