{"id":581,"date":"2022-08-05T14:41:06","date_gmt":"2022-08-05T14:41:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/support.kialo-edu.com\/hc\/uncategorized\/try-out-a-kialo-classroom-debate-for-colleges-and-universities\/"},"modified":"2024-08-15T01:22:55","modified_gmt":"2024-08-15T01:22:55","password":"","slug":"try-out-a-kialo-classroom-debate-for-colleges-and-universities","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/support.kialo-edu.com\/en\/hc\/try-out-a-kialo-classroom-debate-for-colleges-and-universities\/","title":{"rendered":"Try Out a Kialo Classroom Debate for Colleges and Universities"},"content":{"rendered":"

To try out Kialo Edu for the first time, we recommend starting with a classroom debate. Having a classroom debate with students is the simplest and easiest way to see Kialo Edu in action, and requires very minimal preparation and planning.<\/p>

There are two broad ways to structure a classroom debate: either as one large debate with your entire class, or as multiple smaller group debates. In general, short Kialo classroom debates work best when students are in groups of 15-30. If your class is much larger than that, we recommend following the optional Step 4<\/a> to create multiple copies of the debate to share with smaller groups. Larger groups can still have a productive and engaging debate; however, each student usually has less opportunity to participate directly. See Using Kialo with Large Groups of Students<\/a> for more information.<\/p>

Step 1: Create your own account on Kialo Edu<\/h2>

If you haven’t yet signed up for Kialo Edu:<\/p>

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  1. Open the Sign Up page<\/a> by clicking the blue Sign Up<\/strong> button on Kialo Edu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Sign up with your Google, Microsoft, or Clever account, or your email address.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

    If you have any issues, see Creating an Account<\/a> for more information.<\/p>

    Step 2: Create a discussion on Kialo Edu<\/h2>
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    1. Think of the thesis you’d like your students to debate<\/strong>. A good thesis for a Kialo discussion is debatable, with plenty of room to argue for or against different positions. See Writing an Effective Thesis for Student Discussions<\/a> for more information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. On the My Kialo<\/a> page, click the Create Discussion<\/strong> button in the top-right corner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Select a single-thesis discussion<\/strong>. Multi-thesis discussions can quickly become complicated for students not familiar with Kialo.<\/strong> <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Choose a name for your discussion<\/strong>. Usually, the name is the question students should tackle, like “Does pineapple belong on pizza?” or “Does free will exist?”<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. Write a thesis for your discussion<\/strong>. A good thesis is often just an affirmative answer to the question, like “Pineapple belongs on pizza” or “Free will exists.” The key is that it’s a statement students can agree or disagree with.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    6. Click Skip rest and create<\/strong>, unless you have specific settings you want to configure for the discussion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    7. Welcome to your Kialo discussion!<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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      \n Tips:<\/em>\n\t\t

      If you’d like, you can now add some ‘starter claims’ that will help spark the discussion. A good starter claim is a very basic, general argument that supports or refutes the thesis. It should act like an effective “umbrella” for supporting arguments.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>

      Step 3: Enable sharing<\/h2>

      Kialo Edu’s Instant Access<\/a> feature allows students to immediately enter a discussion with no need for sign ups or logins.<\/p>

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      1. In your discussion, click the Share<\/strong> button in the top-right corner.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      2. Check the box to enable Instant Access<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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        \n \"tip\"\n <\/div>\n
        \n Tips:<\/em>\n\t\t

        If you wish to split up your class into smaller groups, skip to Step 4<\/a> now.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>

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        1. Share the newly generated sharing link<\/strong> and\/or the QR code<\/strong> with your students.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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          \n \"tip\"\n <\/div>\n
          \n Tips:<\/em>\n\t\t

          Be careful sharing the sharing link and QR code! Anyone with the link or code can use them to access the discussion.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>

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          1. That’s it! Let the discussion begin!<\/li>\n<\/ol>

            Step 4 (Optional): Share copies of the discussion with multiple groups<\/h2>

            This is recommended, although not necessary, for classes substantially larger than 15-30 students. We recommend dividing students into groups of about this size — if your class has, for example, 100 students, you’d clone your discussion three times for a total of four discussions.<\/p>

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            1. First, make sure you’ve enabled Instant Access<\/strong> by following steps 1–2 in Part 3 above.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            2. Click the \"\" Settings <\/strong>icon in the top-right of the discussion.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            3. Scroll down to the bottom to the Discussion Actions<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            4. Click the Clone Discussion<\/strong> button.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            5. (Optional) To not mix up the different discussions, you may wish to number or name each copy, such as “Does free will exist? Group#2<\/em>”, “Does free will exist? Group#3<\/em>”, and so on.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            6. Click the blue Clone<\/strong> button in the bottom-right of the window.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            7. Repeat this process to create as many copies of the discussion as you want. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
            8. Each copy will have its own unique sharing link<\/strong> and QR code<\/strong> to share. Split your class up and give each group their link and\/or QR code to access their copy of the discussion.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
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              \n \"tip\"\n <\/div>\n
              \n Tips:<\/em>\n\t\t

              Be careful sharing the sharing link and QR code! Anyone with the link or code can use them to access the discussion.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>

                \n
              1. That’s it! Let the discussions begin!<\/li>\n<\/ol>

                Like Kialo Edu? Have students register for future discussions<\/h2>

                If you plan on using Kialo Edu in the future, students should ideally have their own accounts and be part of the same Kialo Team<\/a>, making it easier for you to invite them to more discussions. You can use any of the below methods:<\/p>

                Have students create their own accounts<\/strong><\/p>

                The easiest way to organize new student accounts is to invite your students by email to a Team<\/a>. When your students sign up, their accounts will be automatically added to the team.<\/p>

                To create a team:<\/p>

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                1. On the My Kialo<\/a> page, click the Teams<\/strong> tab at the top.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                2. Click the blue New Team<\/strong> button.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                3. On the new team’s page, select the Members<\/strong> tab.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                4. At the top, click the button to enable the Team Invite Link<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                5. Share the newly generated Team Invite Link<\/strong> and\/or QR code<\/strong> with the class.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                6. Repeat this process for all your classes.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

                  Once students are in a team together, you can invite an entire team to a discussion<\/a> the same way you would an individual user.<\/p>

                  Import a Google Classroom<\/strong><\/p>

                  You can import a Google Classroom roster<\/a> directly into a Team<\/strong> on Kialo Edu. This will automatically create accounts for students using their Google Classroom email addresses. Students can then log into Kialo Edu using the Continue with Google<\/strong> button.<\/p>

                  Managed Accounts<\/strong><\/p>

                  If you’d like to maximize control over your students’ Kialo Edu accounts (or skip the hassle of students creating their own), you can create accounts through Managed Accounts<\/a>. This way, you create and manage students’ usernames, passwords, and associated emails for them.<\/p>

                  Further Reading<\/h2>

                  If you like Kialo Edu and want to learn more, we’ve written educator-specific articles which you may find helpful on how to best get to grips with, and utilize, Kialo Edu:<\/p>