Case Study: University of Auckland achieves higher attendance and engagement with Top Hat

How Top Hat Improved Attendance and Engagement in a Blended Learning Course

The University of Auckland Business School, led by senior lecturer Michael Rehm, faced declining attendance and in-class engagement in its real estate and building construction courses as students increasingly relied on lecture recordings and digital communication. To address this, the school turned to Top Hat to support a more interactive blended learning approach.

Using Top Hat, Rehm introduced bite-sized video lectures with embedded questions, weekly in-person review sessions, and participation-focused tournaments to keep students engaged. The results were strong: attendance climbed to over 60%, engagement improved, and Rehm and his colleague later won a University of Auckland Teaching Excellence Award for their innovative use of blended learning with Top Hat.

University of Auckland

Michael Rehm

Senior Lecturer, Department of Property