A Toolkit for use of Debate as an Authentic Summative Assessment Method

When choosing assessment in higher education, it’s important to consider not only the type and quality of the assessment but what and how students will learn from the process. For students to fully achieve learning outcomes, assessment types must keep students engaged, motivated, and enhance their wider development (Wong et al., 2024; Clouder et al, 2012). To support assessment for learning, it is important for educators to design authentic assessments that promote deep learning and critical thinking, whilst remaining intellectually stimulating, this is important not only for student attainment, but also to equip students with a holistic skill set to enable their success in higher education and beyond (Villarroel et al., 2018). Debate, often employed as a problem-based learning strategy during tutorials, enhances student engagement and promotes deeper learning (Rodger and Stewart-Lord, 2020). However, it is not commonly utilised as a summative assessment method.

In a new MSc course, we embedded debate as an authentic summative assessment method to enhance students' critical thinking and development of graduate attributes/skills. We created and implemented a scaffolded support system to ensure students comprehended the task and collaborated effectively within their groups. The assessment involved students working in small teams to prepare and argue their case (for or against) on a given question. Following the debate, students submitted individual reflections on their experience.

When we initially implemented the debate assessment, we faced several challenges, including ensuring equal participation among group members and managing the diverse student cohort. Many students were unfamiliar with debate as an assessment method, and some international students experienced difficulties with second language communication. Despite these initial hurdles, our personal reflections, students' reflective writing entries, and routine course evaluations revealed that students were highly engaged, performed well, and had positive views of the debate assessment.

This assessment toolkit will offer:

1. An explanation of the rationale behind using debate as an assessment method.
2. Our perspectives on the assessment.
3. A comprehensive, step-by-step guide on conducting a successful debate assessment, including practical tips and strategies to overcome encountered challenges.

Our work establishes that debate can be effectively integrated into traditional classroom settings as an authentic assessment method to enhance student engagement, critical thinking, and the development of graduate attributes. Students learn more effectively by actively analysing, discussing, and applying content meaningfully, rather than passively absorbing information. Therefore, debate is a valuable addition to summative assessment practices.

References

Clouder, L., Broughan, C., Jewell, S., & Steventon, G. (2012). Improving student engagement and development through assessment. London and New York: Routledge.

Rodger, D., & Stewart-Lord, A. (2020). Students' perceptions of debating as a learning strategy: A qualitative study. Nurse education in practice, 42, 102681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2019.102681

Villarroel, V., Bloxham, S., Bruna, D., Bruna, C., & Herrera-Seda, C. (2017) Authentic assessment: creating a blueprint for course design. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(5), 840–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1412396

Wong, Z. Y., Liem, G. A. D., Chan, M., & Datu, J. A. D. (2024) Student engagement and its association with academic achievement and subjective well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 116(1), 48–75. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000833