The Discussion Project has released application information for trainings being offered to cohorts in April/May and again in June.
The Discussion Project Virtual is an online training that supports UW–Madison instructors — including faculty, academic staff, and graduate students (teaching assistants or lecturers) — in creating the conditions for equitable, inclusive, and engaging online discussions. The initiative is open to those teaching a synchronous course that serves 40 or fewer students, whether in-person or online.
The training consists of seven, two-hour synchronous sessions in Zoom, each preceded by an hour of asynchronous preparatory work in Canvas.
For full consideration for an April/May or June cohort, apply by March 18 and April 30, respectively. Additional details are available here.
The Discussion Project Virtual training will help university instructors:
- Understand how the characteristics of online communication affect discussion and classroom climate, and account for these in their discussion plans
- Take responsibility for creating an equitable and inclusive classroom climate conducive to high quality discussion by implementing strategies that engage all students
- Distinguish between discussion and other forms of student talk/interaction and articulate the benefits of discussion for student learning
- Learn how to structure online discussion
- Effectively plan, implement, and reflect on classroom discussions
- Understand the purposes of assessment in and for discussion
- And implement strategies that develop students’ discussion skills.
The Discussion Project is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and operates within the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, which is housed within UW–Madison’s School of Education. School of Education Dean Diana Hess is the project’s principal investigator.