Available Polling Options in Top Hat

There are two options for conducting polling activities in a classroom with Top Hat: Presentation Tool, and Question/Poll. Below is the comparison table of the main features between the two options to help you make the decision for your teaching. 

Presentation Tool

The Top Hat Presentation Tool is a desktop app that overlays interactive Top Hat features on top of your preferred presentation software.

With it, instructors can:

• Present slides in PowerPoint, Keynote, or similar tools while launching Top Hat questions without switching windows.
• Create and run questions in real time to increase in-class engagement.

The experience is similar to iClicker Cloud: you can ask questions on the fly without needing to pre-upload content or redesign your slide deck.

Using the Quick Ask question, you can generate a question during class and have students respond based on what’s shown on your slide. The tool can capture your screen and attach it to the question, and student responses are recorded automatically.

You can find more information about installing and using Presentation Tool at Educator: Presentation Tool (Download & Install).

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Question/Poll

Question/Poll in Top Hat is an interactive feature that allows educators to create and present over 14 different question types. These questions are added to the instructor's slides in advance on the Top Hat website.

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How to Set up Question/Poll in Top Hat (Step‑by‑Step)

Step 1: Upload your Powerpoint presentation

Please note that a Powerpoint presentation is not required to create live polling. You can stand-alone add and organize poll questions and discussions.

1. Open your Top Hat course
2. On the left-side All Content side bar, select Add.
3. Select Slide Upload.
4. When the upload window appears, drag and drop your Powerpoint presentation to the designated area.

Step 2: Create and add questions

1. Open your Top Hat course
2. On the left-side All Content side bar, select Add.
3. Select Question. Select the desired question type. 
4. Fill in your question text, answer options, and grading preferences. 

Step 3: Manage your content

On the left-side All Content side bar, you can organize your content in a way that best makes sense with your teaching style.

• Reorder Content: You can move (drag and drop) content if you need to adjust the order.
• Create folders: The All Content bar allows you to group content into folders as needed. For example, each folder can represent a week or a single class session.
• Copy content
• Delete content: Please be aware that once you confirm the delete, this can’t be undone.

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How to Present Question/Poll in Top Hat (Step‑by‑Step)

Step 1: Select content to present

1. Open your Top Hat course
2. On the left-side All Content side bar, select the content you want to present.
   • If you select a single question, only that question will be presented.
   • If you select a folder, all the content except Powerpoint slides will be presented.
   • If you select a Powerpoint deck, all the slides and questions among the slides will be presented
3. Select the Present button on the top right corner of the Top Hat window.
4. A window which contains the Top Hat app URL and QR code will appear.
5. On the right side of the window, You will have the option to pick either taking attendance or start the presentation.

Step 2: Start presentation

1. Following the steps above, select the Start Presentation button, the first slide or question will appear.
2. There are navigation buttons at the bottom of the window, for example, you can move between slides or annotate on the slide presentation. 

Step 3: Start live polling 

As you step through the presentation, questions will appear in their proper place and order among the Powerpoint slides.

1. When you come across a question, you will have the option to Skip the question. If you press the Skip button, the presentation will move to the next slide or question in the order.
2. Polling Questions will have the green Start ANSWERING button, select the button to display the question on students' devices' screen and start collecting answers. 
3. You can Pause the polling then End polling as you desire. At the bottom of the question screen, you will see how many students (out of the total number of students) have answered. 
4. Once the question is closed, you can present the aggregated responses, then present the correct answer. Once the question and answers are discussed, there is an icon to take you to the next slide or question.

Step 4: End the presentation

You can end the presentation by pressing Esc on your keyboard when the presentation window is active. Or, when mousing over the presentation, you can select the X End (ESC) button at the top left of the window.