Enhance Student Engagement with Kialo: New Training Portal Course Now Available!
Kialo is the free tool for thoughtful, inclusive discussions. For over a decade, it has helped educators foster meaningful conversations and sharpen students’ critical thinking skills. Now, its training course is available as part of our On-Demand Training Portal, making it easier than ever to bring structured debate into the classroom. We’re thrilled to announce the launch of “Enhancing Discussions with Kialo,” a partnership course developed by Kialo, available starting March 7, 2025. With over one million users already experiencing deeper discussions, this 100% free, nonprofit platform is transforming classrooms worldwide.
Founded in Berlin in 2011, Kialo empowers students to engage in structured debates, fostering civil discourse and argumentative reasoning skills. The platform adheres to some of the strictest data security and privacy standards in the world, and does not sell, rent, or otherwise profit from user data. Kialo prioritizes data security and privacy, ensuring a safe and respectful online environment.
In collaboration with Instructure, Kialo has crafted an engaging Partnership Training Course to equip instructors and administrators with the knowledge and skills to leverage Kialo’s unique features to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. Institutions with Essentials, Standard, or Premium subscriptions to the On-Demand Training Portal will have access to this course (learn more about available subscription levels). For guidance on accessing partnership courses within the portal, please refer to our Partnership Program Launch Blog post.
Kialo is a completely free tool, offering a unique discussion format centered around a starting thesis. Students contribute by adding "pros" and "cons," visually building an interactive map of the debate. Students can contribute instantly, simultaneously, and from anywhere, while the visual layout makes it much easier for students to understand complex arguments.
Benefits of Kialo:
- Boost Student Engagement: Foster active participation and deeper discussions, with 3-5 times more participation.
- Develop Critical Thinking: Guide students to analyze arguments and form their own opinions.
- Enhance Civil Discourse: Create a platform for respectful debate and discussion.
- Visual and Interactive: Dynamic maps help students grasp complex topics.
- Free and Secure: Kialo is a free, nonprofit platform that prioritizes data privacy.
In this Training Portal Course, you'll discover how to seamlessly integrate Kialo into Canvas to boost student engagement, develop critical thinking skills, and deepen topic comprehension. The course explores Kialo’s core features and its LTI integration with Canvas, enabling students to participate in discussions directly within their courses. Features include grade syncing, which allows educators to easily send grades and feedback from Kialo to the Canvas Gradebook. The course features modules with written content, images, and video tutorials, as well as interactive examples of pre-built Kialo discussions. Upon successful completion, participants receive a verifiable digital badge, recognizing their new expertise.
By the end of the course, learners will be able to:
- Integrate Kialo seamlessly into Canvas.
- Utilize the Kialo integration within Canvas modules and assignments.
- Understand the student experience with Kialo, from interface navigation to participation in discussions.
- Leverage Kialo for whole-class discussions, small group activities, individual exploration, essay planning, and more!
- Explore practical examples of Kialo discussions for various classroom needs, including assessment, flipped learning, and essay writing.
- Apply best practices and tips to optimize the Kialo experience for both educators and students.
We have partnered with Kialo to bring this valuable resource to our community. We believe this training course will empower educators to boost engagement, cultivate critical thinking, and enhance the overall learning experience. Ready to transform your classroom? Enroll in the Kialo Partnership Training Course today and unlock the power of engaging discussions for your students! How do you envision using Kialo in your teaching? Share your ideas and experiences in the comments below!
