Transitioning class discussions to a synchronous online environment may allow instructors to maintain the well-established benefits of discussions while also meeting student needs for remote instruction. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of student-led, synchronous online class discussions in a small, graduate-level course. Students enrolled in a master’s-level international trade course participate in weekly class discussions on Zoom. Prior to the pandemic, this course was taught in person every other year; in Fall 2021, it transitioned to biannual online instruction with both synchronous (discussion) and asynchronous (lecture) elements to better meet the needs of the full-time working professionals who comprise the majority of the graduate program’s student population. The course is structured with topic-focused weekly learning modules; each discussion is based on a peer-reviewed article related to that week’s topic. During the semester, each student facilitates one discussion, serves as the notetaker for one discussion, and is a participant in the other discussions, with an instructor-provided guide on how to prepare for each of those roles. Pre- and post-questionnaires were administered in Fall 2021 and Fall 2023 addressing students’ prior class discussion experiences and their perceptions of this course’s discussion activities (n=10). Responses indicated these synchronous online discussions improved students’ understanding of course concepts (100%,) and increased their confidence in their ability to contribute to class discussion (90%). 100% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that they were comfortable both participating in and facilitating these discussions, and 100% of students strongly agreed that these discussions were a good learning experience. A paired-samples t-test comparing the mean opinion about class discussions prior to and upon completion of this class found a significant increase in opinion (p<0.001). This study suggests that student-led synchronous online discussions can provide a positive student learning experience.