Event Overview & Agenda

Top Hat Engage 2022 is a three-day event where you will learn how to cultivate the power of curiosity to turn every classroom into a place of connection, insight and discovery. Get energized and inspired by your academic peers and learn practical Top Hat tips and tricks to improve your teaching experience and help your students succeed.

  • Thursday, February 24

  • 10:00 AM

    Registration Opens

  • 3:00 PM - 3:50 PM

    Top Hat Certification Workshop: Part 1 (Levels 1-3)

  • 4:05 PM - 5:00 PM

    Top Hat Certification Workshop: Part 2 (Levels 1-3)

  • 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM

    VIP Cocktail Reception for Top Hat Certification Participants

Why Student Retention Starts With Anchoring Your Curriculum in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

A lack of diversity in student graduates is a common problem in many disciplines. Interior design is no exception. So why are individuals from only certain demographics successful in making it to the end? More importantly, how can educators propel students from diverse backgrounds to land meaningful careers in their chosen field? In this session, Lindsay Tan will reveal how she brings an equity-driven mindset to her classroom and the impact that this has had on student belonging and accessibility. Along with tips to support retention among students of all backgrounds, you’ll leave this talk with concrete examples of how to make your own curriculum applicable for students today.

Speaker:

  • Lindsay Tan, Interior Design, Auburn University

Authentic Connections: Cultivating Belonging and Resiliency to Help Students Thrive

The past year has burdened students with an array of social-emotional concerns ranging from anxiety to loneliness and depression. Unaddressed, these challenges can negatively impact learning outcomes for countless students. In this panel discussion, we’ll explore the pivotal role belonging plays in student engagement, satisfaction and performance. Hear how three seasoned professors are cultivating learning environments that emphasize connection, empathy and authenticity to lay the foundation for effective learning. Moving from the theoretical to the practical, you’ll learn how to foster resilience with classroom engagement techniques and instructional activities designed with student wellbeing in mind.

Speakers:

  • Lakeshia Legette Jones, Mathematics and Statistics, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
  • Laura Freberg, Psychology, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
  • Deanna Behnke-Cook, Sociology, University of Guelph

Rethinking Textbook Authoring for a Digital World

The rise of easy-to-use authoring tools presents educators with new opportunities to create digital courseware that engages students and deepens learning like never before. But as Top Hat’s Vice President of Content Strategy Donna Battista will share, writing a digital textbook requires different approaches. Accessibility must-haves. Content architecture. Leveraging interactivity. It’s all part of the formula for delivering meaningful learning in new and exciting ways. In addition to sharing essential best practices, you’ll also hear two top authors discuss their journey from print to digital and what they learned along the way.

Speakers:

  • Donna Battista, Vice President, Content Strategy, Top Hat
  • Derek Weber, author of Focusing on Health: Laboratory Exercises in Microbiology
  • Melissa Broeckelman-Post, co-author of Inclusive Public Speaking: Communicating in a Diverse World

Creating Inclusive Classrooms Through Representation, Dialogue and Communication

Looking for guidance on creating inclusive learning environments and engaging in honest (and sometimes difficult) conversations? This session is for you. Join the authors of Inclusive Public Speaking: Communicating in a Diverse World for a pragmatic look at how intersectional identities shape the classroom environment, along with how effective planning and teaching practices can promote meaningful learning and engagement in any discipline. Our speakers will share strategies for guiding difficult dialogues that inevitably occur in engaged classrooms, including communication techniques that encourage honest exchange, teach active listening and facilitate empathy and understanding.

Speakers:

  • Kristina Ruiz-Mesa, Communication Studies, California State University, Los Angeles
  • Melissa Broeckelman-Post, Communication Studies, George Mason University

Bringing the Outside In: Keeping Course Content Relevant and Fresh

Every day, countless newsworthy stories are broadcast globally, creating tantalizing opportunities to connect classroom learning to what’s making headlines. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait three years until a new print edition comes out to give students the up-to-date learning experience they deserve. Join a panel of experts for a discussion on simple ways to keep your own textbook relevant in a continuously evolving world. In this workshop, you’ll get to roll up your sleeves as we share how you can customize any Top Hat textbook to allow for a greater level of engagement—in about as much time as it took you to read this abstract!

