CLASSROOM RESPONSE SYSTEMS (CRS)

Quick link to the UofC TopHat student guide

What is a "CLASSROOM RESPONSE SYSTEM" ?

A classroom response systems (CRS) (aka "clickers") are used to collect and collate answers from students to questions asked by an instructor during a class. Earlier versions of this technology used small portable handsets (the "clickers'). In the current generation, students are able to use other devices such as cell phones, smartphones, iPad, laptops to communicate their answers to their instructors.

Clickers were first used at U of C in Fall 2004 in Chem 201 and Chem 351 and clicker use gradually grew across Science. Since then the Schulich School of Engineering and Haskayne School of Business started using the same system in some of their courses.

CRS are used to promote active learning in the lecture and help facilitate student engagement. During lectures, questions will be asked in relation to course materials that will require that you answer by entering an answer via your device (most likely sending a text message). The answers from the class data are collected and analysed immediately.  In this way, lecture content can then be adapted to respond to the immediate feedback and help student learning as well as illustrating knowledge application and problem solving.

In summer 2013, the University of Calgary recognised the importance and utility of such tools and adopted TopHat as the campus standard, making it free for students to use.

TopHat

Why is the Department of Chemistry (and the Faculty of Science in general) using Top Hat ? (previously known as Top Hat Monocle or THM)

We believe that TopHat can help envigorate the modern classroom and lead to a better, richer learning environment. The Chemistry Dept is alwaya been prepared to lead the way by exploring and adopting new technology. This means you will be able to use your phone or laptop or tablet to submit your answers to in class questions.

Experience shows that asking students to raise their hands in response to questions typically only gets about a 30% response rate, on a good day. The other 70% are either to shy to respond to the instructor and / or don't want to show either their knowledge or lack of knowledge to their fellow students.  Since CRS is anonymous, this factor is minimised.

In some classes, a small number of students can dominate the proceedings by being the ones that respond to all the instructors questions.... CRS means every students answer can be part of the response.

Many students are too passive in lectures, blindly copying notes, "multitasking" on facebook or twitter or something equally unuseful....and not thinking about the course content.  Instructors often stop to ask questions but many students don't really try to answer them because they will not raise their hand. Hence they are missing and therefore losing a possible valuable learning opportunity. CRS will be used to encourage participation by asking students to respond to course content.

The TopHat system will be used to collect answers to in-class questions for coursemarks. A mark for a student will be based on the number of questions that they respond to and how many questions they get correct.  The mark created from the use of the TopHat system will count as one assignment in the e-Learning component (see course information sheet).   In creating the e-Learning coursemark, the worst assignment from the multiple e-homework (CAL) assignment and THM will be dropped (i.e. best 5 of 6 will count).

TopHat allows students to :

TopHat allows instructors to :
Here is a link to a video clip from UBC on student reaction to the use of CRS

How do you get your TopHat account ?