Top Hat - Better Learning Reviews

by DoodlerFromTX

I would always use the website on my Mac in class so I could split the screen and take notes. it would never load, I would always be three-four slides behind, and my quiz questions would hardly ever load in time for me to answer them. I figured I’d just start using TopHat , but I have the same issues on TopHat that I have on my Mac. the connection is always “poor”, and my professor can’t ever use it either - and will insist that the students are taking up the bandwidth and are causing TopHat to crash and lag (?? don’t know where he got that from), costing us our attendance points. and I know I’m not the only one, whether it be in my class or across everyone who has bought TopHat , that has these issues daily. if I have to pay this much for an app that simply takes *attendance* and gives mini class quizzes, I expect it to work 100% of the time, flawlessly. the rest of my university uses a free attendance app and I have never had an issue with it - ever. drop your prices, and fix your interface. TopHat is a whole mess, a money scam, and absolutely ridiculous. if they have to charge for TopHat to keep it running and whatnot, why not $.99, $2.99, $4.99?? where did the $27 and $50 come from? the people buying it are college students with little income who are forced to by their professors. incredibly pathetic for something that never works.

by BarryMcCaulkner

Why does TopHat require me to set location services permission to “Always” and claims that it doesn’t use it outside of class and can be toggled off after my attendance is recorded? It seems like this is the perfect use for the While Using location access setting. This used to work but now whenever I try to submit my attendance it prompts me to change it to Always and will not allow me to submit my attendance until I set it to Always, whether I had previously set it to Off or to While Using. It also seems that their claim of only using my location during attendance is a complete lie, because twice I have left its location access on and got a notification from my phone saying that this app had been using my location in the background over the past 3 days.

by MumbleAccent

My professors use TopHat during lecture scrolling through PowerPoints but if you’re trying to take notes from slides, TopHat keeps switching slides automatically. Also, the PowerPoints are a third of your screen which makes it impossible to try and read of it, it’s super small and if you zoom in it won’t let you change slides unless you need to leave the lecture and enter it again. Just really awful app if you’re trying to follow the professors lecture and take the quizzes. It would be nice if you could have the whole PowerPoint already open for you to scroll around and make it the whole screen. Even on a computer I have to zoom in, it makes my eyes hurt!

by Sl4hunnid

this app is a scam. I don't care what you say, I don't see how it's fair taking money from already broke college students like this. Because I have to pay for TopHat, I went weeks without food. The worst part is that you don't even know what classes are going to need it so you don't know how much you should pay for. I hate this capitalist piece of crap so much if I ever take another class that requires that I'm eating the professor 1 star as well. It doesn't even work sometimes or it crashes in the middle of a question. We already have clickers I don't understand why we need to pay for this too. If this costed less maybe I'd understand but at this price are you kidding me??? Stop making education cost more than it should I'm already starving.🤬🤬🤬

by Jdgfar

this app does not work if location services are on “only while using” however it works if location services are on “Always”. There is no reason for location to be on permanently unless using during class. I have noticed the location symbol on and it is concerning. I have been marked absent for not having location on my laptop. Apart that it is using battery, the breech in privacy is not worth it. This is an application to help students and teachers, not a hindrance that gives students a disadvantage. I completely understand the reason to have location on while on this app. But to mark a student absent because location services are not set to always is not unacceptable. Attendance codes are available to ensure students are in the classroom.

by Dr. Yan Itor

I have a lot of professors who buy into this app and force us to use it for in class quizzes. It seems easy enough on the professors’ end but for the students using their phones it is total garbage. It works like an endless string of popup windows and notification banners every time the professor opens a quiz. The lag is terrible and the submit button doesn’t always work. It won’t stop opening a banner letting me know I’ve been marked present every other question. I have to exit out just to get to the next question. There is not anyway for the student to turn off the constant pop ups. Piazza is a much better app for students. Further more they like to lock up your account and charge hidden fees mid semester! That is the definition of extortion!

by AP183739

I am extremely disappointed with TopHat, it really delays me getting the work done. TopHat doesn’t even open certain pdf documents and in the beginning of the semester the videos weren’t even playing, I only use the website now but it continues to glitch, the letters on the answer choices get smaller and smaller. I don’t understand how such a program can have so many defects. I used it a year ago for a different class and I never had a problem with it but now it’s extremely disruptive and annoying. The letters won’t stop glitching so it’s hard to read and I have to continue to reload to look at the answers normal size before they get extremely small. Very sad and frustrating, this is taking a lot of time.

by Your Friend Lexi

I don’t know how TopHat is a 4.7 Stars. Every review I’ve read is 2 and below. I don’t even leave reviews for apps, but I felt this was necessary.
I downloaded Top Hat because it is a requirement for my Organic Chemistry course. The textbook, homework, and assignments are all online.
So far, it is awful. I spent over $100 for the subscription. Every note that I’ve highlighted and question I’ve answered on my computer does not sync to TopHat on my phone. This is a major issue because I need to access these notes during class, but they don’t show up in my phone app! Not only will they not sync on TopHat , but if I close the chapter or leave the page, the same thing happens. Everything disappears.
For this much money, Top Hat really needs to fix their sync issues and add a save progress feature.
I’ve even contacted support through Live Chat. They were unhelpful. The agent repeated that I was experiencing an issue, then TopHat crashed and I lost contact.
For an app whose subscription is so expensive for college students who are financially struggling, you’d think it would have better accessibility and functionality. I hope this doesn’t affect my class grade.