Speakers:

  • Clarissa Thompson, Psychology, Kent State University
  • Laura Freberg, Psychology, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
  • Charles Fitzsimmons, Psychology, Kent State University

The Impact of E-Texts on Student Learning: A Case Study

Digital textbooks are increasingly prevalent in higher ed courses. But how much of a difference do they actually make? In this presentation, professor and Top Hat author Mattew Numer will discuss the development of his Top Hat textbook and the research he’s conducted on the efficacy of his content. Numer will share his insights into how interactive textbooks impact student belonging, self-confidence and engagement. You’ll also learn about the importance of useability and accessibility and the surprising ways digital texts influence a students’ overall learning experience.

Speakers:

  • Matthew Numer, Health Promotion, Dalhousie University

Bath Bombs and Beer: Sparking Discovery in STEM Education

Your students’ interests are as unique as the makeup of your class—a realization that goes to the heart of professor Jennifer Donovan's approach to teaching. In this session, Donovan will delve into the unique ways she piques the curiosity of her chemistry students and how she relates complex scientific processes to the world around them. This 2020 Top Hat Grant recipient will also share the findings from her efficacy research. Relevant to any educator, this includes the impact of using diverse models for discovery, question design, student feedback and scaffolding techniques to instill a genuine understanding of course materials.

Speaker:

  • Jennifer Donovan, Chemistry, Arizona State University

Applying Instructional Scaffolding to Enhance Critical Thinking

It’s common in nearly every course: certain topics are just inherently more difficult for students to understand than others. In this session, you’ll learn how instructional scaffolding helps students better grasp abstract concepts and how to employ activities that are challenging but not impossible for students to complete. Professor Elaine Boroquez will introduce four types of instructional scaffolding that can be applied in online and face-to-face courses. She’ll provide practical tips on scaffolding, from individual assignments to an entire course (and how Top Hat can help). Best of all, you’ll leave with an understanding of how this approach can make the learning process more efficient and offer your students a greater understanding of what matters most.

Speaker:

  • Elaine Bohórquez, Physiology Graduate Program, North Carolina State University

Bringing Lessons to Life Through Case-Based Learning

Injecting relevant, real-world examples into your lessons is a surefire way to get and hold student attention. The good news is, you no longer have to wait for the next textbook edition. In this panel, you’ll learn tactics and strategies for adding timely content to your course using Top Hat. From case studies drawn from the latest headlines to interactive textbooks covering the evolving pandemic, our presenters will discuss how they’re helping students connect the theoretical to what’s happening right outside the classroom. This cross-disciplinary session will offer tangible tips for case-based learning, and how multimedia and assessments can be used to keep students motivated and engaged every step of the way.

Speakers:

  • Colleen Knight, Chemistry, College of Coastal Georgia
  • Deanna Behnke-Cook, Sociology, University of Guelph
  • Matthew Badtke, Biology, Jackson College

Sparking Curiosity Through Authentic Laboratory Challenges

Teaching labs often expose students to a wide array of techniques and testing methods. But they can also result in learners practicing a disconnected set of skills and memorizing information without the necessary context. In this presentation, professors Sarah Sletten and Monica Norby will describe how they transformed a general microbiology lab course using eight authentic, real-world challenges to bring a renewed sense of discovery to the learning experience. Encouraging students to put on their detective hats is only one, albeit intriguing, part of their approach. Together they’ll discuss how they used carefully crafted learning objectives, challenge questions and backward design to pique curiosity and engage their students. They’ll also share how their classes responded and the impact on student performance.

Speakers:

  • Sarah Sletten, Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota
  • Monica Norby, Laboratory Experience Manager, University of North Dakota

Using Active Learning and Alternative Assessments to Keep Large Classes Engaging

Countless studies prove the efficacy of flipped classrooms on student learning. Even so, many instructors believe these approaches are simply too difficult to implement in large introductory courses. Professor Demian Hommel is challenging this notion. In this session, Hommel, the 2020 Top Hat Innovative Educator Award winner, will highlight the strategies he uses to create engaging, active learning environments without the use of high-tech lecture halls or an army of TAs. Learn how he’s delivering alternative assessments, group projects, and formative assignments to hundreds of students. He’ll also discuss the benefits (and logistics) and how his efforts are cultivating collaboration and community through shared learning experiences.

