Top Hat vs. WileyPLUS

Top Hat is well suited for courses where students are comfortable with utilizing online learning management system as part of their course contents. It is more appropriate to use Top Hat as a stand-alone learning management system or if the school happens to have it integrated to the system. It is not recommended to use Top Hat and another platform or system for students as this would be too much for students.

Incentivized

It's a good platform that has some very good content. We use Canvas as our learning management platform. It is nice to be able to integrate some of the pre-build WileyPLUS course modules into our Canvas course. Other publishers are good too and they sync with Canvas, but I find Wiley's Canvas modules easy to use and customize.

• I use Top Hat as a discussion tool where the students can write what they have learned or what they haven't.
• Exams are taken in class and are totally paperless with grades available immediately.

Incentivized

• Auto-grading- provides immediate feedback to students.
• Adaptive assignment- helps the students see their weak areas.
• Video, videos, and more videos! There are solution walk-through videos, interactive tutorials, and real-world videos.
• Tech support- I get help when I need it, right away!

• If students are paying, it's a confusing onboarding process for students and instructors and could be better streamlined.
• The Android app not as well polished as iOS.
• A better, free, or ad-supported model might be more palpable to students.
• Integration directly with PowerPoint -- not requiring instructors to upload their slides to Top Hat.

Incentivized

• There are a few errors in the homework answers.
• Some questions could be worded better to help students better match the formatting expectations when they change throughout the chapter.
• The offline PDF of the text should always be included in any online package.

Reliable effective tool.

Incentivized

It is so easy to pick up and students have no issues learning to use it.

They are very helpful and fast to resolve any issues

Incentivized

24-7 support is available by phone, chat, or email. They also hold annual events which I have been blessed to attend twice. The staff is excellent. They are knowledgeable and genuinely care about you and your students. There are online forums for instructors to collaborate, learn, and have fun. Instructors receive gift cards for their participation too!

Incentivized

Top Hat generally stacks up pretty well against other industry leading or popular learning management systems. Top Hat is comparable to learning management systems used in most educational institutions. The features such as allowing the educator to create an interactive experience by leveraging tools such as quizzes and polls is comparable. Data on student performance is also a helpful feature that is comparable to that of other similar learning management systems.

Incentivized

WileyPLUS is far better than one competing product I have used and noticeably better than a second competing product I have tested. I prefer not to name the other products. It is much easier to operate from an instructor perspective. Given the low level of questions it generates from students, I am certain it is easy for students to pick up and the level of Wiley support given to me and to students is great.

• One of the better ways to track attendance in a mostly secure and automated way.
• Promotes more active learning, especially in large classrooms.
• Unpopular if students have to pay.

Incentivized

• Decreased, significantly, my grading time. No more manual grading of work. It is more of a review that allows me to target specific areas and specific students.
• Students now have resources to help them learn the content when they are away from class.
• Students get immediate feedback (depending on instructor settings) on problem areas and the ability to learn from their mistakes without having to wait for the instructor.