by Rubyyogurll

I really don’t write negative reviews on any app but this top hat software has made me so frustrated. I’m subscribed to this app(paid a huge amount), and I have TopHat. But, sometimes when I am trying to review the answers after getting the answers, it doesn’t completely show me the answers. And, it doesn’t completely show some questions which has a lot of math or figures. If I try to load top hat on safari, google chrome, or google on my IPad, it takes about an hour to open up and show me something as “steeping tea”. It might work on good laptops or chrome books, but why can’t u fix the problems on handy devices. I am a student and I use my iPad to complete the homework problems on top hat. One time it took so long to load, I kept it beside me and slept and when I woke up, it was still loading.

by ~(/\/\)~

I’ve had to use TopHat for 2 different classes now and every time, I run into bugs. It says my bluetooth is off, when it’s not. It will fail to connect. Often, it glitches when the professor is switching slides, or doing a quiz with too many pop-ups, or when I tap to answer a question it just won’t answer it. When I was trying to view/ join the slideshow, often, it just won’t work. Usually the only way to work around the issues is to close and re-open TopHat until it works. It is so difficult to keep up in class with so many bugs and glitches I’m spending way too much time just trying to get it to work. At one point I got added to a class I had the previous semester, after I had left it, and I couldn’t leave it again, it just has so many bugs. TopHat, in no way is useful as a reliable classroom tool.

by Gandertaker

TopHat is poorly designed and makes content impractical to access at best. You can’t download slide shows off TopHat . Content availability is inconsistent across the different portals (browser vs phone vs tablet). The browser isn’t made to be compatible with safari, completely ignoring the fact that Apple makes up much of the computer market. Customer service is slow and rude. I filed for help over a week and a half ago. The first email response took over two days; the next was quicker, but offered no assistance and completely ignored the information I had given them earlier, instead treating me like I just didn’t understand how to use TopHat . The third response showed up SEVEN DAYS after I replied to the impotent email “support” in the second email. IF YOU WANT TO BE IN ACADEMIA, BE RELIABLE. Homework due dates are typically less than 10 days out. Don’t sell a service you don’t have the ability to adequately provide.

by I_smell_bs

TopHat itself and its mediocre design and execution is not what bothers me. At the end of the day we all download TopHat because some professor thought a $30-dollar-per-semester was somehow going to improve our learning. What really bothers me is not knowing why am I forced to always say share my location with TopHat. Marking attendance with location makes sense, right? Except that TopHat does no allow you to be marked as present if TopHat location setting is on “while using TopHat ”. If that wasn’t enough, I got a notification telling me how many times a week TopHat was using my location; guess what? The little map showed me that it was using it even when I was not in class (and therefore not even using TopHat ). I am already paying for this service and I would like to know what exactly are they doing with my location. Also, toggling the location setting is not a solution; FIX YOUR APP!

by Horace06

If you have a crippling case of FOMO then this is for you, however If you don’t then you will ultimately find this application/service pointless. Schools and universities without an integrated web platform may get some use out of this, but for those who already have one, this is just another worthless service to add on top of your schools online platform.

Almost no functionality on any mobile devices; the interface is less inspiring than MS DOS. File previews don’t exist. The instructors and TAs are either technologically illiterate (unlikely), or this program is about as user friendly as an etch-a-sketch.

This product is not ready to be something a student is required to pay for. It’s basically in the pre alpha development stage. I would be willing to pay another 28 dollars to not have to use this for the rest of the semester.

I wish I could have rated it one star, but this app isn’t even inspiring enough to warrant that much rage or disgust. Mediocre garbage.

by Why Niantic Why

I love this app for my lectures and I think it’s a wonderful way to absorb new material. It has a really clean and user-friendly interface. However, it is virtually unusable on the mobile app. Maybe it’s just the iPhone, but I’ve used this app on several different iPhone models and it is extremely frustrating. The videos will time out and end unexpectedly, TopHat frequently crashes, attempting to do my homework questions on the mobile app is completely out of the question (as it will continuously freeze or divert you to the top of the page without notice).

Overall, a great app to use on a non-mobile device, but I don’t recommend relying on TopHat if a mobile device is all you have access too. And since today many of us students are always on the go and like to absorb new material in a variety of ways, I have to say TopHat is just not it. Nothing more frustrating than paying exorbitant prices for tuition and then you can’t even have the content delivered effectively! I wish my school would abandon this app and use something more functional all around!

by H, Calf

Top Hat is a pretty good app. It is TopHat my chemistry teacher at college uses to track attendance, and I think it is pretty amazing that TopHat is able to see people in the class who are around you and how far you are from them, so it can mark you present in the class. My teacher also uses TopHat to give us points for attending class, and to give us our quizzes in the class that also get graded and give us points for the class.

by Wow. So Bad.

