Smart Classroom Technologies | News

Panopto, Top Hat Monocle Team Up On Interactive Learning Tools

• By Kanoe Namahoe
• 03/04/13

Panopto, a lecture capture software provider, and Top Hat Monocle, a developer of Web-based classroom response systems, have teamed up to provide instructors with the ability to build quizzes and polls into their captured recordings. The joint venture aims to provide instructors with tools they can use to create a more engaging learning environment, according to a statement from the company.

Top Hat Monocle's solutions are designed to work with all mobile and Web-enabled devices, including smartphones, laptops, and iPods. The software allows students to "respond in real time to questions and polls posed by instructors, run interactive demonstrations, ask questions, download course notes and submit homework."

Instructors who use Panopto's lecture capture system can now include Top Hat Monocle's student response tools into their recorded content. Professors can record supplementary video for students to review outside of class and build a quiz into the recording to test student comprehension of the material. They can pre-record lectures, then use the classroom response tool, during class time, to gauge student understanding of the material and view real-time results. Instructors teaching distance learning courses can build polls and quizzes into their live broadcasts as a way to get students involved in the class discussion.

"Top Hat Monocle believes that students deserve a classroom experience that is collaborative, dynamic and inspires curiosity,” said Silagadze, in the prepared statement.

"Panopto and Top Hat Monocle share a vision for improving the learning experience through software that helps teachers focus on teaching while improving student engagement, retention, and academic achievement," said Panopto's chief product officer Eric Burns.

Additional information about the new partnership can be found online at the companies' Web sites.