TopHat vs Knovio
Last Updated:Our analysts compared TopHat vs Knovio based on data from our 400+ point analysis of LMS Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.
Product Basics
Product Assistance
Product Insights
- Better Content: The solution can help create and deliver high-quality content. Learners keep access to their materials even after the lesson is over. It also changes up boring PDFs and replaces them with interactive content with embedded videos, questions and graphics.
- Digital Textbooks: Instructors can create, adapt, share and customize textbooks and other interactive materials for their course. They are always up-to-date. Users can embed assessments right into the material to see how students are absorbing material as they read. The text can also integrate videos and animations for more engaging material. It’s free or low-cost for the students and constantly added to by a community of educators.
- Marketplace: It provides different integrated applications for coursework and content. Learners and teachers have access to thousands of textbooks, educational materials, question packs and over 20,000 open classroom resources. The subjects include anthropology, arts, biology, business, chemistry, computer science, cultural studies, earth science, education, engineering, ethics, health, humanities, law, math, medicine, physics, religious studies, science and more.
- Customizing and OER: Users can change up the digital textbooks for intro courses to add and remove relevant information. Content is up to date and easy to modernize in the places where it may be lacking. It can take feedback and give changes in real-time. Through the marketplace, it’s easy to get open education resources from places like OpenStax and Saylor. This makes it easy for the school library to find the OER they need.
- Greater Student Engagement: Students can receive more encouragement to participate, learn and have a voice. Some tools include a discussion prompt added between slides, awarding participation points and anonymous participation for shy students. Students can vote for responses in a queue, giving teachers an idea of where the group isn’t understanding the material. For creative questions, students can even submit drawings. The solution allows instructors to sync slides with students’ devices while students can’t move ahead of the class. This forces them to pay attention. Educators can share the responses of students in fun, interactive ways with visual graphs, heat maps and word clouds. Upon the end of the lecture, instructors can let their students see slides in review mode so they can study.
- Better Interoperability: While the solution does some of the same things as the learning solutions, it also integrates with other more complex platforms such as Blackboard, Canvas, D2L and Moodle. For those who already have an LMS and SIS set up, this connects seamlessly to bump up the experience without getting rid of present tools.
- Creates Video Presentations Effortlessly: Knovio lets users create video presentations effortlessly in a few simple steps. It helps record audio or video while creating presentation slides. It also lets managers collaborate with colleagues and experts to measure the performance of their content and track viewer activity and engagement. Video presentations can be used to boost participation and knowledge retention in training programs. Video content can be integrated with an organization’s learning management system to track individual performance.
- Live Streams Events from Desktops: It supports live multimedia webcasting to reach a wide audience. Users can produce live webcasts from their desktops and sync live videos with slides, which can be modified in real-time. Live videos can also be synced with PDFs, animated PowerPoints, images and live web pages. Pre-registration pages for events allow businesses to generate leads and understand their audience. NeverLate functionality allows the latecomers to join the event from the start without obstructing the live stream.
- Monetizes Events: Knovio empowers users to monetize their live events and boost their ROI with easy-to-use paywall services. Videos and live events can be hosted behind a secure paywall, which can be added to the event content within minutes. Event organizers can create pay-per-view offers or subscriptions and can accept payments from anywhere, anytime. Paywalls are fast and affordable options for businesses to monetize their content and increase revenue streams during and after the event.
- Maximizes Device Capabilities: It makes full use of multimedia capabilities such as web cameras and internal or external microphones installed on computers or mobile devices. It does the same when used on an iPad — takes advantage of its video editing capabilities, built-in microphone and front and rear cameras.
- Mobile Responsive: Knovio’s mobile application lets users create and publish video presentations with ease. It adds zest to static presentation slides with personal videos or audio commentaries to deliver a personalized and information-rich experience. It allows for the re-recording of video or audio files, in case of errors. The mobile interface can be integrated with Google Drive and Dropbox for seamless uploads.
