Student Guide: Top Hat Monocle
The essentials of using Top Hat Monocle
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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2
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Introduction _____________________________________________________________ 3
1.1
What is Top Hat Monocle? _____________________________________________________ 3
1.2
How is Top Hat Monocle used in the classroom? ___________________________________ 3
Getting Started ___________________________________________________________ 3
2.1
Creating an account __________________________________________________________ 3
2.2
Managing your account settings_________________________________________________ 4
2.3
Getting help _________________________________________________________________ 4
Enrolling in courses ________________________________________________________ 5
3.1
Enrolling vs. observing ________________________________________________________ 5
3.2
The course console ___________________________________________________________ 5
3.3
Participating on your device. ___________________________________________________ 7
4
Gradebook ______________________________________________________________ 8
5
Frequently asked questions _________________________________________________ 9
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1 Introduction
Top Hat Monocle (THM) produces a tool that allows you to interact with your professor(s)
through your cellphone. The intended goal is to improve student engagement in the classroom
through the use of interactive learning.
This document will cover the essentials of using Top Hat Monocle.
1.1
What is Top Hat Monocle?
The Top Hat Monocle system is comprised of web-based software that students and teachers
operate through their computers or cell phones. The tool has the capacity to produce and conduct
various classroom activities such as quiz questions and interactive demos, and also records collected
data for both students and instructors.
1.2
How is Top Hat Monocle used in the classroom?
Here is an idea of what the experience of using Top Hat Monocle in the class looks like:
Your instructor has his or her computer on, with THM software open.
The instructor uses THM to launch quizzes, polls, demos and open-ended questions.
The class sees the items and responds by texting your answer using your cell phone.
The instructor then observes the data collected from students immediately as it is
submitted and can show it to the students.
After class you may be able to review any interactive activities (if the instructor has allowed
it) and view your participation grades.
2 Getting Started
The first step to using Top Hat Monocle is to create an account, find your course online, and
then to enroll in the course. The entire process from start to finish should take no more than two
minutes, and is guided on the Top Hat Monocle website.
2.1
Creating an account
1. You must first purchase a license to create your account. You can do this either online
on http://www.tophatmonocle.com, or at your campus bookstore. Campus bookstores
often mark up the price a little, so it’s usually better to buy online. We have various
pricing and subscription options available, so choose wisely.
2. If you are purchasing your license online, on tophatmonocle.com, click the blue
“register” link in the top right corner of the site
3. Under “Student” click “continue.” You will be brought to two choices: “Purchase
subscription” or “Prepaid subscription.”
4. Click “Sign up” under “Purchase subscription.” Enter your desired username and
password, select your school, enter your student ID, phone number, and select your
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Top Hat Monocle | 730 Bridge St., Unit 2 Waterloo, ON, N2V 2J4 | 1 (888) 663-5491
payment plan. We do not accept credit card, so you do not need to have one. We take
payments through PayPal.
2.2
Managing your account settings
In order to change your account settings (such as your email address, password or phone
number), click the “account” button in the top menu. Once you’ve done this, a dialog box will appear,
allowing you to edit your account information (including subscription details).
Figure 1: Console view with account menu highlighted
2.3
Getting help
If you happen to run into any issues, there are three options available:
1. Click the “help” button next to the account button in the top menu to bring up a
tutorial panel which will guide you through the basic tasks on the system.
2. Go to the main page of Top Hat Monocle’s web page, where you can find student
tutorial videos.
3. Click on the “support” button on the bottom left-hand corner of the page, which will
open a dialog box where you can enter any questions you may have, and someone will
respond via email within about one hour. You can also select “talk to us on Facebook”
to post on our Facebook wall, though response is not guaranteed to be as quick
through the latter method.
Figure 2: Support button located at bottom left of the page
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3 Enrolling in courses
Your instructors can create all sorts of courses on Top Hat Monocle. In order for you to enroll
in the course, the prof must have first made the course available, and must also have gotten their
account verified by the Top Hat Monocle team. Once that is done, either select your course from the
drop-down menu or enter the URL that the prof shows.
