Summary

The free tool for thoughtful, inclusive discussion.

Details

Kialo Edu lets you hold online discussions in an engaging argument-mapping format. Kialo’s straightforward pro/con layout prompts students to break down their arguments into digestible chunks, to which their peers can instantly respond with their own pros and cons. The result is a visual map of the discussion, with complex ideas structured into easy-to-follow lines of reasoning.

 

Why Kialo?

Maximum Participation

It can be hard to get everyone participating in a seminar discussion. But it’s no problem on Kialo, where students can contribute instantly, simultaneously, and from anywhere.

Safer and More Inclusive

Ease common anxieties around class-wide discussions with Kialo’s text-based format. Features that separate the argument from the arguer ensure the focus is always on ideas — not who said them!

Deeper Topic Comprehension

Kialo is designed for breaking down arguments into understandable chunks. The connective format makes it easy to follow how these simple ideas build on one another to form complex reasoning.

Better Contributions

Kialo pushes students to show their reasoning! The argument-mapping structure encourages concise, substantive contributions that have to be connected to other points in the discussion.

Better for Critical Thinking

During your busy semester, it can be hard to find the time and the right activities for teaching important critical thinking skills. Research shows that argument-mapping tools like Kialo are one of the best ways to teach it!

Teacher-Focused Tools

Kialo Edu is all about supporting educators, which is why we have an enormous library full of ready-to-go discussion resources, a built-in Grading tool, a Tasks feature to keep track of student progress, and much more!

 

What educators are saying about Kialo

“For teachers, it can be an absolute revelation.” – Dr. Peter Ellerton, Director of The University of Queensland Critical Thinking Project

 

“[Kialo] makes it simple to follow a discussion’s logical framework and encourages intellectual engagement.” – Dr. Nathan Lang-Raad, author of Never Stop Asking

 

“I have been using Kialo for at least seven semesters and am very pleased with its contribution to the overall experience of my business ethics courses at the university.” – Dr. Rebecca Armstrong, faculty at Indiana University Northwest

Using Kialo with Blackboard Learn

Kialo works with Blackboard Learn via LTI 1.3, providing the following capabilities:

• Students are automatically signed in and have the same name in Kialo as they do in Blackboard.
• Students are automatically assigned the Writer role in Kialo discussions.
• Grades you give in Kialo will be synced back to Blackboard (coming soon!).

 

A Blackboard administrator needs to set up the integration before teachers can add the tool to their course. Administrators can do so by following the steps outlined here.

 

Once Kialo has been added as a tool to Blackboard by an administrator, teachers can easily add it to their course following the steps outlined here.

 

Our policy

Kialo is provided completely free of charge. We do not derive any financial benefit from user data, nor do we share it with anyone else. Our Data Security and Privacy Plan shows in detail how we handle user data.

Get in touch

Visit our Help Center for answers to the most commonly asked questions. You can also reach out to us through our support page.