- Testing: With built-in security, users can host tests, quizzes and exams in a virtual environment where students can bring their own devices. Tests are easy to build and customize with multiple formats for questions. The fourteen unique question types include fill-in-the-blank, word answers, multiple-choice, numeric answers, click-on-target and many others. Students can also do video assignments, drawings or chemistry questions. Several behavioral algorithms help teachers monitor students and prevent cheating. If they do, they’re immediately locked out. Instructors can also see a real-time report and can offer secure codes so students can get into the proper test. Once the exam is complete, educators can automatically grade and have results show up immediately in the gradebook. This system is compatible with smartphones, laptops and tablets and doesn’t require a separate app. Grades can transfer to an LMS or other solution. Once grading is complete, it’s easy to review results and identify at-risk learners.
- Attendance: Teachers can verify attendance in several ways. First, they can prompt students to sign in using a unique code and assign grades to reward students who are present. Second, the solution can verify the students’ physical location so only those in class get counted. It sends points for roll call and participation straight into the gradebook. Alternatively, instructors can build options for excused absences.
- Grading and Reporting: Users can track learner progress, implement weighted grading and track attendance and performance. All of this transfers to the gradebook automatically. Instructors can weigh factors such as questions, participation and attendance. From there, administrators can analyze information and adjust for future lessons. To make sure teachers miss nothing it automatically captures student replies and participation grades in the gradebook.
- Course Creation: Users can integrate quizzes, tests and other course materials. They can also track through analytics and port results over to other software. The system is FERPA compliant and has extensive support. Some other functions are the discussion tool where students can collaborate, offline mode, multiple file type capabilities, access to the marketplace, design consulting and more. Administrators can include gamification, flip classrooms and use devices to bump up engagement. Teachers can also stream lectures and students can participate in a live chat.
- Assignments: It provides the functionality to create, personalize and auto-grade homework. Teachers can assign unique questions based on the group or individual and use interactive questions to engage students and reinforce the material. Homework assignments are easy and quick to assemble. Users can time responses, limit wrong answers or show the correct answers. They can also add images, videos and website links and build existing homework right into the platform. When the homework is complete, instructors can provide feedback immediately with comments. For hard subjects, users can create ungraded homework.
- Institutions: Broader districts or institutions using the solution can acquire support specifically for their needs. The solution provides help with implementation, scaling, onboarding and other resources. Afterward, the company can help administrators review the program’s success. For organizations looking for more comprehensive help, the company manages support and training for the institution. They also offer workshops that follow the pedagogy and challenges of the faculty. A team of 40 instructional designers works to make this happen while a dedicated account manager communicates one-on-one. It integrates with all major LMSs and works with Shibboleth for easy configuration and single sign-on capability. It comes with institution-paid and student-paid options and has a clicker buyback program for the early transition.
- Cloud-Based: The solution is a Software-as-a-Service and available without additional hardware or installing. It’s designed to scale smoothly and collects student data to ensure the organization is keeping track of student aptitude and progress.
- Assessments: These deeper level analytics go after not just individual grades or students, but can track performance, completion, persistence and learning outcomes across the organization. It offers both summative and formative analysis so instructions can both correct the overall course and find individuals who need help. This makes it easier to track, identify, diagnose and fix problems when they arise.
- Content Creation and Course Authoring: For specialized content, the solution provides authoring tools to create the materials. Users can get help with textbook projects. Instructors who want to share their work on the marketplace still own the copyright and earn royalties. It also provides collaborative projects where multiple educators and experts can come together to make a textbook. Creators can import OER or other content and split the revenue among collaborators.
- Accessibility: It has various options to accommodate different students and learning styles. This includes allowing students to dial-in to a lecture via phone, transcripts of lecture records and videos of class meetings. It also optimizes assignments and textbooks so students can work from their desired device.
- Advanced Sync and Trim: Knovio provides users with advanced sync and virtual video trim tools to assemble and publish existing and new videos and slides in a seamless workflow. Slides can be synced with just a portion of a video or the entire video. It supports updating old training programs, webinars and corporate communication materials by replacing or modifying slides and video clips.
- Customizable Players: It helps businesses customize their content using their logos and colors to enrich every experience with side by side configuration, transcripts, bios and clickable navigation. Interactive players allow viewers to engage with content in the manner they choose, and it’s responsively built to enhance the viewing experience. Users can choose from five player configurations and 25 templates.
