Small-group discussions are the most powerful form of learning. We’re combining new technology with pedagogical best practices to create scalable, measurable, peer-led discussions—turning the most effective learning method into something practical and accessible for professors everywhere.
To align with our format, all of our modules are constructed with a backward design: we start with key learning outcomes and create the learning experience around them.
Our professor partners identify the concepts that matter to their course. Our in-house instructional design team then creates real-world scenarios brought to life with engaging content. Our modules are flexible, and we even have options for professors to build modules out of their existing course material.
Before diving into the group session, students must read or listen to the Pre-Work. If the experience includes a Pre-Work Podcast, students can independently listen to a professionally produced podcast that introduces them to the main players in the experience and lays the groundwork for the learning objectives. The audio format is a great match for the busy lifestyles of today’s students, who grew up listening to podcasts. However, for more visual learners, there’s also an option to read a Pre-Work PDF which includes the same key background information.
Next, students meet with their small groups on Breakout's platform, where they encounter immersive content that sets the stage for a vibrant discussion.
Every Breakout experience includes some combination of discussion prompts, videos, polls and/or quizzes.
Because today’s students grew up with TikTok and YouTube, most prefer multimedia content and immersive learning experiences that mirror the real world.
Breakout modules are designed to place students into the shoes of decision-makers. Students are prompted to discuss what they would do when faced with tough decisions.
Students now engage in a meaningful discussion about the material. There’s no better way to develop critical thinking skills than to practice live discussion and debate in a small group.
Students are given the opportunity to listen to each other, try out their ideas, and facilitate their own conversations. They may encounter additional exhibits, such as financial statements, to help them support their claims and challenge others’ views. They have to use their communication and collaboration skills. Shy students, who might be terrified of being cold-called to speak in front of the entire class, have a chance to build their confidence. And above all, students are given the space to think and speak their minds.
As students engage in small-group discussions, magic is happening. Our platform captures a real-time transcript and runs it against a series of rubrics designed to measure the desired learning outcomes of the experience.
Instructors can log onto our platform, or check their email, to examine detailed data and insights from their students' completed sessions.
In this way, Breakout gives instructors a window into their students' small-group performance, which leads to a more engaging and powerful debrief.
It’s faster and more meaningful than a writing assignment (a meaningless exercise in the post-ChatGPT world), and there's nothing for instructors or TAs to grade. All of our assessment data integrates seamlessly with most major LMSs.
Instructors can review the AI's highlighted comments from students who performed well on any given rubric—and can use those comments to recognize high-performing individuals during the debrief.
The data not only helps instructors with evaluation, but it also turns them into astonishing mind readers, as they are able to debrief each Breakout experience in a targeted, engaging way.
.png?width=654&height=552&name=Frame%2035200%20(1).png)
Most importantly, professors can see how each group—and each individual student—performed against a grading rubric designed to measure the learning objectives.
As students discuss, our platform listens in real time and scores each contribution against rubrics purpose-built for assessing discussion quality.
Each student receives a score from 0–4 on three dimensions:
Reasoned Position & Evidence
How well students construct logical arguments with claims, supporting evidence, and clear reasoning.
Peer Engagement
How students build on and respond to each other's ideas—the collaborative dimension that makes discussion distinct from individual work.
Critical Thinking
The cognitive complexity students demonstrate when working with course concepts.
.png)
Scores map directly to grade percentages:
4 (Exemplary) = 100%
3 (Proficient) = 75%
2 (Developing) = 50%
1 (Beginning) = 25%
0 (No Evidence) = 0%.
Instructors can adjust the weight of each dimension to match their priorities.
For oral assessments, instructors can also create custom rubrics tailored to their specific learning objectives.
Immediate feedback on their performance with specific input on strengths and areas for improvement across each rubric dimension.
Detailed analytics from every session, delivered immediately. Performance data for each student, group, and class section across all rubric dimensions. Our patented AI surfaces standout contributions, giving you material for targeted debriefs. Grades sync directly to your LMS.
Behavior-Based, Not Script-Based
There's no single right answer or talk track students need to follow. The rubrics evaluate observable behaviors: Did the student take a position and support it? Did they engage with what peers said? Did they demonstrate critical thinking? Students develop their own perspectives and receive credit for original contributions as well as for building on their peers' ideas.
This approach also helps students self-regulate. A student who led the conversation in segment one can step back in segment two, giving peers space to contribute—and the rubrics capture that collaborative awareness.
A Space to Think Out Loud
Discussions happen without the instructor in the room. Students can test ideas, make mistakes, and refine their thinking with peers without worrying about being judged in real time by their professor.
The result: better preparation, deeper engagement, and learning you can actually measure.
