UW Dialogue Initiative

The five core tenets below represent the shared learning outcomes for the Tri-Campus UW Dialogue Initiative. While these outcomes provide a unified framework, each campus retains the autonomy to implement, evaluate, and adapt them in ways that best align with their own context.

Assessment will take place after each new student orientation session, which sets the foundation for students’ dialogue learning. At the end of the academic year, a survey will be sent to all first-year and transfer students to understand how well these outcomes were met. Additionally, we will include one or more common survey questions across all three campuses to support shared assessment and collective learning.

It is our hope that all University of Washington students across Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma will graduate embodying these learning outcomes and continue to practice them well beyond their time at UW. We recognize that growth in dialogue does not happen overnight; rather, it unfolds over time through consistent engagement. These outcomes are not limited to the UW Dialogue Initiative but are intended to show up across the entire student experience, from classrooms and campus programs to everyday interactions and community life. Through these shared learning outcomes, we aim to cultivate a generation of Huskies who lead with curiosity, empathy, and courage in every space they enter.

Pre-Survey (Before Orientation)

• Administered through UW 101 (Seattle), Bothell 101, and UWT orientation.
• Surveys will include shared baseline questions across all campuses.
• Each campus will show the Provost’s video introducing the Dialogue Initiative and the importance of learning across difference.
• Our survey questions will reflect the learning goals identified by the Provost.
• Example pre-survey questions
  • How comfortable do you feel engaging in conversations across difference?
  • To what extent do you feel culturally aware when discussing difference?
  • How confident are you in identifying misinformation or bias in conversations and media?

Post Orientation Assessment

• Each campus will assess learning outcomes using approaches that best fit their orientation model.
• While activities may differ, we will include common survey questions across all campuses to ensure shared assessment and comparability.
• Assessments will also evaluate the effectiveness of each activity in fostering dialogue skills and reflection.
• Our questions will assist students in recognizing and measuring their own growth, such as:
  • How has your ability to engage in dialogue across difference changed since orientation?
  • What new strategies or insights have you developed for holding difficult conversations?

Fall Quarter Assessment

• All three campuses will continue to integrate additional dialogue-related questions into existing assessments.
• This phase will help us understand how students are applying dialogue skills beyond orientation and identify areas for deeper engagement throughout the academic year.

Students will:

• Identify how personal values, assumptions, and experiences shape their understanding of others.
• Demonstrate openness by asking clarifying questions and seeking to understand unfamiliar perspectives.
• Reflect on and adapt their own perspectives after engaging with new ideas, lived experiences, or evidence.

Measured by (examples): Reflective writing, pre/post surveys, and peer feedback.

Outcomes:

• Short-term: Increased perspective-taking and self-reflection.
• Long-term: Students demonstrate empathy and adaptability in civic and academic settings.

Students will:

• Recognize and evaluate personal and societal biases that influence how information and narratives are interpreted.
• Analyze diverse sources and viewpoints to develop balanced, evidence-based conclusions.
• Identify misinformation and disinformation across media and discourse contexts.

Measured by (examples): Fact-checking assignments and small group conversations.

Outcomes:

• Short-term: Improved discernment and information literacy.
• Long-term: Students make evidence-based, equity-informed decisions and approach disagreement as a learning opportunity.

Students will:

• Apply active listening by paraphrasing and summarizing others’ viewpoints before responding.
• Engage respectfully with differing perspectives to identify shared values and areas of constructive disagreement.
• Co-create solutions to complex social or community issues by integrating multiple perspectives and promoting inclusion.

Measured by (examples): Facilitated dialogue participation, group collaboration, and peer feedback on communication and collaboration.

Outcomes:

• Short-term: Strengthened interpersonal communication and conflict navigation.
• Long-term: A campus culture of inclusive dialogue and shared problem-solving.

Students will:

• Understand how the body’s automatic stress response influences listening and participation in dialogue.
• Develop mindfulness techniques to respond rather than react in moments of tension or disagreement.
• Practice emotional awareness to remain present, empathetic, and grounded during dialogue.

Measured by (examples): Guided mindfulness exercises, reflection logs (gratitude journals), facilitator observations.

Outcomes:

• Short-term: Increased self-regulation and awareness during challenging conversations.
• Long-term: Students model calm, compassionate engagement that fosters psychological safety.

Students will:

• Recognize the limits of their own knowledge and remain open to learning without abandoning core convictions.
• Approach disagreement with curiosity, courage, patience, empathy, and compassion.
• Identify moral and value differences while seeking shared meaning and common ground.

Measured by (examples): Structured reflection prompts, homework assignments, and peer-to-peer practice dialogues.

Outcomes

• Short-term: Greater openness, patience, and comfort with ambiguity.
• Long-term: Students sustain dialogue across difference and contribute to more connected, inclusive communities.