3.1
Enrolling vs. observing
When you first enter a course, you are an observer. The “Observing” box under the right-hand
“Status” column indicates this. As an observer, you cannot actively participate in the course. To enroll
in the course, under the “Observing” dialog, click the blue “enroll in this course” link.
Figure 3: Shows your status as an observer.
3.2
The course console
Once you have enrolled in a course, this is what the course should look like on a web browser.
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3
2
4
5
7
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Figure 4: Course console items labeling
Table 1: Course console item descriptions
Label #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Description
Top menu – where you may change your course selection, access your account settings and access
Top Hat Monocle tutorials.
Logout link – log out of Top Hat Monocle.
Control column – panels in this column allow you to access and/or make visible any active content
(i.e. questions, demos). If the prof has not made any content active, it will not appear in this column.
Content column – contains visible items such as questions, demos, and open-ended questions.
Status column – displays your status as a participant (observing or enrolled), shows the course phone
number, and the number of students online in the course.
Text messaging phone number - contains the phone number to which students should text their
answers if they are submitting answers via cell phone.
Module item content – a piece of visible content produced by the prof for the course (in this case the
question and multiple choice answers).
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8
Modules – the different interaction items your prof has made available. Modules include questions,
demos, Q and A, and feedback. Any active or review items will be found under individual module
tabs.
9
Support link –allows you to submit support questions and general feedback regarding Top Hat
Monocle.
3.3
Participating on your device.
In this class you will participate by texting your answer using your cell phone. You can review
the questions and your answers after class using your computer by accessing the Top Hat Monocle
website.
3.3.1
Using an SMS phone
You cannot view content on an SMS phone, but you can still answer questions. To do this,
address your answers to the phone number in the top right corner of the interface (Item 6 in Figure 5).
On the question you are answering, you will see a four-digit code to accompany your answer with. In
the case of multiple-choice questions, you do not need to text the full answer (i.e. “3215 a France”),
you simply have to text the letter (i.e. “3215 a”). For word or number answers, type the four-digit code
followed by the specific answer “i.e. 3215 Atwood”). Please ensure that you do not have a signature
attached with your text. If you do, your answers will be void and not counted.
Figure 5: Demo module control panel with labels
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4 Gradebook
You can view and keep track of your grades on Top Hat Monocle. The Gradebook is located in
the top left under the Course panel. You can view your grades broken down by every item you have
answered. The items are sorted by the item name, type, how many points you earned for being
correct, how many points you earned for participating, and what the status of the item is. Underneath
each column, you see your totals. In the bottom-left hand corner, your total percentage grade is
located. Your grades are updated pretty much instantly. However, if you click the “update” button, the
gradebook will refresh any updates will apply.
Figure 6: Your gradebook.
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5 Frequently asked questions
What should I put as my username?
When you register, you are prompted to enter various information, including a username. Do not feel
obligated to make your username your own name or your student ID number. You are required to
enter your student ID in a separate field, and that is how your teacher keeps track of your grades.
Enter whatever you choose for your username (though we recommend keeping it tasteful and
professional).
Can I change my username?
Changing your username requires that you contact Top Hat Monocle. You can contact us by email
(mail@tophatmonocle.com) or phone (1-888-663-5491).
How can I change my password?
In the top panel, click on “Account.” In the dialogue box, type your new password in the “new
password” field.
I have forgotten my password and when I click on “recover password” I don’t receive an email. What
should I do?
Assure that your spam filter is off and check your junk mail for the email. If these methods fail, contact
Top Hat Monocle.
I think I put my student ID down wrong. Will I lose marks?
You can re-adjust your student ID by clicking on the “Account” tab and inputting a different student ID
to the “student ID” field. As long as your prof has not exported the gradebook, your records will
remain the same.
