Case Study: Georgia State University boosts student grades and engagement with Top Hat

Georgia State University improves grades and cuts DFWs by 3.4% with Top Hat

Georgia State University faced a challenge with student engagement and performance in a massive introductory science course with over 500 students. The senior lecturer, Ricardo Nogueira, struggled with distractions and a heavy grade distribution on the low end. After initial attempts with other clicker tools failed to curb cheating and device-based distractions, he turned to the Top Hat platform to create a more interactive learning environment.

The solution involved implementing Top Hat end-to-end for the entire course. This included using its interactive features for live quizzes and attendance every 5-10 minutes, secure tests, and tournaments. Nogueira also authored a custom, interactive textbook on the Top Hat platform. The results showed a 3.4% decrease in drop, failure, and withdrawal rates, an upward shift in grade distributions, and students saved $140 per textbook. Top Hat's tools also helped identify struggling students, and Nogueira won an instructional innovation award at GSU for this successful integration.

Georgia State University