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The Enlightenment era marked a turning point in education, introducing the concept of teaching through argumentation to cultivate critical thinking and intellectual engagement. This pedagogical approach has since evolved, influencing various disciplines and shaping the modern university experience. However, political cultural and demographic forces acting upon higher education have significantly impacted the efficacy of argumentation as a teaching method.
The Modernization of Higher Education
The late 19th and 20th centuries witnessed significant changes in higher education. The industrial revolution, the rise of public universities, and public policies like the post-WWII GI Bill increased access to education and led to a more diverse and populous student body. While these changes democratized education, they also introduced challenges. Larger class sizes and resource constraints made lecture-based teaching the norm, often sidelining interactive and student-centered approaches like argumentation.
With millions of students now attending universities worldwide, institutions face the dual challenge of maintaining quality while accommodating large numbers. Gerald Graff (2003), in Clueless in Academe, critiques the failure of higher education to make the academic culture accessible to students. He argues that teaching argumentation explicitly—rather than assuming students will pick it up implicitly—is crucial for their intellectual development.
Failure to do so has dramatic consequences. Studies reveal that a significant percentage of college graduates lack critical thinking and argumentation skills. Arum and Roksa (2011), in Academically Adrift, show that many students demonstrate marginal improvements in critical thinking and analytical reasoning during their undergraduate studies. Their research highlights the disconnect between higher education’s stated goals and its actual outcomes. Similarly, a survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U, 2018) highlights that while 99% of college faculty viewed critical thinking as a priority, only 6% of institutions had robust assessment tools to measure its development. This is particularly concerning given the rise of political division and the increasing prevalence of "fake news." The lack of argumentative training hampers students’ ability to advocate for themselves in professional and civic contexts. Employers consistently cite critical thinking and communication as essential skills, yet many graduates enter the workforce without sufficient preparation (AAC&U, 2018).
However, implementing argumentation effectively in large, lecture-based courses remains challenging. Instructors often struggle to balance the need for content delivery with opportunities for student interaction.
Innovations and Opportunities
Some success at addressing wide-spread and intractable deficits in academic development has been modeled by programs with significant curricular reach. Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) programs, for example, encourage students to develop their writing skills in across diverse subjects. These initiatives aim to make effective written communication a ubiquitous skill, not confined to specific courses.
Following the WAC example, debate-based learning is beginning to gain some traction through initiatives like the University of Denver's, MIT’s and James Madison University’s Debate Across the Curriculum programs. These programs embed debate exercises into various disciplines, enabling students to apply argumentative skills in science, engineering, humanities and social science contexts. Beyond higher education, programs such as the Boston Debate League and Argument-Centered Education in Chicago demonstrate the revolutionary potential of debate for K-12 students, improving their critical thinking and communication skills.
And nearly 300 institutions of higher education across the US have competitive debating teams. Competitive debating in higher education is a proven method for honing argumentation skills, as participants learn to evaluate evidence, structure logical arguments, and articulate their positions under pressure. Studies suggest that debate enhances critical thinking, public speaking, and problem-solving skills, making it a potent tool for academic and professional success (Colbert and Biggers 2). However, access to debate programs is limited, often confined to well-resourced institutions and students with prior experience, leaving many excluded. This restricts its potential to address the broader deficiencies in teaching effective argumentation across diverse student populations (Freeley and Steinberg 128)
The Way Forward
To revitalize argumentation as a pedagogy, universities must address systemic issues. Smaller class sizes, increased faculty training, and a shift away from passive learning models are essential. Moreover, fostering a campus culture that values intellectual engagement and debate can encourage students to embrace argumentation beyond the classroom.
Policy changes at the institutional and governmental levels can also play a role. Increased funding for education can enable universities to invest in resources that support interactive learning. Collaboration between educators, administrators, and policymakers is crucial to ensure that argumentation remains a cornerstone of higher education.
More concretely, there are immediate changes that institutions and instructors may make to increase the use of argumentation as pedagogy. Educators must be equipped with the tools and strategies to effectively teach argumentation and incorporate it into their disciplines, whether that's the Humanities and Fine Arts, Education, Business, Natural, Formal or Applied Sciences, Health and Medical Sciences or the Social Sciences. Institutions should offer workshops, resources, and collaborative opportunities to help faculty integrate argumentation into their teaching. With appropriate professional development, instructors may gain confidence in designing assignments that encourage debate, foster critical thinking, and assess argumentative reasoning.
Technology offers numerous tools to facilitate argumentation training. Online platforms may allow students to present video or written arguments asynchronously, fostering participation even among those hesitant to speak in class. Debate simulators and AI-driven tools, like Kialo, can provide structured environments for students to practice argumentation skills outside of traditional classroom settings.
Creating an academic environment that values argumentation requires institutional commitment. Universities must expand their presence in the public sphere by hosting public debates, interdisciplinary forums, and student-led discussion panels to normalize and celebrate argumentative discourse. Encouraging open dialogue on contentious topics—while fostering respect and empathy—prepares students to engage thoughtfully in professional and civic life.
By prioritizing these strategies, higher education institutions can ensure that argumentation remains a central pillar of academic and personal development.
Works Cited
Arum, Richard, and Josipa Roksa. Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College
Campuses. University of Chicago Press, 2011.
Colbert, Kent R., and Thompson Biggers. Debate and Critical Analysis: The Harmony of
Conflict. Waveland Press, 1985.
Freeley, Austin J., and David L. Steinberg. Argumentation and Debate: Critical Thinking for
Reasoned Decision Making. Wadsworth, 2008.
Graff, Gerald. Clueless in Academe: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind. Yale
University Press, 2003.
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