Since Cortico’s founding, we’ve partnered with over 220 organizations to deliver a tech-enhanced conversation approach, empowering them to listen deeply to the voices in their community, make sense of them, and inspire more informed action.

Now you can help bring better conversations to your college campus – as part of a founding cohort. Cortico is selecting students from up to 10 U.S. colleges and universities as part of this pilot program. With the support of The Rockefeller Foundation, selected students will have the opportunity to connect, share best practices, and exchange ideas. 

This is more than just talk—it’s a method for better understanding, with concrete (and fun!) outputs like highlight embeds, conversation maps, and voice medleys. The goal is to help you and your peers hear and be heard.

The inaugural Cortico on Campus program invites motivated students interested in amplifying the voices of their friends and peers to lead a new kind of conversation. Beginning with sharing experiences in small groups, you’ll make sense of conversations through a deep listening process supported by AI tools. You’ll share the big picture of what fellow students are saying – with outputs like highlights, conversation maps, and voice medleys – extending the power of small-group dialogue long after the conversation ends.

Selected students from up to 10 U.S. colleges and universities will be part of the pilot Cortico on Campus program. They will have the opportunity to connect, share best practices, and exchange ideas.

Selected students will be funded to: 

• Create voice medleys and conversation maps addressing important topics on campus and highlighting the perspectives of your peers 
• Lead small-group conversations with fellow students focused on personal experiences, not just opinions
• Prototype & shape new digital tools for conversation curation and analysis
• Get hands-on training in active listening, facilitation, and community organizing 

Students will also have an opportunity to showcase their work to other students around the country as well as to Cortico, MIT staff, and potentially even the general public.

Together, this inaugural cohort will help develop a pioneering approach to campus conversations that can be adapted to schools nationwide. Over time, and with your input, we can build a new kind of conversation on campus.

This is more than just talk—it’s a method for better understanding, with concrete (and fun!) outputs like conversation maps and voice medleys. The goal is to help you and your peers hear and be heard. 

Starting with sharing experiences in small groups, you’ll make sense of conversations through a deep listening process supported by AI tools. 

Cortico’s conversation record – a combination of audio and transcripts – is automatically created and shared back with participants. This enables the curation of key moments that can be played back in audio snippets – as well as analysis or “sensemaking” to identify patterns or connections across small-group conversations. 

You’ll share the big picture of what fellow students are saying – with outputs that incorporate real voices – extending the power of small-group dialogue long after the conversation ends.

Selected students will learn and practice how to organize and lead Cortico’s three step process: 

1. Talk: Start with a good conversation – with Cortico’s help, you’ll organize small groups of peers into conversations to share experiences. These conversations are recorded, with audio and transcriptions automatically generated and shared back to participants.
2. Understand: After the conversations, you’ll surface patterns across conversations through “sensemaking” – a deep listening process led by participants and supported by AI tools.
3. Share: You’ll will share the big picture with your campus community. Outputs will incorporate real voices and connect powerful insights for more informed outcomes.

You do. This program is an opportunity for students to organize conversations with their peers and create outputs like highlight embeds, voice medleys, and conversation maps elevating their perspectives. Cortico will work closely with you to provide the tools, methodology, and guidance to help make the most of this opportunity. 

Since Cortico’s founding, we’ve partnered with over 220 organizations to deliver a tech-enhanced conversation approach, empowering them to listen deeply to the voices in their community, make sense of them, and inspire more informed action.

Now, Cortico is selecting students from up to 10 U.S. colleges and universities as part of the pilot Cortico on Campus program. With the support of The Rockefeller Foundation, selected students will have the opportunity to connect, share best practices, and exchange ideas. 

Together, this inaugural cohort will help develop a pioneering approach to campus conversations that can be adapted to schools nationwide. Over time, and with your input, we can build a new kind of conversation on campus.

The program is for undergraduate students passionate about community organizing, meaningful conversations, and leveraging technology to enhance understanding. A faculty or staff reference is required (if applicants are selected for an interview) but faculty and staff are not required to participate in the program with the student. Applicants can be club affiliated or independent.

Applications are open until February 27, 2025. Interested students can apply online. Selected applicants will complete a 30-minute interview as part of the process. You can see the application here and please feel free to email campus@cortico.ai with any questions about the application.

