Case Study: University of South Carolina boosts writing skills and engagement with Top Hat interactive eTexts

University of South Carolina cuts textbook costs by 55% with Top Hat

The University of South Carolina faced the challenge of engaging 4,000 non-major students in its required freshman English Composition courses with a static textbook that could not keep up with evolving needs. Their goal was to find a content solution that supported over 100 teaching assistants and helped students develop critical writing and close reading skills. They partnered with vendor Top Hat to create a Custom Authored Interactive eText.

Top Hat's solution involved creating two custom interactive eTexts, *The Carolina Reader* and *The Carolina Rhetoric*, which provided multimodal, up-to-date learning materials. This allowed instructors to instantly incorporate new content and facilitated more productive class discussions. The results included overwhelmingly positive student feedback, improved analytical skills, and a 55% reduction in textbook costs for students. Top Hat enabled the university to build a dynamic, skill-building course that students have lifetime access to.

University of South Carolina