The Discussion Project
(In-person)
Registration is now open for our January 2024 in-person course.
Cohort A: January 9,10,11 –8:30am-4:30pm in Education 159 on Bascom Hill.
Cohort B: January 17, 18, 19 –8:30am-4:30pm in the Memorial Union
Who should register for the Discussion Project In-Person course?
- We welcome any university instructor (faculty, academic staff, graduate student) or staff person who leads discussion.
- The course is most applicable to those teaching face-to-face classes with fewer than 40 students.
- In order to be eligible to participate, registrants must be available to attend all three days of the course.
If you are not affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would like to take the Discussion Project course, please visit this website where individuals and institutions may register for a course series.
The Discussion Project Virtual
(Online)
Registration is now open for our February – March 2024 online course.
Course format: Participants will meet online in seven 2-hour synchronous sessions on Zoom. Each session is preceded by one hour of asynchronous preparatory work in Canvas.
Who should register for the Discussion Project Virtual online course?
- We welcome any university instructor (faculty, academic staff, TA) or staff person who leads discussion.
- The course is most applicable to those teaching online classes with fewer than 40 students.
- In order to be eligible to participate, registrants must be available to attend all synchronous sessions.
- The focus of the course is online synchronous video conference discussion (eg., via Zoom). Skills learned are also relevant to in-person teaching.
If you are not affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would like to take the Discussion Project course, please visit this website where individuals and institutions may register for a course series.
Some findings from The Discussion Project Research…
Students are more likely to engage in discussion when their instructor has prepared them for it.
More students are able to engage in discussion more effectively in small groups.
Students can engage more in discussion when they feel comfortable with their classmates.
Open questions with more than one answer can foster discussion with broader participation.
Many students need structure and guidance to engage well in discussion.