The Discussion Project
(In-person)
All in-person courses for August 2025 are full. Please join the waitlist.
For Graduate Students: Full
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2025.08C August 18, 19, 20 -Education Building on Bascom Hill, Room 159
For Academic Staff and Faculty: Full
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2025.08A: August 11, 12, 13 -Education Building on Bascom Hill, Room 159 -
2025.05B August 11, 12, 13 -Educational Sciences, 1025 W Johnson St, Madison, WI 53706
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 but is also relevant for those teaching large interactive lecture classes with discussion sections.
- 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.
Any of the Universities of Wisconsin may request that The Discussion Project come to teach on your campus by emailing lrglueck@wisc.edu. We also have been running an open enrollment Universities of Wisconsin course each June.
The Discussion Project Virtual
(Online)
Registration Open! Click Here
FOR FACULTY, ACADEMIC STAFF, AND GRADUATE STUDENTS
Course Dates / Time: 2025.09-WEDNESDAYS, 1PM-3PM CST: 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22
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.
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.
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.
Any of the Universities of Wisconsin may request that The Discussion Project teach online for your campus by emailing lrglueck@wisc.edu.
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.