While the college classroom has traditionally been a place where students and professors can gain new perspectives while engaging in conversation, many students feel uncomfortable expressing their views on controversial topics.

The free online Perspectives program from the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) aims to help students of all viewpoints to better understand and appreciate each other, in spite of their differences, through lessons teaching the mind-set and skills needed to engage in such dialogue.

Lindsay Hoffman, an associate professor of communication at the University of Delaware, has embraced this approach in her communication and political science courses.