Case Study: University of Auckland Business School Improves Attendance and Engagement with Top Hat

University of Auckland Business School boosts attendance to 60% with Top Hat

The University of Auckland Business School, specifically lecturer Michael Rehm, was facing challenges with low student attendance and declining in-class engagement. This was a common trend, exacerbated by the availability of lecture recordings and students' changing communication habits as digital natives. To address this, Rehm turned to the Top Hat platform to redesign his course.

Using Top Hat, Rehm implemented a blended learning solution with interactive online video lectures and weekly in-person tutorial sessions. He used Top Hat to pose questions and host competitive, participation-based tournaments during these sessions. This approach significantly improved attendance to over 60 percent, far exceeding university averages, and dramatically increased student engagement. The success of this Top Hat implementation led Rehm to win a University Teaching Excellence Award for his innovative course redesign.

University of Auckland Business School