Dialogue has become a point of focus across higher education, particularly as institutions consider how to support student learning in contexts marked by disagreement, difference, and uncertainty.

This conversation brings together CDI Educators Sara Mehltretter (Wabash College), Janelle Rae (Spalding University), and Michael J. Lee (College of Charleston) to reflect on how dialogic approaches can contribute to learning environments that support curiosity, connection, and critical thinking. Drawing on their work with faculty, students, and institutions, the panel explores how dialogue can be integrated into teaching and learning in ways that are aligned with existing academic goals and constraints.

Moderated by Jake Fay, Director of Education at the Constructive Dialogue Institute, the discussion situates these perspectives within broader questions about dialogue’s role in higher education—particularly how institutions think about trust, engagement, and the conditions that support meaningful learning.

What the Conversation Explores

• How dialogic approaches can support curiosity, connection, and critical thinking in higher education learning environments

• How educators and institutions think about dialogue in relation to disciplinary goals and curricular constraints

• How dialogue can create conditions for trust without requiring constant or universal participation

• How institutions navigate disagreement and contested ideas in ways that support learning

• How leaders can consider the uneven or asymmetrical burdens dialogue may place on students and faculty