DISC in Universities & Higher Education
Enhance Student Success, LEadership, and Collaboration
Discover the practical applications of Behavioral Assessments for classrooms, programs, and campus leadership.
Discover the benefits of DISC in Higher Education
Benefits for Students
Build self-awareness and personal insight
Students gain a clear understanding of their behavioral strengths, motivators, communication preferences, and areas for development, skills essential for leadership and employability in the sport industry.
Develop applied leadership skills
DISC enables students to translate leadership theory into practice by applying behavioral insights to team leadership, decision-making, and professional environments.
Strengthen teamwork and conflict resolution
Students learn how to collaborate across diverse behavioral styles, manage tension constructively, and contribute more effectively to group and organizational outcomes.
Benefits for Faculty
Enhance teaching effectiveness and course design
DISC allows educators to tailor content delivery, assignments, and feedback to accommodate diverse learning and behavioral styles within the classroom.
Increase student engagement and participation
By giving students a shared language to discuss behavior and leadership, DISC promotes deeper reflection, discussion, and active participation.
Improve group work and peer feedback outcomes
Faculty can structure teams more intentionally and support clearer communication, collaboration, and accountability across group-based assessments.
Benefits for Administrators and Program Leaders
Develop leadership pipelines within sport programs
DISC supports long-term leadership development across sport management, coaching, and athlete development pathways.
Foster a high-performance academic culture
By aligning behavioral understanding across academic and athletic departments, institutions can strengthen communication, collaboration, and performance outcomes.
Differentiate your program with an industry-aligned framework
Sport-specific DISC profiling positions your program as forward-thinking, applied, and aligned with real-world sport and leadership expectations.
How DISC Supports Employability Outcomes
DISC helps students to:
Understand and articulate their strengths
Ideal for resumes, cover letters, interviews, and professional conversations.Navigate conflict and build professional relationships
Students learn how to adapt communication styles and manage interpersonal challenges constructively.Lead with emotional intelligence and behavioral flexibility
DISC supports situational leadership and adaptive decision-making.Apply people-skills in real-world settings
Including internships, coaching placements, practicum experiences, and team leadership roles.
Using DISC for Student Professional and Leadership Development
DISC Profiling provides a structured, evidence-informed framework for developing the professional and leadership capabilities universities expect of graduates entering the sport industry and related performance environments. The use and application of DISC also extends into enhancing student career readiness and graduate employability.
When a team or group complete their individual DISC Profiles, we have the additional capability to produce a Team Dynamics Report as well as a Summary Graph Report. These provide the ability to see the DISC Profile of the overall team or group with useful summaries. Understanding the big picture of the team behaviors has enormous value.
According to the NACE 2025 Job Outlook, Employers are looking for graduates who can:
- Communicate effectively
- Work well in teams
- Solve problems
- Demonstrate initiative
- Lead others
- Adapt to different situations
DISC is an ideal framework to underpin students’ leadership development.
- Understand their leadership style
- Build motivational strategies tailored to others
- Navigate difficult conversations and lead through conflict
Athlete Assessments’ Academic Partnership Program supports university programs in Sport Management, Coaching, Leadership, Health Sciences, and Sport Psychology by embedding DISC seamlessly into existing curriculum.
Faculty and program leaders receive full implementation support, including assessment administration, teaching resources, and applied learning tools, allowing DISC to enhance leadership development, experiential learning, and student success initiatives without increasing academic workload.
Read about how DISC is used in Student Leadership Development below.
Dr. Sarah Lopez
Teaching Professor and Program Director of Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership, University of Washington
Director of Student-Athlete Leadership Development, University of Michigan
The service and expertise provided by Athlete Assessments makes our annual investment for each cohort of students an easy decision… It is enhancing their experience and better preparing them for future roles as leaders in athletics.
Faculty & Staff Adoption of DISC
Designed to support faculty and create lasting impact
- Improve faculty-student communication and mentoring
- Foster team building among academic and coaching staff
- Use DISC to inform curriculum design and teaching strategies
- Apply DISC insights in faculty leadership or coaching development workshops
We handle the setup and ongoing support so you can focus on teaching.
Our flexible, tiered per-student pricing ensures accessibility for programs of all sizes, with integration arrangements tailored to the school’s needs. Whether students purchase directly, via the bookstore, or subsidised by the program, our team are confident in aligning with any internal policies.
Applications of DISC in the classroom
DISC profiling is widely applied across sport, health, and performance-based academic programs to strengthen student self-awareness, communication, leadership, and teamwork skills.
- Sport Management
- Sport Leadership & Athletic Administration
- Coaching
- Exercise and Sport Science
- Health and Human Performance
- Sport Psychology and Communication
This broad adoption reflects DISC’s flexibility across both theoretical learning and applied, experiential education models.
- Building student self-awareness using individual DISC profile reports
- Personalising career readiness and professional development conversations
- Structuring group projects using complementary behavioral profiles
- Designing leadership simulations and coaching labs
- Facilitating peer-to-peer communication and feedback exercises
- Supporting reflection tasks and personal development assignments
These applications help students translate behavioral insights into real-world leadership and teamwork capability.
Becky Burleigh
Head Coach, Soccer, NCAA Division I National Championship Coach, University of Florida
Head Coach, Soccer, NCAA Division I National Championship Coach, University of Florida
KEY TOPICS COVERED
DISC Implementation in Higher Education Programs
We handle the setup and ongoing support
so you can focus on teaching.
Take a look below at the step by step integration.
1
Syllabus Review & Planning
We review your course structure and align DISC activities accordingly.
2
Student Access & Setup
We handle onboarding, assessment distribution, and tracking.
3
In-Class Delivery Options
Choose between a guest lecture (via video conference, live or pre-recorded) or the DISC Card Game for engagement.
4
Ongoing Faculty and Student Support
Access instructional guides, online dashboards, assignment integration, and development tools.
5
Platform & Reporting
Your institution receives a co-branded assessment platform, real-time access, and optional group summary reports.
We will always respond within 48hours. Fields with Asterisks (*) require completion. We respect your privacy. Your details will not be used in any way other than a quick call or email to see how we can be of assistance with your online requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is DISC Profiling?
DISC is a behavioral assessment that helps individuals understand their preferred style of communication, decision-making, and working with others.
How can DISC benefit students in university?
It builds self-awareness, enhances teamwork, supports leadership growth, and helps students articulate their strengths, key to improving employability.
How do professors use DISC in class?
DISC is incorporated into group projects, leadership modules, communication workshops, and reflective assignments.
Is there evidence supporting DISC in education?
Yes. Universities globally have adopted DISC to support leadership development, enhance student engagement, and improve learning outcomes.
GET IN TOUCH
Get in touch to learn more or request a demo for your class.
All fields require completion to submit.*
We respect your privacy. Your details will not be used in any way other than a quick call or email to see how we can be of assistance to your online enquiry. For more information, see our privacy policy.
How to Utilise AI in your Teaching
Students will try to use AI anyway, so why not provide a controlled environment for them to do so. The DISC AI Coach provides tailored behavioral explanations for use in the classroom, assignments, and learning environments. Enhancing the value and application of DISC by getting more out of the report and providing students and professors with access to an additional resource to build on their learning.