student survey data

We present post-chat survey data from 77 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.

Institutions

100

Professors

323

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 4,077 (37%)

👍 Good 4,663 (43%)

😐 It's OK 1,609 (15%)

👎 Not a fan 408 (4%)

💩 Hated it 186 (2%)

mean = 1.10 (95% confidence interval: 1.08–1.12)

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

Strongly agree 1,129 (40%)

Agree 1,124 (40%)

Neutral 452 (16%)

Disagree 67 (2%)

Strongly disagree 37 (1%)

mean = 1.15 (95% confidence interval: 1.12–1.19)

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

Strongly agree 2,043 (42%)

Agree 2,007 (41%)

Neutral 720 (15%)

Disagree 85 (2%)

Strongly disagree 40 (1%)

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

I felt comfortable sharing my honest opinions with my partner

Strongly agree 2,666 (54%)

Agree 1,834 (37%)

Neutral 367 (7%)

Disagree 44 (1%)

Strongly disagree 20 (0%)

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

I was not offended by my partner’s perspective

Strongly agree 3,039 (64%)

Agree 1,247 (26%)

Neutral 349 (7%)

Disagree 72 (2%)

Strongly disagree 61 (1%)

mean = 1.50 (95% confidence interval: 1.47–1.52)

My partner was respectful

Strongly agree 3,156 (66%)

Agree 1,290 (27%)

Neutral 291 (6%)

Disagree 44 (1%)

Strongly disagree 25 (1%)

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

My partner was genuinely trying to understand my perspective

Strongly agree 2,194 (47%)

Agree 1,551 (34%)

Neutral 632 (14%)

Disagree 171 (4%)

Strongly disagree 76 (2%)

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

My partner had better reasons for their views than I expected

Strongly agree 1,216 (25%)

Agree 1,666 (34%)

Neutral 1,450 (29%)

Disagree 452 (9%)

Strongly disagree 167 (3%)

mean = 0.67 (95% confidence interval: 0.64–0.70)

This discussion improved my perception of my partner

Strongly agree 927 (36%)

Agree 937 (36%)

Neutral 593 (23%)

Disagree 82 (3%)

Strongly disagree 58 (2%)

mean = 1.00 (95% confidence interval: 0.96–1.04)

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

Strongly agree 706 (16%)

Agree 1,185 (26%)

Neutral 1,340 (29%)

Disagree 887 (19%)

Strongly disagree 432 (9%)

mean = 0.19 (95% confidence interval: 0.15–0.22)

Guide’s contributions improved the discussion

Strongly agree 2,980 (37%)

Agree 3,179 (40%)

Neutral 1,401 (17%)

Disagree 279 (3%)

Strongly disagree 173 (2%)

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

Guide treated me and my partner with equal respect

Strongly agree 2,155 (51%)

Agree 1,519 (36%)

Neutral 473 (11%)

Disagree 80 (2%)

Strongly disagree 38 (1%)

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

Guide contributed the right amount

Agree 7,762 (72%)

Neutral 2,454 (23%)

Disagree 584 (5%)

mean = 0.66 (95% confidence interval: 0.65–0.68)

Sway helped me articulate my thoughts/feelings better

Strongly agree 1,347 (32%)

Agree 1,637 (39%)

Neutral 942 (22%)

Disagree 178 (4%)

Strongly disagree 93 (2%)

mean = 0.95 (95% confidence interval: 0.92–0.97)

It would be good if more students and classes used Sway

Strongly agree 1,494 (31%)

Agree 1,686 (34%)

Neutral 1,316 (27%)

Disagree 240 (5%)

Strongly disagree 158 (3%)

mean = 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.81–0.87)