Top Hat

A continuous product engineering partnership focused on improving user adoption, strengthening LMS connectivity, and making learning platform operations more efficient and reliable.

Related IndustryEducation & EdTech

Related ServicesWeb

The Summary

Top Hat partnered with BlueOC to continuously enhance its digital learning platform for educators and students. The project focused on improving user onboarding, expanding LMS integrations, and delivering new features to strengthen platform adoption. BlueOC also enhanced course management and role-based access to create a smoother, more reliable learning experience.

About Top Hat

Industry: Education Technology
Platform: Digital Learning Platform
LMS: Canvas · D2L · Blackboard
Project Focus: Product Enhancement & Integration
Partnership Model: Continuous Engineering

750+
Institutions: 24k+
Educators: 3M+
Students

The Challenge

Top Hat needed to reduce friction in the user journey while expanding interoperability with the LMS ecosystems used by educational institutions. The platform also needed stronger course management and permission controls to support a growing range of users and workflows.

Onboarding Friction: High setup overhead slowed new user registration and initial platform adoption.
LMS Fragmentation: Maintaining stable, synchronized integrations across Canvas, D2L, and Blackboard added heavy maintenance effort.
Access Control Issues: Inflexible permission models triggered frequent access-denied errors and inflated support ticket volumes.
Manual Administrative Overhead: Course renewal and account configuration processes consumed excessive operational hours per opportunity.

The Solution

BlueOC combined product enhancement, LMS integration, and access management improvements to strengthen the platform's overall user experience and operational reliability.

Optimized Sign-Up & Onboarding

Redesigned user registration to reduce setup steps and friction points.
Accelerated time-to-value for new instructors creating their first course.
Streamlined student enrollment flows to increase Day-1 adoption.

Engagement & Interactive Feature Development

Built interactive assessment modules, including live polling and quizzes.
Developed robust exam management and attendance tracking tools.
Incorporated AI-driven enhancements to improve teaching and learning experiences

Seamless LMS Integration

Engineered deep, standardized connectors for Canvas, D2L, and Blackboard.
Automated roster synchronization and gradebook passback across platforms.
Ensured high data consistency and system stability across diverse institutional setups.

Course Management & Role-Based Access Control

Implemented Course-Based Roles (CBR) to define precise permission hierarchies.
Deployed "Magic Renewals" automation to eliminate manual administrative steps.
Reduced friction in co-instructor access and course-sharing workflows.

Technologies Used

Technology Stack

React
Node.js
MySQL

The Result

The project helped Top Hat create a smoother onboarding experience, expand its LMS ecosystem, and strengthen platform operations. Improvements to role-based access also reduced operational friction and support needs, while automation significantly shortened the effort required for Magic Renewals.

60%+
Renewal effort reduction: 750+
Registered institutions: 3M+
Active students: 24k+
Educator users

"BlueOC helped us move from fragmented processes to a more connected and efficient way of working, with technology supporting the business rather than slowing it down."

Morgan MarchackProduct Manager

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