Perspectives is an asynchronous online course designed to equip students with valuable skills to engage in meaningful conversations across differences in background, cultural beliefs, ideas, or opinions. Strengthening our community through compassionate, civil dialogue and disagreement is an essential responsibility of being a Yellow Jacket.

Perspectives has been rigorously tested through randomized controlled trials — the gold standard in research. More than 80% of students report increased confidence in navigating difficult conversations and communicating across differences after completing Perspectives. Additionally, 84% report that Perspectives helped them develop valuable professional and life skills.

As of August 2025, in accordance with the University System of Georgia Board of Regents policy, all new students attending Georgia Tech for the first time seeking an academic degree (undergraduate or graduate) are now required to complete the civil discourse training. To meet this requirement, Georgia Tech partnered with the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) to offer this course.

Students who begin a new degree program at Georgia Tech in the Spring, Summer, or Fall semester of a given calendar year must complete this training by December 31st of that same year. For example, students who start a new program in Spring, Summer, or Fall 2026 must complete the training by December 31st, 2026.  

If a student does not complete Perspectives by the deadline, a hold may be placed on the student’s record, preventing their class registration for the following Summer and Fall semesters. The hold will be timely removed when the requirement has been fulfilled.

At the start of the Fall semester, students who need to complete the training will receive an invitation email from the Constructive Dialogue Institute (sent from no-reply@constructivedialogue.org). The email will include instructions for setting up an account. Please be aware that this message may be delivered to your spam or junk folder.

Please visit this link to generate a password reset email and verify your account using your primary GT account email (e.g., gburdell3@gatech.edu). After you reset your password, you can access the program here.

Your primary GT account is an alphanumeric combination typically consisting of the first letter of your first name and your full last name. It is the same account you use for single sign-on (SSO). Using aliases may result in error messaging when trying to create your account or log into your account.

Don’t worry if you have never set up a password before. This process works even if you are accessing your Perspectives account for the first time.

Please email Constructive Dialogue Institute's technical support desk at gt@constructivedialogue.org and cc the Office of the Vice President for Student Engagement & Well-Being (VPSEWB) at vp_sewb@gatech.edu.

Please contact the Office of the Vice President for Student Engagement & Well-Being at vp_sewb@gatech.edu.

Please email a copy of your certificate of completion to the Office of the VPSEWB at vp_sewb@gatech.edu.