The UW Dialogue Initiative partnered with Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) to implement the evidence-based Perspectives curriculum, an evidence-based blended learning program featuring online lessons and guided, small-group peer-to-peer discussions designed to strengthen students' skills for engaging across differences, managing disagreement constructively, and navigating complex conversations with clarity and respect. The Perspectives program highlights its rigorous testing through randomized control trials that have shown an 80% increase in confidence navigating difficult conversations and communicating across differences among students.
Perspectives features six structured, self-paced, online modules and three guided, small-group peer-to-peer discussions that give students the chance to apply what they’ve learned in real time—practicing curiosity, perspective-taking, and storytelling through prompts designed to build understanding. Lessons introduce students to the core skills of constructive dialogue, from understanding cognitive biases and moral differences to asking better questions and navigating conflict. With an aim to promote perspective-taking and intellectual humility through recognizing the limits of one’s own knowledge while considering how reasonable people can arrive at different conclusions, Perspectives covers the following concepts:
UW Bothell has partnered with CDI to use the Perspectives curriculum since 2023. All new and transfer students will encounter the curriculum during Advising & Orientation sessions and in some selected Discovery Core classes – required interdisciplinary courses for incoming new students. The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) also uses components of Perspectives with smaller specialty groups on campus. Future plans include incorporating Perspectives throughout all Discovery Core courses, and other courses with interested and willing faculty to expand campus-wide.
UW Seattle has integrated the Perspectives curriculum into new student Advising & Orientation (A&O) programming. The curriculum will reach all incoming new and transfer students. Students will be required to complete four of the six individual modules as part of A&O preparation work, and engage in two of the three peer-to-peer discussions at in-person A&O sessions. The remaining modules and peer-to-peer conversations are offered as an optional lesson for First-year Interest Groups (FIG) and through other partnerships on campus.
UW Tacoma will pilot the Perspectives curriculum with a cohort of 25 student leaders during the 2026-27 academic year, coordinated through the Center for Equity and Inclusion (CEI). Future implementation of Perspectives on a larger scale includes the incorporation of the program in core, general education, or new-student courses, supporting the tri-campus goal of developing a shared framework for dialogue skill development and practice.
All undergraduate students at any of the University of Washington campuses will have access to Perspectives.