- Advanced Sharing: Knovio offers advanced options to share customized and published videos. Its custom links provide the ability to send friendly URLs to viewers and track the origin of the views. Users can adjust dimensions and copy-paste the code into their website to track views. Videos can be securely shared with selected viewers via email, and creators are notified when the recipients watch them. A guest list can also be created for select viewers to watch videos.
- Guestbook Registration: Event creators can design a registration page before showcases to generate new leads and delve deeper into viewer interactions. Companies can add their branding and custom fields to gather viewers’ data. While using videos for marketing and lead generation purposes, organizers can ask for details like viewers’ job titles and industries.
- Branded Showcases: Knovio helps businesses organize and manage all their content in showcases. These showcases, which are easy-to-use, track and share, let businesses curate and monetize their content. Organizations can create branded content for live event showcases, internal audiences or to enhance partner engagement. Showcases can have a guest list to restrict them for selected audiences or can be incorporated with a paywall for content monetization. Showcases can also be used to store marketing videos, sales demonstration videos for prospective clients, training presentations for new arrivals or as a support video portal for customers.
- Viewer-Level Analytics: Knovio’s analytics dashboard provides an overall sense of a company’s video performance. Users can find viewer logs with playback time, total clicks, slides viewed and overall engagement score. Trends can be organized by any of the custom guestbook fields, and a CSV can be downloaded to upload to a user’s LMS or MAP.
Product Ranking
#31
among all
LMS Software
#89
among all
LMS Software
User Sentiment Summary
63 reviews
11 reviews
TopHat has a 'good' User Satisfaction Rating of 78% when considering 63 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.
Knovio has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 11 user reviews from 1 recognized software review sites.
Awards
Knovio stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.
Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews
Is TopHat a top-tier learning management system, or does it fall flat? User reviews from the last year reveal a mixed bag. TopHat is praised for its interactive features that boost student participation, such as polls, quizzes, and seamless integration with existing LMS platforms. Educators particularly appreciate its ability to transform lectures into engaging experiences, as highlighted by a professor who lauded TopHat for breathing life into their classroom and facilitating dynamic student interaction. However, some users find the platform's initial navigation somewhat cumbersome and occasionally encounter technical hiccups. A case in point is the "time-constrained attendance marker," which reportedly suffers from lag, impacting user experience. While TopHat's customer support receives mixed reviews, its strengths lie in its user-friendly interface, diverse question formats, and smooth integration capabilities. Its standout feature, the ability to create an interactive and engaging learning environment, makes it a hit among educators. Conversely, the pricing model, which requires students to pay individually, draws criticism for potentially hindering access for some. A user aptly pointed out, "Not all of my students have the means to pay for access (which can really impact their grade if they don't use the platform)." TopHat's differentiating factor lies in its dedication to fostering student engagement and active learning. This is achieved through features like real-time polls, quizzes, and interactive presentations, setting it apart from traditional, static learning platforms. A testament to this is a user's comment, "Top Hat is a great student engagement tool, useful in polling students on the fly or setting up assessments prior to class." In conclusion, TopHat is best suited for educators seeking to infuse their classrooms with interactivity and boost student participation. Its array of engagement-focused tools makes it ideal for educators who prioritize active learning. However, the pricing structure might pose a challenge for students with limited financial resources, making it crucial for institutions to consider alternative funding models or explore site licenses to ensure equitable access for all.
Knovio appears to be a bit of a mixed bag according to user reviews from the past year. On the plus side, users appreciate its user-friendly interface and ease of use, especially for creating and delivering video-based learning content. The platform's ability to integrate with other systems, such as Salesforce and HubSpot, is also seen as a major advantage, allowing for streamlined workflows and data sharing. However, some users have expressed concerns about limited customization options and occasional technical glitches. Additionally, while Knovio's video focus is a strength, it may also be a limiting factor for those seeking a more comprehensive LMS solution with features like gamification, advanced assessments, and robust reporting capabilities. So, who is Knovio best suited for? Based on user feedback, it seems like a good fit for organizations that prioritize video-based learning and want a simple, easy-to-use platform for creating and delivering content. Its integration capabilities also make it attractive for businesses already using systems like Salesforce or HubSpot. However, for those needing a more feature-rich LMS with extensive customization options and advanced functionality, Knovio might fall a bit short. It's always a good idea to check the latest online reviews and product information, as things can change quickly in the tech world.
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