Speaker:

  • Demian Hommel, Geography, Oregon State University

Levelling the Playing Field In Large Introductory STEM Courses

Students enter into STEM courses from diverse backgrounds, including domestic, international and first-generation students who arrive with vastly different levels of preparedness. The question professor Irene Foster will answer is how we can meet the needs of students in an inclusive and equitable way to set them on the path to success. In this session, Foster will provide examples of excellence in inclusive teaching along with data-driven course design strategies that help students achieve subject mastery, regardless of where they come from. From organization and expectation setting, to just-in-time study tips, you’ll learn what it takes to keep more students moving forward in their chosen field.

Speaker:

  • Irene Foster, Economics, The George Washington University

How One Digital Manual Is Transforming the Lab Experience for Today’s Students

Lab manuals are often afterthought, with publishers focusing on creating interesting and interactive materials for the lecture portions of a course. Not only does this create the impression that labs are less important, these materials often fail to engage students who expect more than a narrative-heavy text to support their learning. Derek Weber is changing the game with Focusing on Health: Laboratory Exercises in Microbiology, an interactive, media-rich digital text one faculty user described as “the best Allied Health lab manual I have ever seen - by far!” In this session, Weber will share his journey into digital authoring. He’ll discuss his embrace of learning science and how he has used this in his text to enhance engagement, class discussions, safety and learning outcomes. You’ll also see first hand how he’s using content to help students make connections between lab exercises and future careers in science and beyond.

Speaker:

  • Derek Weber, Biology and Microbiology, Raritan Valley Community College

Enhancing Critical Thinking and Reflection Through Specifications Grading

The late nights spent grading is an experience most instructors know all too well. But what if there was a different way to approach grading—one that was designed to foster the personal and intellectual growth of your students? Specifications grading is designed to achieve exactly this and has gained in popularity in a variety of disciplines. In this session, Jody Langdon will share how like-minded educators can apply this grading technique to improve critical thinking, self-reflection and comprehension. You’ll discover why educators are making the shift to this tried-and-true strategy and how it can be applied creatively using the Top Hat platform.

Speaker:

  • Jody Langdon, Health Sciences and Kinesiology, Georgia Southern University

An Insider’s Look at Democratic Course Management

Many educators want to give their students more control over their own learning. But it can be challenging to put into practice. So why not learn from those who’ve gone before? In this session, professors John Redden and Luke Green will highlight their approach to democratic course management, a fresh new framework that gives students ownership over how they’re assessed, the assignments they choose to take on and how their grades are weighted. They’ll share how they’ve made this work for large classroom environments, and how this has helped promote connection-building, better engagement and student equity while reducing DFW rates. They’ll also talk through how you can use Top Hat to implement Democratic Course Management at scale, without adding to your workload.

Speaker:

  • John Redden, Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut
  • Luke Green, Communications, St. Cloud Technical & Community College

Insightful Teaching in Online Courses

It’s not always easy to tell how well students are understanding your lessons—and this is doubly true for online courses. Midterms and finals can help identify who’s struggling, but they often come far too late to get students back on track. To succeed, students need regular, meaningful and timely feedback. In this presentation, professor and seasoned online instructor Andrea Hendricks will share her tips for designing courses that deliver rich insights into student engagement and performance, including her use of knowledge gauges, auto-graded questions, and open discussions. She will also demonstrate how to use the Top Hat gradebook to provide timely feedback to students, arming attendees with practical strategies for ensuring student success in both online and in-person courses.

Speaker:

  • Andrea Hendricks, Mathematics, Georgia State University

Flipping the (STEM) Classroom

The flipped classroom isn’t always seen as a natural fit for STEM courses, where tackling complex concepts, formulas or theories is often done during lecture. But according to professor Chaya Gopalan, the approach can work better than you might expect, with remarkable results. In this presentation, Gopalan will share the insights she’s gained from ten years of studying flipped classrooms with 30 STEM educators and thousands of students. Professor Blake Regan will help bring these insights to life by highlighting the specific techniques he’s using to flip his math classroom using Top Hat. You’ll leave with an understanding of how to implement a flipped classroom in your course and essential practices for making the most out of class time with your students.

Speakers:

  • Chaya Gopalan, Applied Health, Southern Illinois University
  • Blake Regan, Engineering and Technology, Ohio University

Research Study: Creating Feedback Loops That Benefit All Students

Supporting student success in large introductory courses is challenging, even for the most seasoned educators. We know feedback can make an enormous difference—but how can you provide this at scale? And what type of feedback makes the biggest impact on student outcomes? In a study of two undergraduate courses, Top Hat research grant recipients Jessica S. Kruger and Shauna C. Zorich put these questions to the test. They’ll present their findings and will highlight the power of consistency and the importance of tailoring feedback for both struggling students and their high-performing peers. You’ll also learn how you can use Top Hat as an early warning system to ensure all students feel seen and supported.

