CNIE 2023 Abstract
CNIE 2023 Conference
Future-Proofing Technology Integration and Innovation in Education
Virtual conference organized by Canadian Network for Innovation in Education
23 – 25 May 2023
Wed, May 24, 2023 Session 3 (3:00-4:30 pm ET): Innovative Practice and Student Experiences
Title of Presentation: What Matters for Critical Thinking in Debates: Modality or Design?
Names and affiliations of presenters: Dr. Lindsey McKay and Marie Bartlett, Thompson Rivers University
Keywords: Mode of delivery, critical thinking, debates, student engagement, online activities, classroom activities, scholarship of teaching and learning
Target Audience: Teaching faculty (online or in the classroom), learning designers, educational technologists
Abstract:
Could blended environments engage learners in new ways? Debates are a well-documented learning activity for fostering critical thinking, but does the mode of delivery in the design of team debates make a difference? Dr. Lindsey McKay and learning designer Marie Bartlett started to ask these questions as they worked together on moving face-to-face learning activities online during Covid lockdowns.
Observations made during the lockdowns inspired Lindsey and Marie to apply for a SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching and Learning) grant, and investigate further during two sections of Lindsey’s introductory Sociology course. The study compares multimode (online and face-to-face) team debates in one section to face-to-face team debates in the other section.
The multimode team debate students are invited to cite scholarship and show their evidentiary sources to their peers through online discussion forum threads. The face-to-face section cite scholarship and show their evidentiary sources through an individual preparation assignment which they submit to their faculty member. Both sections also argue both sides of their debate questions in the classroom, face-to-face.
The SoTL team secured TRU’s (Thompson Rivers University) Research Ethics approval to examine students’ course work through a lens of a critical thinking rubric, and we are also collecting feedback about student modality preferences. Students are not required to complete any extra work and can withdraw from the study after they receive their final grade, to minimize any concerns that their participation could affect their performance in the course.
Based on quantitative and qualitative data collected, we will share our preliminary findings. The significance of this study is to advance knowledge of the affordances and limitations of different modes of delivery for learning activities and a specific learning outcome.
