In a course on academic work, staged debates offer an opportunity to acquire interdisciplinary skills in a specialised subject.
A scenario/case is derived from a specialised topic. As the basis for a discussion, students must first deal with the technical aspects and master the necessary basics. The case also gives rise to different perspectives that need to be adopted and represented in the discussion. Suitable, technically sound arguments must be found and the opponent's arguments refuted.
The advantage of the discussion is the active engagement with the learning material, which stimulates more intensive cognitive information processing (for further advantages and disadvantages, see here). In order to stage a suitable debate, a topic must be chosen which contains pro and contra arguments. Further information on the practical implementation of this method in your course can be found at here.
Example topic timber construction: There is a problem with a construction. In a dispute, the views of the client and the timber industry representative must be represented.
