Top Hat is a student response, web-based system. Instructors can use Top Hat to poll students, ask discussion prompts, present lecture material and track attendance.
Students can respond to Top Hat questions and prompts using the devices they already own. There are both browser-based and app options:
- web browsers - Available on all internet-connect laptops, desktop, tablets and smartphones.
- mobile devices - There are Android and IOS applications available.
- and SMS response (texting) - You can text in answer responses.
Top Hat Support
Top Hat Support offers detailed articles for using Top Hat, including some of the following articles:
- Top Hat Getting Started - Review a more detailed overview, with video tutorial.
- Gradebook Introduction - Learn more about how to view your grades in Top Hat.
First Time Login
Before you can log in to Top Hat, you will need to sign up through tophat.com.
- Navigate to tophat.com.
- Click Signup in the upper-right corner. After the initial sign up process, you will click Login to enter your Top Hat courses.
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- Choose Sign-up as a student.
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- If you received a join code from your instructor, you can enter it. This will be the quickest way to sign up for Top Hat. If you do not have a join code, select Search by school.
- Begin typing Ohio State University in the Search for a school search field.
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- Two options will populate, select Ohio State University.
- Click Next- Find your course.
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- In the Search for your course box, begin typing your course or instructor name.
- Select your course from the list.
- Click Log in with school account.
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- You will be prompted to sign in with your lastname.# and university password.
- Type in your lastname.# and university password and click Login. You will return to Top Hat.
- Click Continue creating a new student account. You will return to the Account Settings page.
- Type a password within the Account Settings page. The password you choose here will be used when you log in with the mobile apps. For browser-based login, you will use your lastname.# and university password.
- Complete the additional prompts.
Once the sign-up process is complete, you'll be taken to the Top Hat homepage. If instructors have linked your Carmen course with Top Hat and activated the course, you may already see your courses listed here.
If you do not see your course, you can manually add it if your instructor has activated it. You can do this during the set up process or later. See Top Hat's Getting Started Guide for more information.