Top Hat is an interactive, cloud-based teaching and learning tool that offers several benefits to both educators and students. Top Hat will allow us to use a technology-based didactic method for classroom use. The tool will be used to enhance and improve upon a traditional lecture format by including features such real-time student feedback via cell phone polling. Additionally, Top Hat allows instructors to upload and edit course materials. Formal surveys of Cal U students (along with a plethora of anecdotal evidence) indicate that a common complaint is the high cost of required course materials -- a complaint that will be addressed directly by uploading and customizing open source materials within the Top Hat platform. Students will only need to purchase the Top Hat app, and can do so at a price far lower than a traditional text book.
The Cal U Learning Community is comprised of cohorts of students taking multiple classes together. The students forming the basis of this study will all be taking Principle of Microeconomics, Principles of Management, and College Algebra in the Fall 2017 semester. These students will remain with their cohort over multiple semesters.
Our goal is to provide a dynamic environment that builds engagement in course material that will ultimately lead to improved comprehension and student interest in the subject matter. We predict that over time utilizing these tools will increase both measured academic performance and retention rates. Results from the Learning Community will be compared to those from standard Principles of Microeconomics courses using the Top Hat application, as well as historical performance from standard courses that did not utilize the Top Hat app. In this way we hope to tease out the effect of both the Learning Community and the Top Hat tool on performace and retention.