CATT News & Updates | Fall 2025

Continued Top Hat support for is available to all UB instructors

Top Hat students in classroom working on computers.

By GREGORY TUYN

Updated December 3, 2025

Top Hat, an enterprise-supported tool within UB Learns, is an active learning platform that enhances student engagement through interactive features such as polls, quizzes, discussions, and real-time feedback. Seamlessly integrated into UB Learns, it provides faculty with a flexible way to design meaningful in-class and online learning experiences.

  • Beginning Fall 2025, students no longer need to purchase a license for Top Hat. However, they still need to create a Top Hat account.
  • Accounts for UB faculty and staff are still available at no cost.
  • In courses where the instructor uses a Top Hat Textbook or other fee-based content, students will need to pay for the content when registering their Top Hat accounts in their courses, or they can purchase the content directly from the University at Buffalo Bookstore. 
Learn more about using Top Hat in UB Learns

What is Top Hat?

Top Hat is an engagement platform that empowers educators to incorporate active learning into every area of their course. 

Instructors use Top Hat during class to drive discussions, take live polls, and give students real-time feedback on how well they understand course concepts. Outside of class, Top Hat enables instructors to adopt and personalize interactive content, assignments, and assessments. 

For every modality, instructors can use Top Hat’s AI-powered learning and teaching assistant to save time on course prep and implement evidence-based practices at scale.  Ace, Top Hat’s AI-powered assistant,  makes it faster and easier to add low stakes assessments and further insight around student comprehension. 

Top Hat also offers services such as group training, individual consultation, course migration support  and instructional design support to help faculty achieve their desired course outcomes.  

UB has partnered with Top Hat to provide their engagement platform to our faculty, students, and staff at no additional cost. In courses where the instructor uses a Top Hat Textbook or other content for a fee, students will be asked to pay for access during the registration process, and can purchase directly from the University at Buffalo Bookstore.

How can I get support?

Top Hat maintains a Knowledge Base with product information and best practices.

Questions?

Instructors and students can reach out to Top Hat’s dedicated support team.