Introduction

This article contains information for educators using Top Hat with Canvas via the LTI 1.3 integration type.

Students, please visit: Top Hat + Canvas Course Enrollment Instructions

The following instructions in this article assume that the required administrative work has been completed by your school's LMS team prior to connecting your course. If not, please refer your LMS Admin team to Request a New Integration first.

How to Video: Connect Your Courses to Canvas

Quick Start Guide

"View / Download PDF"

Pre Connection Steps / Checks (Please review these steps)

To start, ensure the course is not currently connected to an existing Canvas course by navigating to the Top Hat course settings > LTI 1.3 or Legacy LMS Sync tab and press "Disconnect".

(You will only be required to do this if the course has previously been connected to Canvas. If this is a brand new course that has never been used before, you can safely assume that this step will not be needed.)

Note: Your LMS admin team may make updates to the LTI integration on the backend and this may cause unexpected behaviour such as failed grade syncs. A disconnect and reconnect typically resolves most issues.

Image: Disconnect any previously connected course

The following Top Hat LTI 1.3 link (also referred to as a Launch Link) is required for the following:

• Educators: To establish the connection between your Canvas and Top Hat course
• Students: To establish the connection between their Canvas and Top Hat accounts (for grade syncing)

Please keep this link available to students. Removing it will prevent students from fully enrolling into the Top Hat course.

To make the link visible in your Canvas course:

1. Open "Settings" and then "Navigation".
2. Drag the "Top Hat LTI 1.3" link to the "visible to students" menu.
3. Press "Save".

Image: Make the Top Hat Link Visible in the Navigation

Image: Make the Top Hat Link Visible in the Navigation

Note: Top Hat has no control over the naming convention of the link. If you are unable to locate it, please reach out to your school's LMS team for confirmation of the link name / availability on your specific Canvas account.

Your LMS admin team may have restricted access to specific menus or features in Canvas depending on the school's policies and requirements. Please connect with your LMS admin team for further support if you do not have access to some of the features or menus you are searching for.

Connecting the Canvas course to Top Hat

To connect your Canvas course to Top Hat:

1. Press the "Top Hat LTI 1.3" link as indicated above (this will open a new window, ensure your browser is not blocking pop-ups. If so, allow the pop-up and if necessary press the "Top Hat LTI 1.3" link again).
2. Select the correct course from the list and press "Continue" (we recommend naming your Top Hat course with the semester and year to help you identify the correct course).

Image: Choose the correct course

Image: Courses now connected

Now that the courses are connected, you can either navigate back to your Canvas course or continue to Top Hat.

Assuming your Canvas course is "Published" and visible to students, the students are now required to press the same "Top Hat LTI 1.3" link to establish their account connections. Please see the following information to share with them below...

Syllabus Insert

In addition to using Canvas as our Learning Management System, we will be using Top Hat (https://tophat.com) for class participation. Top Hat is an educational platform that integrates interactive features into learning materials, enhancing class engagement and comprehension.

For instructions on how to download the Top Hat app, please refer to our Student's Getting Started Guide online.

Getting Started:

Firstly, your Canvas account role must be "Student", you can verify this in the "People" menu in Canvas under the header "Role". If your role is listed as anything other than student, your grades will not sync to Canvas from Top Hat. To correct this, please connect directly with your educator (Top Hat cannot change this role).

Enrolling into your course:

Do not enroll into the Top Hat course directly. To enroll correctly into your course, you must click the Top Hat Link on the left side of your course in Canvas. Locate the link "Top Hat" or "Top Hat LTI 1.3" or "Launch Link" in your Canvas course.

Pressing the Top Hat link in Canvas directly will also ensure you are enrolled into the correct course or course section in Top Hat.

Once you have clicked the Top Hat link in Canvas, you will be directed to Top Hat automatically (turn off any pop-up blockers). You will have the option to either create a student account or log in to an existing Top Hat account. If you are signing up for Top Hat the first time, please use your official school email address and use a web browser to complete the process.

Important! Use your school issued email address to create your Top Hat account.

Please note you cannot create a Top Hat account or make the required course purchases through the mobile applications. You may see the message "Account not active or Additional Materials Required" when attempting to enroll in the Top Hat Course via the mobile app. To resolve this, please first enroll and purchase the required content (when prompted) on a web browser (Google Chrome or Firefox is recommended for the best experience).

