University of Amsterdam (Communication)

Dr. Chei Billedo, on the use of Civinc in her teaching:

“Civinc has proven to be a valuable platform in our teaching of courses that tackle controversial issues. It has shown me and our students that people can engage in meaningful and respectful discussions even when opinions differ. The anonymity feature provides students with a safe space to express themselves and interact with others without preconceived judgments. We have come to appreciate the platform’s ability to foster respectful, open dialogue and its potential to uncover common ground. Civinc promotes understanding and collaboration in our learning environment. Overall, my experience with Civinc has been profoundly enriching.”

Civinc at the University of Amsterdam
Within the Department of Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam, education is becoming increasingly interactive and focused on stimulating critical thinking among students, especially around complex topics like disinformation and polarization. Civinc aligns seamlessly with this aim as a teaching tool to involve students with diverse perspectives in inclusive discussions. That’s why Civinc is used in courses like “Representation in the Media” and “Psychology of Misinformation.”

How Civinc is used

The teacher starts a Civinc session by sharing a log-in code with students, similar to apps such as Mentimeter or Kahoot. During the session, all students will be matched in anonymous one-on-one chats with a peer that holds different views on thought-provoking statements relevant to the course topic. For example, discussion statements in the context of Communication courses may look like the following:

“News media consistently reproduce more stereotypes than they break down.”
“Commercial media have no moral obligation to improve representation.”
“Misinformation is a social problem, not an information problem.”

After the Civic session, a data analysis provides the teacher with instant insights into the prevailing arguments and sentiments within the group. These insights are then used as a starting point for a classroom reflection, in which students are guided to delve deeper into the experience and outcomes, and the follow up questions they provoke.

Want to understand exactly how Civinc works?

Check out our 2-minute explainer video!