The Debate for Civic Learning Institute is sponsored by James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. The two-day institute on the JMU campus Friday September 20 and Saturday September 21, 2019 focuses on integrating debate pedagogy into course curriculum design and institutional programming for civic learning. We are excited to be hosting 60+ faculty and staff from 20 different institutions across Virginia and the East Coast. 

Friday features interactive panels geared toward faculty and administrators interested in integrating debate for civic learning. Sessions feature panels on faculty and student experiences, debate pedagogy, assignment design, assessment, and faculty development. 

Saturday workshops are designed for faculty and adminsitrators to begin applying the insight and information from Friday's panels. Participants will begin redesigning courses, developing institution programming, exploring collaborative opportunities, and working toward completion of scholarship of teaching and learning projects that utilize debate for civic learning. 

Thank you to the following organizations and departments that helped provide funding for the Institute: 4VA, Madison Center for Civic Engagement, School of Communication Studies, JMU Debate, Center for Faculty Innovation, American Evolution, President's Office. 

Institute Schedule 

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

9:00 - 10:00am, Madison Union 256: Registration

10:00 - 10:30am, Madison Union 256: Welcome & Opening 

Dr. Lynn Pelco - Associate Vice Provost of Community Engagement at VCU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Organizer 

Dr. Caryn McTighe Musil - Senior Director of Civic Learning and Democracy Initiatives, Office of the President, Association of American Colleges & Universities

President Jonathan Alger - President of James Madison University

10:45 - 12:00pm, Madison Union 256: Session I Debate as Civic Learning Panel 

The purpose of the panel is to provide an overview of civic engagement and ways in which debate-based approaches can make meaningful contributions to civic engagement, particularly civic learning. Panelists will provide a range of experience with debate for civic learning, from institutional and state perspectives on civic engagement to developing civically-oriented programming to integrate debate in classrooms and surrounding communities. Some questions the panel might address:

• What is civic engagement? How is civic engagement related to civic learning? 
• What role do or should institutions of higher education play in civic learning? 
• What is debate? How is debate related to deliberation, dialogue, and other pedagogical approaches?
• How can debate-based approaches contribute to institutional civic engagement & civic learning efforts? 
• What barriers are there for civic learning and/or the use of debate-based approaches? 

Dr. Lynn Pelco - Associate Vice Provost of Community Engagement at VCU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Organizer - Presentation slides available here

Dr. Ed Lee - Senior Director of the Alben W. Barkely Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue at Emory University - Presentation slides available here

Dr. Paul E. Mabrey III - Communication Center Coordinator, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at JMU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Organizer - Presentation slides available here

Mr. Adam Jackson - Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, Baltimore's Grassroots Think-Tank

12:00 - 1:00pm, Madison Union 256: Lunch

1:15 - 2:30pm, Madison Union 256: Session II Faculty & Student Participation Panel

The purpose of the panel is to provide insight from students and faculty of the 2018-2019 Debate for Civic Learning cohort, none of which had used debate in the classroom before. Panelists will share a range of perspectives from their experiences with debate-based pedagogy, from faculty and graduate assistants designing or supporting new assignments to students in the recently redesigned course. Some questions the panel might address:

• Why did you integrate debate-based pedagogy into your class? 
• How did it go with the new debate-based assignments?
• What were the benefits you observed in student learning overall and civic learning specifically? Downsides?
• What didn’t you anticipate happening that actually occurred? 
• How did students experience the newly designed classes or assignments? 
• What would you do differently in the class? 

Dr. Susan Bodnar-Deren - Associate Professor of Sociology at VCU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Faculty Participant

Dr. Shin Ji Kang - Associate Professor of Early, Elementary & Reading Education at JMU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Faculty Participant

Dr. Tammy Swecker - Associate Professor of Dentistry at VCU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Faculty Participant

Miranda Tonkins - Graduate Assistant at Communication Center JMU, Graduate student in Communication & Advocacy M.A. program at JMU, provided support to faculty and students in Debate for Civic Learning 2019

Kelsie Hauser - undergraduate student in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies, student in ELED 310 Diversity in Elementary Education with Service Learning class that utilized Debate for Civic Learning

Jhosselin Rocha - undergraduate student in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies, student in ELED 310 Diversity in Elementary Education with Service Learning class that utilized Debate for Civic Learning

Jordan Quigley - undergraduate student in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies, student in ELED 310 Diversity in Elementary Education with Service Learning class that utilized Debate for Civic Learning

Brooke Weinstein - undergraduate student in Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies, student in ELED 310 Diversity in Elementary Education with Service Learning class that utilized Debate for Civic Learning

1:15 - 2:30pm, Madison Union 305: Session II Faculty Development Panel

The purpose of the panel is to provide insight, perspective, resources, and strategies for institute participants that are interested in supporting faculty at their home institution. Panelists will provide a range of experience and expertise on faculty development, from general faculty development on teaching to specifically within civic learning or debate pedagogy context. Some questions the panel might address:

• How do we recruit or motivate faculty to participate in professional development opportunities?
• What barriers exist to faculty participation?
• What ways can we support faculty who might have no experience or even skepticism about debate pedagogy and civic learning?
• How do we actively program to address diversity, equity, and inclusion concerns?
• How do we assess faculty development opportunities?
• What strategies or tricks might exist for supporting faculty development?