Once you have successfully linked your Canvas and Top Hat account, you may log in and access Top Hat directly using the mobile application.

If you do not click the Top Hat link:

• You will be shown a pop-up message in Top Hat instructing you to do so (web browser only).
• You will be removed from the Top Hat course during the nightly roster sync (if you enrolled in Top Hat directly, which we don't advise!).

If you're removed from the Top Hat course, please review the above steps again.

https://support.tophat.com/s/article/Student-LTI-Course-Enrollment-Canvas

Grade syncs from Top Hat to Canvas:

Grade sync settings are determined by your course educator. For clarification on when to expect your grades to appear in Canvas, please connect with your educator directly.

Some helpful Top Hat lingo to know:

• Join Code / JC: The unique 6-digit code specific to your Top Hat course.
• LMS: Learning Management System (Canvas, Blackboard, D2L...).
• Course Content: Anything in your course such as questions, readings, exams, assignments, presentations, discussions…
• Top Hat Access Key: A unique code issued by Top Hat to redeem for a specific product such as an eTextbook (purchased through an external vendor).
• Bookstore Redemption Code: Purchased through your campus bookstore and must first be exchanged for a Top Hat Access Key before redeeming on the course check-out page.
• Secure Attendance: Requires you to confirm your device location within proximity to the classroom.
• Homework: Submissions are saved and graded.
• Review: Submissions are not saved or graded; intended for revision.

Contact Top Hat Support:

Press "?" in your app or upper right corner of your screen or visit our Support Site (https://support.tophat.com/s/)

Or submit a request through our contact form: Contact Top Hat (https://success.tophat.com/s/contact-main)

Top Hat Student Roster

Note: Please ensure your Canvas course is first "Published" to allow students to enroll.

Your Student Roster in Top Hat will update each night to reflect your current Canvas roster. You can update the roster manually at any time by clicking "Sync Roster". All students enrolled in the Canvas course will appear in the "Students" tab in Top Hat after the initial roster sync. Any subsequent manual roster syncs will remove those students from the Student Manager in Top Hat unless they have clicked the Top Hat link in Canvas.

Students who did not enroll through Canvas will appear in your roster as "Action Required". When a student is removed from the course, they should be directed to follow the information provided above and click the Top Hat link. Any previously awarded grades will automatically re-populate in Top Hat once they re-join the course.

The roster sync occurs nightly and the blue notification bar will reflect the time according to your current location.

Image: Student required to follow Top Hat link in Canvas

Deep Linking Content

What is a deep link? It's a link which directs a user to a specific app vs a website. Deep linked content have their grades sync'd automatically (either immediately with "Live Gradebook enabled" or after the deadline in Canvas has passed).

Deep links can be established for both Modules and Assignments and the process is the same, with the exception that the Module folder must also be published. All the deep linked assignments in a module folder must have the deadline passed before the grades will sync.

Important!

• Deep links must be established before the content is assigned to students and they have responded.
• Do not adjust the point value in Canvas (this will scale automatically upon the sync with Top Hat).
• Do not adjust number of attempts in Canvas; keep it set at "Unlimited" (this is set in Top Hat directly).
• Creating deep links via the "Assignment" flow can be done one at a time only.

Deep Linking Assignments

Step 1: From the Assignments tab in Canvas, click the blue "+ Assignment" link and name your new assignment.

Image: + Assignment in Canvas

Important:
An assignment name is not required—it will populate automatically from Top Hat once the deep link is established.
Do not adjust "Points" and "Submission Attempts"; leave them as 0 and "Unlimited", respectively.

Image: Do not adjust points or allowed attempts

Step 2: From the drop-down menu, select "External Tool". Then press "Find" from the list of available connections.

Image: Selecting the External Tool option

Step 3: Find and select the tool named "Top Hat - LTI 1.3" (Note: Your school's admin team may have titled this differently in your LMS settings).

Image: External Tool - Top Hat LTI 1.3

A new browser tab will open. If it doesn't, your browser may be blocking pop-ups. Press "Open in a new window".

