Top Hat vs zyBooks

Top Hat is a higher education student engagement and courseware platform for interactive learning in and beyond class. During lectures, educators can use polls, discussions, quizzes and instant feedback. For coursework, it supports interactive homework and readings, customizable digital textbooks and instructor-created materials. Instructors can create, schedule or upload tests and assignments, and use AI tools to generate questions from course content. Ace helps educators prepare classes and create interactive prompts; students can use it for personalized study and practice based on course materials. Top Hat turns attendance, participation, reading and assessment data into insights about student progress. It lists integrations with Canvas, Blackboard, D2L Brightspace, Moodle and Sakai; LTI 1.3 integrations for Canvas and D2L Brightspace can provide roster sync, grade sync, deep links and single sign-on. Students can use a browser or iOS and Android apps. Student access plans are $35, paid once for four months, $58, paid once for 12 months, or $96, paid once for 48 months. Eligible paid courses usually offer a five-day free trial.

zyBooks is interactive digital courseware designed as an alternative to textbooks in STEM courses. Instructors can add custom content, create sections and chapters, and set course content and pacing. LMS integration is optional: zyBooks supports LTI 1.3 single sign-on and grade passback, with documentation for Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, and Moodle; activity scores can also be downloaded as CSV files. Security course materials include labs for practicing malware creation, network analysis, and vulnerability assessment. The maker describes accessibility against WCAG 2.2 A/AA, Revised Section 508, and EN 301 549, and offers accessibility modes and chapter PDFs. Access is by paid subscription, with a free evaluation available to instructors.