Dr. Alysia Davis – Director of Student Engagement in Honors College at JMU, Debate across Curriculum Faculty Associate

Dr. Kara Dillard – Assistant Professor School of Communication Studies at JMU, Research Associate at the Kettering Foundation

Dr. Emily Gravett – Assistant Director Center for Faculty Innovation at JMU, Assistant Professor Philosophy & Religion at JMU

Dr. Michael Pyles – Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Health Science Concentration in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences at VCU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Faculty Participant

2:45 - 4:00pm, Madison Union 256: Session III Assignment Design Panel

The purpose of this panel is to help provide guidance and tools to assist faculty in designing assignments or courses utilizing debate for civic learning. Panelists offer a range of experiences and examples on assignment design, from using assignment charrettes or course redesign workshops to specific assignments redesigned using debate-based pedagogy. Some of the questions this panel might address: 

• What are good guiding principles for assignment or course design/redesign? 
• How should I go about intentionally designing assignments?
• What might a debate-based assignment look like?
• What are the key pivot points to consider when designing debate-based assignments?
• What resources exist for assignment design and specifically debate-based assignments?
• How do I design inclusive debate-based assignments? 

Dr. Mike Davis - Executive Advisor to the President at JMU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Organizer

Dr. Jodi Fisler - Associate for Assessment Policy & Analysis at State Council of Higher Education for Virginia - - Presentation slides available here

Professor Dingani Mthethwa - Faculty in Sociology at VCU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Faculty Participant

Dr. Michael Rackett - Assistant Professor for the VCU ASPiRE living-learning program at VCU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Faculty Participant

2:45 - 4:00pm, Madison Union 305: Session III Assessment & Research Panel

The purpose of this panel is to explore assessment & research opportunities within the civic education and debate-based pedagogy landscape, including sharing data collected during the Debate for Civic Learning pilot cohort. Panelists offer a variety of assessment experiences, from student learning and civic engagement to the specific use of debate-based pedagogy in a variety of disciplines. Some of the questions this panel might address:

• How has civic engagement and civic learning been assessed? 
• What assessment resources exist for faculty to use for assessing classroom or student learning?
• What measures exist for measuring student learning through debate-based pedagogy? 
• What issues might arise from trying to assess civic learning? 
• What research are some potential research opportunities in pursuing debate for civic learning?

Dr. Paul E. Mabrey III - Communication Center Coordinator, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at JMU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Organizer - Presentation slides available here

Dr. Dena Pastor - Associate Director of Assessment Operations at JMU, Professor of Graduate Psychology - Presentation slides available here

Dr. Emily Peron - Associate Professor of Geriatric Pharmacotherapy at VCU, Debate for Civic Learning 2019 Faculty Participant

4:15 - 4:45 pm, Madison Union 256: Closing

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2019

8:30 - 9:30 am, Student Success Center 1075: Networking Breakfast

9:45 - 11:30am, Student Success Center Learning Centers: Curriculum & Scholarship Workshop

11:30 - 12:00pm, Student Success Center 1075: Group Share

12:00 - 1:00pm, JMU Campus Dining Facilities: Lunch

1:15 - 3:30pm, Student Success Center Learning Centers: Curriculum & Scholarship Workshop

3:30 - 4:00pm, Student Success Center 1075 Group Share and Closing

Logistical Highlights

No registration costs! Friday lunch, Friday snack, Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch will be provided at no cost. 

Parking is easy and free on-campus. If you are driving in on your own and not staying at the hotel, you are able to park in the Mason Street Parking Deck. It is the parking deck right next to Hotel Madison and the Student Success Center. While we will be in Madison Union on Friday (within walking distance from Mason Street Parking Deck), we will be in the Student Success Center on Saturday. No parking permit is necessary and there is no cost. https://www.jmu.edu/parking/_files/parkingmap.pdf

Institute participants are eligible to apply for curriculum grants. Curriculum grants provide institute participants funds that may be used toward participation in the institute or to support their integration of debate for civic learning in their course or program. Successful applicants will be asked to particpate in sharing instructional resources and data collection. 

Accessibility. If anything has changed with dietary needs, transportation, or other accessibility needs – please let me know. JMU also has a site with information on other accessibility concerns you might have like universal restrooms, lactation spaces, and more.https://www.jmu.edu/oeo/resources/