Image: Open in a new window

Step 4: Use the checkboxes to select the content you want to deep link to. Press "Confirm" and then "Continue".

Image: Select the content to deep link

You will be taken back to Canvas. Press "Select".
Common Error: Some educators press "x" to close the pop-up—do not do this. Instead, make sure to press "Select".

Image: Press "Select" not "X"

You should now have the following settings:

• Points: 100
• Assignment Group: Assignments
• Display Grade As: Points
• Submission Type: External Tool
• Appropriate URL: Auto-populated
• Load This Tool In A New Tab: Selected / Ticked
• Allowed Attempts: Unlimited

Step 5: Once you have confirmed this, press "Save".

Image: Press "Save"

Step 6: Publish the Assignment in Canvas.

Image: Publish the Assignment in Canvas

Step 7: Assign the content in Top Hat—this will complete the deep linking process. For information about how to assign content, please refer to: Educator: Assigning Content to Students.

Deep Linking Modules

Step 1: From the Modules tab in Canvas, click the blue "+ Module" link and name your new module.

Image: +Module button

Image: Add Module

Step 2: Click the "+" icon to add assignments to the module. From the dropdown menu, select "External Tool".

Image: select "+" to select the external tool

Image: Select the external tool from the drop down

Step 3: Find and select the tool named "Top Hat - LTI 1.3" (Note: Your school's admin team may have titled this differently in your LMS settings).

Image: Select the external tool from the list

A new browser tab will open.

Step 4: Use the checkboxes to select the content you want to deep link to. Choose whether you want grades for these items to automatically sync to Canvas after they are released to students. Press "Continue".

Image: Select the content to deep link

Step 5: Select "Continue", then on the next screen press "Confirm". Be sure to select "Add Item".

Image: Ensure to press "Add Item" after selection

Step 6: Publish the Module and the Assignment(s).
Note: The module folder must also be published—this is a commonly overlooked step.
Please leave the point value at 100. Adjusting the point value in Canvas will cause grade discrepancies. This value will scale automatically when grades sync.

Image: Ensure Module and Content are both published in Canvas

Step 7: The final step in establishing the deep link is to assign the content in Top Hat. Without this step, the deep link is not yet complete.

Head back to Top Hat and assign the content.

Image: Assign the content in Top Hat to finalize the deep link process

The deep link is now established. The process for deep linking assignments is the same as deep linking modules.

Support Article
Educator: Assigning Content to Student

Grade Syncing

Automatic Grade Sync for Deep-Linked Content

Grade Release Events

Grades are synced to the LMS after they are released to students in Top Hat. Grades are considered "released to students" in the following circumstances:

• When a student re-enrolls in a course or switches sections, and they already have released grades.
• When "live gradebook" is enabled and a student answers a question — this applies to both standalone and embedded questions.
• When the assignment's due date passes or the educator unassigns the content.
• When grades have been released for content in a folder and that content is moved.
• When a grade is entered manually in the gradebook.
• When attendance is entered manually in the gradebook.
• When the instructor edits a released grade — either manually or by altering the point value.
• When the educator excuses or unexcuses a released grade.

Manual Grade Sync

For items that have not been deep linked, you can manually sync grades to Canvas.

The following records can only be manually synced:

• Attendance
• Course Aggregate Grade
• Manually Entered Grades

Step 1: In the Top Hat Gradebook, click the "Sync" button and select which grade columns you wish to sync to Canvas. Click "Sync with LMS" to confirm.

Image: Select content to manually sync with Canvas

Note: Small sync jobs may take only a few seconds to complete. Larger sync jobs may take longer depending on course size, number of grades, and current server load.

If assignments have been re-assigned to students, you may need to run a manual sync to ensure their grades are correctly synced to Canvas.

Grade Sync Limitations

Please note that grades will not sync when a Canvas course has "concluded" or when the Canvas course "end date" has passed. (This is controlled in Canvas and is not the "Top Hat End Date" located under the "Course Settings" menu.)

Please contact support@tophat.com if you need assistance with grade sync past this date.

MSM Courses

To learn more about connecting Canvas sectioned, cross-listed, and blueprint courses to Top Hat, please visit: https://support.tophat.com/s/article/canvas-lti13-msm

Image: MSM Parent Course > Top Hat Course connection