Case Study: CUNY Hunter College boosts chemistry learning and test scores with Top Hat

Using Top Hat motivated a large class of non-science majors to care about chemistry

CUNY Hunter College, where clinical professor Kirsten Grant teaches chemistry to up to 650 pre-nursing students each semester, needed a better way to get non-science majors to engage with course material. Many students were focused on grades rather than learning, and the college’s LMS was clunky and rarely used, making it difficult for Grant to get students to review content throughout the semester. Top Hat was the vendor used, with its course platform supporting presentations, assignments, and textbook resources.

Top Hat helped Grant create a more integrated, interactive chemistry course with in-class questions, pre-class assignments, homework, assessments, and a dynamic textbook all in one place. As a result, students accessed materials more consistently, learning improved, and average test scores rose by 4%. In addition, 95% of students said the pre-class assignments and post-class homework were effective for learning, showing strong approval of Top Hat’s impact.

CUNY Hunter College

Kirsten Grant

Clinical Professor, Department of Chemistry