Civic Education and Active Learning: Applying the CDIO and Debate Models

Session Submission Type: TLC Workshop

Session Description

The workshop is informed by a core concern to political science educators: how can we do better at ensuring that our students have a positive student experience, which engages them with our subject and provides the knowledge, understanding and skills that will equip them for success, in their own personal aspirations and in their wider contributions to civil society, post-graduation?

As Kenyon (2023) notes: "A consensus has emerged, amongst scholars of teaching and learning in political science education, that changing how we teach, to include teaching practices that encourage learning through active participation in real-world political practices, focused on real-world problems, we can enhance student engagement, experience and outcomes. Such methods include client-focused research (Glazier and Bowman 2021; Solop et al. 2022), debating (McMonagle and Savitz 2022), internships (Glover et al. 2021), service learning (Lamb, Perry, and Steinberg 2023; Reynolds 2023) and simulations (Baranowski and Weir 2015; Bradberry and De Maio 2019; Rinfret and Pautz Citation2015; West and Halvorson 2021). Dionne (2023) considers project-based learning, introducing design thinking into political science education; Mitchell (2019) integrates classroom learning with the real-time, real-world of political campaigning; and Hosman and Jacobs (2018) explore the benefits of interdisciplinary collaboration between political science and engineering students in overseas fieldwork projects. Research also suggests that such active, experiential learning can address employers’ needs for political science graduates who are employability-ready (Biswas and Haufler 2020)."

And, as McMonagle and Savitz (2022) find: "We examine the impact of two types of active learning—traditional standardized debate and the newer value-line debate, both under-studied in political science pedagogy—on students. In short, one can infer from our research that faculty in a normative sense should be reassured about employing either the newer value-line approach or traditional structured debate type."

In short, this hands-on workshop will empower participants in building a 21st Century civic education infrastructure through active learning, specifically through Kenyon's Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate (CDIO) and McMonagle and Savitz's (2022) two classroom debate pedagogies.

See:
Kenyon, Susan. "Conceive-design-implement-operate: pedagogical innovation to enhance attainment, engagement, satisfaction and employability in political science." Journal of Political Science Education (2023): 1-13.
and,
McMonagle, Robert J., and Ryan Savitz. "Active Learning: Beyond Structured Debates in Political Science Pedagogy." Journal of Political Science Education 19, no. 3 (2023): 355-370.

Sub Unit

• TLC at APSA

Chair

• Robert John McMonagle Neumann University

Presenters

• Susan Kenyon Canterbury Christ Church University

• Ryan M Savitz Neumann University

• Robert John McMonagle Neumann University