Generative Dialogue Lab

Dialogue plays a crucial role in shaping both democratic societies and vibrant academic environments. The Generative Dialogue Lab (GDL) at Utrecht University brings students, staff, and stakeholders together to experiment with innovative approaches for engaging in meaningful conversations about complex and contentious issues.

The GDL is a network connecting multiple people and initiatives, aiming to embed generative dialogue through four mutually reinforcing pillars:

1. Education: Developing dialogical capabilities, from listening to self-reflection;
2. Culture: Fostering a dialogical campus culture of curiosity and learning;
3. Systems: Supporting a dialogical institution, with dialogue central in leadership, policy and decision-making;
4. Research: Advancing research into and through dialogue.

You can read more about our vision in our White Paper about the Generative Dialogue Lab. 

Dialogue can help us learn, relate, think, and act better – together

Generative dialogue refers to conversations that generate positive outcomes, like strengthening relationships and fostering new insights, learning, and perspective shifts. Though such dialogue does not magically resolve the stark conflict in positions that characterize contemporary society, it does have a subtle but profound culture changing potential: reweaving the social fabric while opening hearts and minds.

By emphasizing dialogue as a relational, ethical, and transformative practice, we promote deep learning, connection, and meaning making among students and staff, while aligning with the university’s strategic commitments to high quality education, excellence in science, societal impact, and institutional inclusion and sustainability.

Learn how to use dialogue in your education 

Dialogue is crucial to education and learning, as well as to science and innovation. In the UU Education Model, the development of dialogical capabilities is therefore emphasized. But how do you, in our divisive and fraught times, teach students to be open to other perspectives, to truly listen to others, to reflect on their own perspectives? Here are several resources that may support you in this: 

• Perspective taking & dialogue ‘toolbox’ – an open source collection of learning activities supporting dialogue and perspective taking, including methods like:
• Open Mind game
• Playing Perspectives
• The Square (Het Vlak)
• The Stream-of-Consciousness dialogue 

The Centre for Academic Teaching and Learning offers additional resources and teacher training on advancing dialogue and perspective taking in your classes.

You can also join the GDL Teams channel and follow the SIG (Special Interest Group) Dialoog in Onderwijs channel to stay up to date on the quarterly SIG meetings and any other dialogue education news and events.