Top Hat
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I am an employee of Top Hat and am submitting this draft in good faith for review through the Articles for Creation process. I will not move this to article space myself and welcome feedback from independent Wikipedia editors.
Top Hat
Top Hat (officially Tophatmonocle Corp.) is a Canadian educational technology company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The company provides a cloud-based teaching platform for higher education institutions, offering tools for audience response, content customization, educational assessment, and analytics. In addition to its technology platform, Top Hat is a digital publisher that produces interactive digital textbooks and provides access to open educational resources (OER).
History
Top Hat was founded in 2009 by Mike Silagadze and Mohsen Shahini, engineering graduates from the University of Waterloo. The company was launched to address what they saw as low student engagement in traditional lecture halls. The initial product was a mobile response system designed to turn students' devices into classroom engagement tools.[1]
To support its growth, Top Hat has raised multiple rounds of venture capital from investors including Emergence Capital, iNovia Capital, Union Square Ventures, and Georgian Partners. In 2020, the company raised $72 million CAD in Series D funding to expand its digital publishing and learning platform capabilities.[2][3]
Between 2020 and 2022, Top Hat expanded its publishing and educational technology offerings through a series of acquisitions. In early 2020, the company acquired Fountainhead Press, followed by the Canadian university textbook division of Nelson Education.[4] Later that year, it added Bluedoor Publishing, a U.S.-based science textbook provider.[5] In 2021, Top Hat acquired Colorado-based Morton Publishing, known for its lab manuals in science disciplines,[6] and in 2022, it acquired Aktiv Learning, a STEM-focused platform for chemistry and mathematics.[7]
In 2021, co-founder Mike Silagadze stepped down as CEO, and Joe Rohrlich was appointed as his successor. In early 2024, Maggie Leen became CEO following Rohrlich's departure.[8]
Research
Select studies have examined the use of Top Hat in higher education. A study published in the Journal of Science Education and Technology found that students who responded to more in-class questions using Top Hat's personal response system achieved significantly higher exam scores, suggesting that active participation facilitated by technology can enhance student performance.[9]
In another study involving cross-cultural classrooms, students reported that Top Hat's anonymity features encouraged more honest responses and increased engagement in large lecture settings.[10] A separate inquiry into a human sexuality course associated the use of Top Hat with gains in critical thinking and more comfortable engagement with sensitive topics.[11]
References
- ↑ "How Top Hat is winning over the edtech market one professor at a time". Financial Post.
- ↑ "Top Hat raises $72 million CAD Series D, inks deals to disrupt the textbook industry | BetaKit". 4 February 2020.
- ↑ "Georgian doubles down on Top Hat with $130 million USD investment as company swaps CEOs | BetaKit". 4 February 2021.
- ↑ "Toronto tech company Top Hat buys Nelson Education's Canadian university textbook division". The Globe and Mail. 26 May 2020.
- ↑ "Canada's Top Hat Acquires the US' Bluedoor, as Teaching Modes Shift". 25 August 2020.
- ↑ "Industry Notes: Canada's Top Hat Acquires Colorado's Morton Publishing". 27 August 2021.
- ↑ "Top Hat acquires STEM EdTech startup Aktiv Learning | BetaKit". 5 December 2022.
- ↑ "Top Hat's Maggie Leen appointed CEO two months after Joe Rohrlich's quiet departure | BetaKit". 19 March 2024.
- ↑ Hornbuckle, Brian K.; Valai, Asimoula; McCombs, Audrey L.; Griffin, Elizabeth A. (2025). "All Students Can Benefit from a Personal Response System Pedagogy that Encourages Active Engagement Yet Lowers Barriers to Implementation". Journal of Science Education and Technology. 34 (1): 160–170. Bibcode:2025JSEdT..34..160H. doi:10.1007/s10956-024-10163-3.
- ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335754044_Engagement_in_Cross-Cultural_Large_Lectures_Using_Top_Hat_Technology_to_Include_Students_in_the_Discussion
- ↑ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316512686_Technology_and_the_Post-secondary_Classroom_A_Critical_Inquiry_into_BYOD_Student_Experience_in_Human_Sexuality
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