One of the newest methods for in-class technological participation is called Top Hat. The teaching format is being considered for use in the School of Media and Journalism, and Adam Saffer is leading the development by using it in his MEJO 137 class.
With Top Hat, questions can come directly from slides Saffer presents in class and students have an easier way to learn what their overall grades are. He is able to do more than just multiple choice questions; he can post discussion questions and go in later to grade students’ work.
“I used Poll Everywhere last year,” Saffer said. “It was horrible. It crashed multiple times in class.”
The women’s and gender studies department values in-class discussion for participation grades since technology is prohibited in large classes for the department, department chairperson Silvia Tomášková said.
“Participation is not graded in the lecture itself,” Tomášková said.
Tomášková explained that laptops in classes are problematic when students are streaming videos or online shopping instead of participating.
“All our large lecture classes have recitation classes, and the students meet in a much smaller group,” said Tomášková. “That is where we measure participation.”
Tomášková said in these small groups, there are plenty of ways to measure a student’s participation.