Speakers:

  • Jessica S. Kruger, Community Health and Health Behavior, University at Buffalo, SUNY
  • Shauna C. Zorich, Epidemiology and Environmental Health, University at Buffalo, SUNY

How Team-Based Structures Can Make Large Classes Feel Small

Introductory classes are often packed with hundreds of students. This talk proposes an easy-to-implement structure for ensuring all learners feel seen, heard, engaged and supported.

Speaker:

  • Jenel Cavazos, Psychology, University of Oklahoma

Representing the Under-Represented: How Diverse Textbooks Reduce Achievement Gaps

Diversifying your textbook doesn't just expose students to the contributions of under-represented scholars—it can also help close achievement gaps. This talk offers strategies to ensure more students of all backgrounds feel seen.

Speaker:

  • Andrew Lokuta, Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Meeting the Demand for Flexibility with Equitable Assessments

Many students have relied on exam accommodations to progress towards a degree—something professor Daniel Alati well understands. He’ll share his tips for administering exams that ensure academic integrity, accommodation and a smoother overall experience for both online or in-person assessments.

Speaker:

  • Daniel Alati, Sociology, MacEwan University

The Accessibility Checklist: A Must-Have for Every Instructor

Considering adopting or creating your own digital textbook? Professor Deandria Reed-Shaw will share a simple checklist to ensure accessibility is woven into the fabric of your learning materials.

Speaker:

  • Deandria Reed-Shaw, Speech Communication, Dallas College

How Metacognitive Feedback Boosts Student Learning

Students often lack the metacognitive skills they need to succeed—a challenge familiar to these Top Hat Efficacy Grant recipients. Together they will share the results of their research and provide tactics to close the gap between student feelings of preparedness and their actual readiness for a test.

Speakers:

  • Charles Fitzsimmons, Psychology, Kent State University
  • Daniel Scheibe, Psychology, Kent State University

Fixing My Class with Highly Structured Active Learning

Unstructured learning environments can create feelings of exclusion. Professor Frank Spors will share how he redesigned a class that was plagued by low participation rates into a highly structured active learning environment, improving interaction and learning gains for all students.

Speaker:

  • Frank Spors, Optometry, Western University of Health Sciences

Less is More: The Power of Case-Based Learning in Biochemistry

Sometimes using fewer, high-impact activities can make all the difference—a philosophy at the heart of professor Sarah Robinson’s instruction. Using case-based learning, see how Robinson improves student motivation, helping them develop the analytical and problem-solving skills vital to success after college.

Speaker:

  • Sarah Robinson, Biological Sciences, University of Georgia

Custom Homework Assignments That Engage Students

Short answer questions can quickly become stale for students. This talk shares easy-to-implement ideas for student-centered, multimedia homework assignments that target complex course concepts in an easy-to-digest way.

Speaker:

  • Sherif Moussa, Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University

Ready for the Real World: Ensuring Students are Job Ready

Communication, collaboration and problem solving are just as important to today’s employers as the discipline-specific skills students bring to the table. This talk highlights how to incorporate soft skills training into your courses to get students ready for the world of work.

Speaker:

  • Frank Falcone, Engineering, Villanova College

Hitting the Ground Running: How Digital Course Materials Give Students a Head Start

What if students had immediate access to textbooks that could be easily updated while providing real-time insights into comprehension? Professor Kris Amatuli will highlight how using an interactive, digital text transformed student engagement in a meaningful and affordable way—from day one.

Speaker:

  • Kris Amatuli, Biology, University of North Florida

Meeting the Needs of Diverse Students with ‘Always On’ Self-Paced Enrollment

Classroom demographics are being altered as working-age learners increasingly make up today’s student population. This talk will shed light on flexible modalities, like self-paced enrollment, which offer non-traditional students the flexibility to complete coursework on their own schedule.

Speaker:

  • Amanda Haage, Biomedical Sciences, University of North Dakota

Managing Different Levels of Understanding

Every cohort is different. Some students may progress through the material faster, while others lag behind. Learn how to build resources that support all students regardless of their level of understanding, ensuring everyone is prepared to succeed.