Participants are expected to commit 5–7 hours per month for project work and learning opportunities. Each month throughout the semester, we will host one 90 minute live workshop as well as small group sessions similar to office hours for additional support. The remaining hours will be recommended time for teams to work on organizing, hosting, and analyzing conversations.

You will receive hands-on training and support from Cortico’s team of experts at every step of the process — from conversations design and outreach to sharing findings — to help you make the most of this opportunity.

Preview the application questions below! Applications should be completed as a team – each team needs to submit one application.

• Where do you go to school, and what is your class year?
• Are you prepared to dedicate 5-7 hours per month to the Cortico on Campus program?
• Are you affiliated with any campus clubs or organizations?
• What makes a good conversation? What role does a good conversation play in addressing campus challenges or fostering a stronger sense of community?
• What do you value most about your campus community? How do these values shape the way you envision this project being implemented?
• What experience do you have in community organizing, leadership, or dialogue facilitation? If limited, what motivates you to take on this role?
• What communities are you currently involved in (e.g., community, civic, media, political, or religious organizations)? In 3-4 sentences, please share the extent of your involvement and why these activities are meaningful to you?
• Why are you interested in participating in the Cortico on Campus program? What about this initiative resonates most with you?
• What does success in this program look like to you? How do you hope this project could impact your campus community?

If you’re selected for an interview, we ask that you have (at least) one faculty or staff member complete a short reference form so we can get a better understanding of your strengths, related skills, and experience on campus. Your reference is an important part of the selection process, but the faculty or staff member will not be required to participate in the program.

After submitting an application, selected applicants will participate in a 30-minute interview so we can learn more about you. Though the program is focused on conversations, experience with previous dialogue programs is not required. Applicants will be chosen based on the following selection criteria:

• You are a motivated student who will – with Cortico’s help – introduce and organize conversations that address unique issues within your campus community. You can be club affiliated or independent
• You have experience with, or a strong interest in, community organizing and leadership
• You are eager to develop curatorial, storytelling, or multimedia skills to shape and share the narratives that emerge from conversations
• You want to build skills and capacity for engaging in constructive conversations that create lasting impact on campus
• You have a forward-thinking mindset with an interest in learning how cutting-edge, AI-supported tools and technology can enhance and shape the future of campus conversations
• You can commit 5-7 hours per month to project work and learning opportunities with other student leaders in the cohort

Each applicant knows their campus community best, so you will determine what issues or topics are most relevant to your community. You will have the option to design your conversations around your chosen topics, or you can use the conversations as a way to learn what topics your campus community most wants to discuss. 

Project ideas could include…

• Make student organizations more inclusive
• Improve dorm life by encouraging connective conversations
• Shape the work culture in your on-campus job
• Bring your friend group together to talk about a topic important to you
• …or any conversation project that addresses a need or opportunity on your campus!

These projects are more than just talk—it’s a method for better understanding, with concrete outputs like highlight embeds, conversation maps, and voice medleys. The goal is to help you and your peers hear and be heard.

This is the first year of the Cortico on Campus program, so these campus projects will be the first of their kind. The selected students from up to 10 U.S. colleges and universities will be part of the pilot Cortico on Campus program. They will have the opportunity to connect, share best practices, and exchange ideas. 

Listen to an audio medley from student leaders who helped us create this program:

You can explore projects led by Cortico with partners outside of colleges and universities through the links below:

• Empowering Voices in Education
• Hearing the Humanity: Cortico’s Collaboration with NPR
• Opportunity Youth Network
• Blue Hill Avenue Revitalization
• City of Durham, NC

Yes, each student lead will develop a portfolio of work throughout the program that outlines their process and includes artifacts from their project. Each student will have an opportunity to showcase their portfolio to the rest of the students around the country as well as to Cortico, MIT staff, and potentially even the general public.

Selected students will learn how to use Cortico’s platform to upload and make sense of the conversations they collect – and to help create audio medleys and conversation maps from the experience. You can learn more about Cortico’s tools here, and all students will be fully onboarded to use both the platform and mobile app. You do not need to have any specific experience with technology to participate – we just ask that you are open and willing to learn.

While technology is a key component, the tools are designed to be transparent and learnable. Support from the Cortico team will ensure accessibility for all participants.