The Practice
Physics World, a third year optional unit in the School of Physics, has the aim of introducing students to current topics of interest to practising physicist and scientists through the art of debates. Using Debate as form as assessment in a STEM topic is not encountered often, however debating allows not only for students to practice and improve their public speaking skills, but also forges a way for them to develop critical thinking and persuasive skills. Students also further familiarised themselves with the art of investigating and unearthing scientific arguments on both sides of a given topic.
This module has run over multiple years and has had a varied number of students, up to a maximum of 30 students per term. The number of students has had to be limited due to the allocated module time (10CP module). The debate format was structured such that the students were expected to work in pairs. Each student was expected to engage in two debates on two distinct topics, presenting arguments once in favour of a position and once against a proposition. This allowed all students to experience the debate from both sides of the argument.
The debates themselves were presented in front of their peers who acted as “the audience “and were structured as such:
- One student took on the role of presenting a point of debate, taking on a given topic’s views in a positive way (10 min).
- The other student then presented the counter case taking on the opposing views (10 min)
- Each student then had a short rebuttal time to respond to their opponent’s arguments (10 min) – This section has had different settings, but in recent years students have freely responded to each other’s arguments on the spot.
- In the 2nd debate the roles were then reversed, and the other student presented an argument based on a different topic, with the other student presenting the opposing case.
- This formal debate was then followed by a general discussion among the audience on the topics presented and was presented as questions to the speakers
Findings
This is usually a very enjoyable module to run as it allows exposure to a lot of different topics in applied Physics. The unit name, Physics World, takes inspiration from the magazine Physics World where the type of topics discussed reflect what can be found there. So choice of topics is very important and students were usually given freedom to investigate and choose (after approval by the academic in charge) specific topics were interested in. Allowing students some choices have been an important step. As a result, students very much enjoyed what they were investigating and thereafter debating. Over the years, one of the lessons learnt was to have examples of topics discussed by previous students as inspiration.
Given the specificity of the debate structure, the first session of the unit comprised of a lecture and help with the organisation of the different pairs. This is a necessary session as it does allow students to freely ask questions and familiarise themselves with the debate structure. Students were also guided to choose their working partners during that initial session. As per the unit structure, students were also asked to write an essay on one of their debated topics (only the one for which they debated the “for” position), which formed 20% of the unit. Both debates weighting both 40% however. Adding the essay allowed students to also practice their writing skills.
It has been beneficial to students to receive feedback after each session concerning their debate performance. This allowed them to then reflect back and incorporate this constructive feedback into their future debates.
The Impact
This has been a very successful and enjoyable module to run and for students to participate in, with excellent unit satisfaction (98%-100%) over the years.
Feedback from students have highlighted how enriching the module was to them. Statements have included quotes such:
- “The course is one of the only options within Physics that allows students to develop invaluable skills beyond their academic studies”;
- “It was a fun course which was very beneficial for improving confidence when giving presentations. It was also great to learn about new things with each debate. Very enjoyable”
- “I thoroughly enjoyed this course. The best part was learning about and discussing interesting areas of science and the controversies around them. In addition to improving my communication skills and confidence in public speaking, this course has encouraged me to think more deeply about pressing issues in the scientific community, which will be a very useful skill in my career as a scientist. Additionally, I enjoyed the relaxed (or less formal) environment in which the sessions were carried out as it made me feel more comfortable to ask questions and contribute to discussions”;
- “The format encouraged us to get involved as each other’s audience, asking questions and engaging with each topic. This was a very active module, in which an enthusiastic atmosphere was fostered. It was clear that all the students were interested in the module and were taking part for personal growth and skill development rather than just marks”.
Next Steps
This year, the unit run as a merged module with a different unit to form a 20 CP module. Given the curriculum review the School of Physics is undergoing, the plan is for the module to be slightly adapted as part of a communicating Physics module. This is still in the process… However, given the benefits, part or the full format can easily be adapted to use in any subject or School, especially in subject where it would not be considered, so do feel free to get inspired and create a module with debate as a form of assessment.
Contact
Please Contact Carine Nsangu, lecturer in the School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences and Engineering (carine.t.nsangu@bristol.ac.uk) if you would want to know more about this type of assessment.
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