Speaker:

  • Brian O'Connell, Engineering, Northeastern University

Apply, Analyze, Evaluate: Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Promote Exam Readiness

Exams are stressful and students often worry about whether they’ve studied the right concepts. Learn how to build practical study exercises grounded in learning science, so that everyone is confident heading into your summative assessments.

Speaker:

  • Elizabeth Sargent, Biology, Georgia Southern University

Collaborative Exercises to Help Students Teach Themselves and Each Other

Showing students how to solve a problem is great, but giving them the tools to solve it themselves is even better. Learn how to create interactive exercises that help students hone their problem-solving skills, in and out of the classroom.

Speaker:

  • Morgan Taylor, Economics, University of Georgia

Lights, Camera, Learning: The Power of Teaching with Film

Film is a powerful learning medium, but can be difficult to use. It takes up time in class and is hard to mandate asynchronously. Learn how to overcome these obstacles and leverage film to engage students and deepen their understanding of course materials.

Speaker:

  • Stanley Stepanic, Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Virginia

Using Heat-Mapping Questions to Challenge Dichotomous Viewpoints and Embrace the Gray

In class, as in life, many issues are viewed as either true or false, right or wrong. This talk will show how Top Hat’s heat-mapping questions help students move beyond these dichotomies to explore the gray area between opposing viewpoints.

Speaker:

  • Joel Stake, Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University

Climbing the Active Learning Ladder: One Professor’s Journey

Injecting active learning strategies into your lessons is a great way to increase engagement—but some educators may find the process daunting. Learn why one professor was inspired to make the switch to Top Hat, and how starting with dynamic lecture questions led to authoring his own textbook.

Speaker:

  • Ricardo Nogueira, Geosciences, Georgia State University

Getting Non-Majors Engaged in Large Course

Encouraging engagement in a large class can be a challenge and non-majors may be less inclined to participate if the course is not directly related to their area of study. Learn how one professor uses Top Hat to instill a sense of curiosity and excitement in his general education course.

Speaker:

  • David Lonzarich, Biology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Liberate Learning Materials to Bring the Outside In

Students may learn better when course concepts can be applied to real-world situations. Professor Nick Carbonaro will share how creating your own digital materials gives you the freedom to keep your class current—and to double down on student engagement.

Speaker:

  • Nick Carbonaro, Business Administration, Long Beach City College

The Neuroscience of Curiosity

Cognition and curiosity go hand in hand when tackling complex concepts. Learn how Top Hat helps you harness the power of learning science to motivate students by piquing their interest inside the classroom and out.

Speaker:

  • Joe Sanchez, Psychology, South Texas College

VR: The Future of the Higher Ed Classroom?

Virtual reality (VR) technology has the potential to enhance student engagement through immersive learning experiences. See how Top Hat—combined with VR software—is being used to create interactive, leading-edge courses that extend learning beyond the classroom.

Speaker:

  • Derrick Spiva, CEEDTV Broadcasting Internet Network

Using Technology to Bring Abstract Concepts to Life

Educators can often anticipate which course concepts their students will struggle with the most. Learn how Professor Jessica Roisen uses a variety of question types and exercises to make even the most opaque ideas clear—and guide students to their lightbulb moment.

Speaker:

  • Jessica Roisen, Philosophy, St. Ambrose University

The Impact of E-Texts on Student Learning: A Case Study

Digital textbooks are increasingly prevalent in higher ed courses. But how much of a difference do they actually make? In this presentation, professor and Top Hat author Matt Numer will discuss the development of his Top Hat textbook and the research he’s conducted on the efficacy of his content. Numer will share his insights into how interactive textbooks impact student belonging, self-confidence and engagement. You’ll also learn about the importance of useability and accessibility and the surprising ways digital texts influence a students’ overall learning experience.

Speaker:

  • Matthew Numer, Health Promotion, Dalhousie University

Custom Homework Assignments That Engage Students

Short answer questions can quickly become stale for students. This talk shares easy-to-implement ideas for student-centered, multimedia homework assignments that target complex course concepts in an easy-to-digest way.

Speaker:

  • Sherif Moussa, Chemistry, Virginia Commonwealth University

Priming Students for Class with Interactive Assignments

Students will learn when they are ready to learn, not when educators are ready to teach them. Professor Özgür Ince has embraced this sentiment. See how he uses interactive assignments to prime students to engage while gaining insights to make the most of the time spent in class.

Speaker:

  • Özgür Ince, Finance, University of South Carolina

Hatchling Pricing

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Full Price

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