student survey data

We present post-chat survey data from 106 colleges and universities where instructors have used Sway to give their students guided, hands-on practice with constructive disagreement. These institutions span Ivy League universities, community colleges, and technical schools. Students tackled everything from international conflicts, immigration, and income inequality to conservation biology, social work, and occupational therapy. Check out students' written feedback on our feedback page.

106

Institutions

179

Professors

376

Assignments

1,399

Chat Topics

Scale: –2 = Strongly disagree, 0 = Neutral, +2 = Strongly agree. Post-chat surveys sample a subset of the total survey items, so response counts vary across some items.

How was your chat?

🔥 Awesome 4,758 (37%)

👍 Good 5,454 (43%)

😐 It's OK 1,904 (15%)

👎 Not a fan 477 (4%)

💩 Hated it 219 (2%)

mean = 1.10 (95% confidence interval: 1.08–1.11)

The skills I practiced here will be useful in my conversations outside of Sway

Strongly agree 1,699 (41%)

Agree 1,684 (40%)

Neutral 643 (15%)

Disagree 104 (2%)

Strongly disagree 60 (1%)

mean = 1.16 (95% confidence interval: 1.13–1.19)

It was valuable to chat with a student who did NOT share my perspective

Strongly agree 2,361 (42%)

Agree 2,309 (41%)

Neutral 830 (15%)

Disagree 90 (2%)

Strongly disagree 50 (1%)

mean = 1.21 (95% confidence interval: 1.19–1.23)

I felt comfortable sharing my honest opinions with my partner

Strongly agree 3,078 (54%)

Agree 2,098 (37%)

Neutral 420 (7%)

Disagree 42 (1%)

Strongly disagree 27 (0%)

mean = 1.44 (95% confidence interval: 1.42–1.46)

I was not offended by my partner’s perspective

Strongly agree 3,485 (64%)

Agree 1,414 (26%)

Neutral 419 (8%)

Disagree 69 (1%)

Strongly disagree 66 (1%)

mean = 1.50 (95% confidence interval: 1.48–1.52)

My partner was respectful

Strongly agree 3,607 (66%)

Agree 1,461 (27%)

Neutral 353 (6%)

Disagree 43 (1%)

Strongly disagree 32 (1%)

mean = 1.56 (95% confidence interval: 1.54–1.58)

My partner was genuinely trying to understand my perspective

Strongly agree 2,507 (47%)

Agree 1,805 (34%)

Neutral 729 (14%)

Disagree 197 (4%)

Strongly disagree 86 (2%)

mean = 1.21 (95% confidence interval: 1.19–1.24)

My partner had better reasons for their views than I expected

Strongly agree 1,363 (24%)

Agree 1,934 (34%)

Neutral 1,675 (29%)

Disagree 524 (9%)

Strongly disagree 189 (3%)

mean = 0.66 (95% confidence interval: 0.63–0.69)

This discussion improved my perception of my partner

Strongly agree 1,118 (36%)

Agree 1,136 (36%)

Neutral 716 (23%)

Disagree 105 (3%)

Strongly disagree 72 (2%)

mean = 0.99 (95% confidence interval: 0.96–1.03)

This discussion led me to change my mind about something related to the topic

Strongly agree 932 (16%)

Agree 1,517 (26%)

Neutral 1,773 (30%)

Disagree 1,116 (19%)

Strongly disagree 592 (10%)

mean = 0.18 (95% confidence interval: 0.15–0.21)

Guide’s contributions improved the discussion

Strongly agree 3,324 (37%)

Agree 3,571 (40%)

Neutral 1,554 (17%)

Disagree 301 (3%)

Strongly disagree 204 (2%)

mean = 1.06 (95% confidence interval: 1.04–1.08)

Guide treated me and my partner with equal respect

Strongly agree 2,549 (51%)

Agree 1,790 (35%)

Neutral 567 (11%)

Disagree 89 (2%)

Strongly disagree 50 (1%)

mean = 1.33 (95% confidence interval: 1.31–1.35)

Guide contributed the right amount

Agree 9,031 (71%)

Neutral 2,904 (23%)

Disagree 697 (6%)

mean = 0.66 (95% confidence interval: 0.65–0.67)

Sway helped me articulate my thoughts/feelings better

Strongly agree 1,550 (32%)

Agree 1,888 (39%)

Neutral 1,083 (22%)

Disagree 204 (4%)

Strongly disagree 111 (2%)

mean = 0.94 (95% confidence interval: 0.92–0.97)

It would be good if more students and classes used Sway

Strongly agree 1,706 (30%)

Agree 1,924 (34%)

Neutral 1,508 (27%)

Disagree 283 (5%)

Strongly disagree 196 (3%)

mean = 0.83 (95% confidence interval: 0.80–0.86)