Abstract
Pairing the Socratic Method with Undergraduate Research (UR) in higher education enmeshes students in the learning process and gives them ownership over the knowledge gained. While professors remain the ‘expert,’ student critical thinking skills remain undeveloped, if they can’t foster their own understanding of the topics covered. This paper argues that to do this, purposeful (shorter) lectures, readings and/or YouTube videos - accessed by students, before class, in their online learning platform – should replace the presentation of traditional (class-length) lectures that leave students with only the notes they might have taken. By changing format, students can instead acquire a foundational knowledge of topical material before engaging actively in core, discipline-specific debate in class. This paper thus aims to create a ‘best practice’ toolbox for those interested in ‘digitalizing’ Socratic debate and shifting it online. After reviewing existing literature for online education – and testing it against the experience of shifting seminar classes online during COVID-19 – this paper will: 1 - Analyze the effectiveness of pre-loading ‘in-person’ lectures online to later orchestrate Socratic debate between students in different locations (using a flipped-classroom approach and Zoom technology); and 2 - Explore how this knowledge can then be deepened using UR deliverables that challenge how students see the world without making them feel vulnerable and/or under attack. The importance of gaining insight into the potential of online Socratic debate is emphatically stressed, given the perceptible shift in how students approach higher education and their use of increasingly varied forms of technology.
Presenters
Carol StrongProfessor, Political Science, University of Arkansas - Monticello, Arkansas, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Education and Learning Worlds of Differences
KEYWORDS
Educational Tools, Online Learning, Socratic Debate, Undergraduate Research
