Improvements academic debate?, tips/remarks anything you want to share Options

[Robbert L]

hy everyone,

As Stephen said in the organization thread we are going to change somethings concerning the academic debate regualtions, we have our own ideas but we also very interested in yours. So therefore I started this topic so you can share your thoughts/ideas.

Note: maybe errors in the current organization can be pointed out so we know which part(s) should be looked upon.

[Devin T]

-Anyone who goes over the time limit loses his ability to post
-Time limit reduced to 1 day

[Stephen M]

[Lia K]

I do not think the fault was upon the time limit, but rather one's procrastination and organization (mine included). I think a week is necessary, considering the amount of work a student might need to do for school over that time frame. Considering many of us will be upperclassmen (final two years of education), the most work is assigned then. A week is definitely necessary to ensure posts of the highest calibre.

I think though, in order to counteract the procrastination of posters we need to reinforce that this is a formal academic debate, and that late posts and other infractions will not be tolerated. Granted, perhaps there were late posts because that was a trial, and people assumed it was not important. I think we also need to establish an email system, perhaps the moderator should email once and a while. I remember Stephen did this, and I thought it was an effective strategy.

I think, following the next academic debate we will need to continue to discuss reforms. I don't think all creases will be ironed out of this until we've tried more than once.

Have we actually established yet, whether or not it is possible to selectively lock the academic debate?

[Stephen M]

Although I have my own opinions on how the academic debate could be fixed (and know they aren't toally correct either), I would not be so quick to jump on Devin's point. After all, debates in real life are done all within an hour, and much (all in impromptu debates, rebuttal in prepared debates) of the material is improvised. Yet, many are still good debates. A debate in which the time limits were a day has the advantage that it doesn't keep other debaters waiting for possibly months...

I for one would like to hear more logic beind the day long time limits.

[Lia K]

Sorry.

[Devin T]

I say one day time limits to make the debates take less time. It is tedious to wait a long time for opponent's arguments, and results in a loss of interest by the participants (as is shown by the monarch debate).

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Question: Did the affirmative win the monarch debate?

[Stephen M]