I don’t see my course on the drop-down menu. What should I do?
First check your account is registered under your school. To do so, click on “Account” and check the
“organization”. If your organization is correct and the course is not on the drop-down menu, inform
your prof. It is likely because he or she has not verified the course, or has not made the course
available or has not allowed the course to appear in the drop-down menu.
I have logged into the course but I don’t see any content. What should I do?
Wait patiently. Your prof still needs to make the content active and/or visible in order for you to be
able to interact with.
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What is the difference between “enroll” and “observe?”
If choose to “observe” the course, you can view the content but cannot submit answers for grades. If
you are enrolled, you can submit answers for grades.
I am observing a course. How can I enroll in the course?
In the right hand side in the “Status” column you should see a box that identifies you as either an
observer or enrolled. Click “enroll” underneath “observer.”
I have answered a question/demo. I have received a participation grade but no grade for correctness
yet. Why?
Wait patiently. Your prof needs to disable submissions before students receive a grade for being
correct.
I finished a question/demo and answered it, but whenever I log in it is still in the content area. Why?
Your professor may still have the content listed as visible. Don’t worry; your answer has still been
counted.
I see a question/demo but there is no submit button. Why?
It is possible that your prof has chosen not to make the question active. The question is either set to
“visible” or “review.”
I sent in my question on an SMS phone and my answer was not counted. Why?
There could be several reasons why your answer was not counted. First, you must ensure that you are
accompanying your answer with the four-digit code under the question. For example, if your answer is
“a,” do not merely text in “a” to the given phone number. You must text in “xxxx a” (x’s being the given
four-digit number). You do not necessarily need to put a space between the four digits and your
answer.
Also, if the answer you picked shows “a France” on the screen, do not text in “xxxx a France.” Simply
text “xxxx a.”
Additionally, if you happen to have a signature attached with your texts, please disable that signature
when texting in your answer. Unfortunately, if anything is included in your answer besides the fourdigit code and the letter answer, it will not be counted.
I use an SMS phone. Why are my grades not being counted?
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If you use an SMS phone, even if you submit your answers regularly, until you actually enroll in the
course, your answers will not be counted towards your grades in the professor’s gradebook. To enroll,
log onto www.tophatmonocle.com, log in with your student account.
Once you have logged in, go to the course URL that the prof has posted on his or her screen. This will
enroll you in the course.
If you have submitted a multitude of answers before enrolling in the course, as long as you have
purchased a license, your previous answers will all be included in the gradebook.
Can I view and participate in demos on SMS phones?
Unfortunately, SMS phones lack the abilities to show demos onscreen. However, you can still access
these demos online through a computer. If you do not have a laptop, all schools have public computers
that you may use.
I use an SMS phone and I recently have changed my phone number. Will my grades be transferred to
the new number automatically?
Yes. Just make sure you change your phone number under the “account” window.
Can I use Top Hat Monocle in class on two devices at once (i.e. text in my answers with my SMS
phone while viewing items on my laptop)?
You may most certainly use two devices at once. However, if you submit the same answer on two or
more devices while the item is active, the new answer will always overwrite the previous one
submitted to the server.
I have difficulty viewing demos on my web browser. What should I do?
Most of our demos run on Javascript and a few run on Flash. They are meant to be supported by all
browsers. Make sure you have downloaded the most recent version of either plug-in.
Who should I contact if things aren’t going smoothly on Top Hat?
If you tried the solutions listed in the FAQ, or if you are having a problem not addressed by the FAQ,
contact Top Hat Monocle support through the ”Support” link in your account, email
(support@tophatmonocle.com) or phone (1-888-663-5491). Although we are always happy to help, we
recommend that you please attempt all solutions explained in the FAQ before contacting THM
Support.
Please do not go to your prof with these problems, as they are often not aware of these solutions. Try
not to raise any technical issues during class as this causes a distraction and will likely lead nowhere.
Top Hat Monocle’s support team is always just a click away.
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