UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — iClicker, the University's standardized student response system, will no longer be supported by Penn State IT after May 2022. Instructors may still use iClicker after May 2022 at their own discretion, but IT technical support will not be provided.
Penn State IT finalized an enterprise-wide service agreement with Top Hat, a cloud-based teaching platform, in fall 2020. Top Hat’s core features, including a student response system, are available at no cost to students.
As part of the University's switch to Top Hat, students who had previously purchased Top Hat were provided refunds that totaled more than $40,000. With Top Hat, students also no longer need to purchase a separate device and are instead able to use their smartphones, tablets or laptops for class participation.
As an integrated tool within Canvas, Top Hat conveniently tracks attendance while creating engaged learning environments for students through interactive slides, graded questions, customized content, videos, discussions and polls.
Additionally, Top Hot provides faculty with direct support with switching content to the new, supported student response platform.
Instructors interested in a personalized demonstration on how to integrate Top Hat into their courses can complete this form to connect with a Top Hat education technology specialist. Additional vendor-supported resources and guides are also available.