Great app. Just an idea... I think when you open TopHat it should have the class that you’re in at the top of the list. I think if the instructors had to input the days of the week the class meets and the time their class is it would be an easy feature to add.

I gave it 4 stars because I don’t like that to Mark attendance you have to allow TopHat to always use your location. I think in using your location while using TopHat would be sufficient.

by G_Kora

I have TopHat and find it useful, but is there a way to put an option tab under account for more purchases that Top Hat has to offer?
No one could find the option, and went through the website.
Since most of us in my class bought the year subscription we thought it came with proctored exams, and it doesn’t.
So id also like to see an update with the status of our subscriptions, like how many days we have left, which services are available with that subscription, and a purchase tab to see what is available.

by Iemmzii

The way that the professor utilizes TopHat is definitely important. Since you can't receive notifications for due dates, your professor will hopefully be diligent about that.

Other than that, I think this is a really nice tool for classrooms. It's interactive, and has some cool question types (heat maps, clicking on images, matching, etc) although some of them are either difficult to use or don't work because my professors struggled. What's cool is you can go back and forward in the slides your professor has up so if you're a slow writer you can still get all the notes.

Overall, this is a really nice idea and needs a little work but I enjoyed having it in my class. Definitely could do with more organization in the content, it's a little overwhelming when all the slides are posted and you're trying to study.

by Meagy T.

It’s not like canvas, but I’m grateful for the mobile accessibility and ease. Sure, not all my classes are on here but, for the ones that are, the assignments, textbook, and grades are all easy to see and with little to no technical issues, I can read and do all of my assignments from anywhere.

by V2.90

Little differences between the online version and TopHat . I appreciate TopHat saving my location from where I left off. Its never really cause too much of an issue. Well, except that the answers don’t vary too much unless the teacher allows (inputs the variation of answers lol, but normally the written answers are given so the teacher knows if your actually reading the text lol).. Its good for tho

by CipDaddy

How thought it would be a good idea to, instead of utilizing the whole iPad screen, that you would just open a smaller window of a chapter I’m supposed to read? ARE YOU EVEN TESTING THIS? So lets think about it how this really is practical to back the background of the many chapters displayed, with a window of text half the size of the whole screen, and much less not being able to increase the text size.
As for grades, there is no way to see the full summary of grades, or what is my standing grade of the whole course so far. Also, now i can’t see when the professor uses a popper question, i can’t see if i get it right or not if I’m remote log in; as opposed to before you could at least see the result.
If i know in the future that a professor will be using this app, ill just look for another class.

I would rather spend the extra 30 bucks to know how I’m doing in the class with McGraw or Pearson platforms.

Conclusion:
- can’t see my grade
- chapters to be read are now a small unadjustable window 1/4 size of the whole screen.
- popper question results can’t be viewed

by College Student Anonymous

Why the heck am I paying so much for a stupid app? I had a question that I pretty chose the right answer but system would let me pick it. Told me that I had submitted my answer when in reality I haven’t. This is not me being careless and submit the answer. I logged out and when I logged in again the next day. Magically, TopHat just didn’t let me choose my right answer. Talked to professor but professor couldn’t confirm so she can’t give points. She can only see my last answer. What a bogus app. This company is a joke. I bet they give sponsor to professors to make students pay for more to study. Evil education scheme. Be warned!!!!! DO NOT TAKE PROFESSORS WHO USE TOP HAT!!!! It’s a waste of YOUR MONEY AND YOUR TIME!!! Blackboard is free and is much better!!!!!

by 95quarterhorse03

This product vastly overpromises and under-delivers. Other than the attendance feature, which works fine, the rest of the platform has serious flaws. There is no weekend support, when support is around, they seem unknowledgeable beyond the basics. Further, this app test isn’t viable for distance / online / hybrid programs, the Test feature won’t work for all platforms, there is no way to adjust the gradebook to accommodate exam changes, students can’t use their electronic notes on the same device as their test, etc etc. Worst of all, students have to pay for this product. I won’t use it next semester.

by Ironik1989

I always had my this app locations settings”always on”. However, in the past couple days, its been collecting my location even when I'm not using TopHat which is why I was having the location symbol all the time. I had to disable the location for every app I had to find which one was causing the location symbol to appear and this app was the cause.

I changed the location preference to “while using” and that made the location symbol go away. I wonder why your app is collecting my location even though I wasn't using TopHat ?

by Kmblljkmy

Pretty aggravated they did away with due dates. I could see the due dates on my phone up until about a week, maybe 2 weeks ago. I thought my professor took the due dates off since we were so behind. Had no clue that this app took them down. 2 late assignments later and I figure out what the problem is. Not real happy about this at all! What’s the point of paying for TopHat if it’s only going to be halfassed?? The point of TopHat is so you don’t have to log in online every time. Sure would be nice if this was fixed and due dates were put back on there.