Clickers/Student Response Systems

New for 2019 The University of Iowa will be transitioning to Top Hat as the supported student response system beginning Summer 2019. Top Hat will become the only centrally supported clicker software on campus. Spring 2019 will be a transition semester where the Office of Teaching, Learning & Technology will support both Turning Technologies and Top Hat. What are Clickers/Student Response Systems?

Student Response Systems are also referred to as "Clickers," "Audience Response Systems" or "Personal Response Systems". Clickers allow students to enter responses via a small wireless device that records responses through software in a classroom. Instructors build a PowerPoint presentation with built-in response indicators and ask students to respond to certain slides during the presentation. Clickers have been used extensively for quizzes and tests, to direct classroom discussions, and provide feedback on course material.

Clickers can make your classes more interactive, facilitate class discussions, guide lectures, encourage peer instruction, allow for immediate student feedback, and allow for polling inside and outside of PowerPoint.

Why Change?

1. Top Hat is an all-in-one teaching platform, which the University of Iowa has licensed through Unizin. 
2. Top Hat is fully integrated with ICON/Canvas and has an automated process for updating your ICON rosters and grades.
3. Top Hat's OER capabilities allow for easy customization and delivery of low or no cost textbooks.

How to Start?

In order to make this a seamless transition, Top Hat will be providing 1-1 training sessions for faculty who are interested in learning more or making the switch. To ensure that they have the bandwidth to accommodate all faculty these sessions will begin as early as February. Please contact the ITS Help Desk if you are interested.

Top Hat Common Links

Turning Point Common Links