Reimagining the Future of Intercollegiate Debate: Pedagogy, Practice, and Sustainability

The Fourth National Debate Development Conference

University of Minnesota (Online). June 4-6, 2021

Hosts/Organizers: Drs. Kelly Young (Wayne State University) and David Cram Helwich (University of Minnesota)

Co-sponsored by the AFA, American Debate Association (ADA), Cross Examination Debate Association (CEDA), and the National Debate Tournament (NDT)

Featured Resources from the Conference:

2022 Reimagining the Future of Intercollegiate Debate book from Wayne State University Press, featuring chapters from many of the working groups at the NDDC conference.

PDF version of Reimagining the Future of Intercollegiate Debate
PDF version

Debate Format Working Group Policy Group:

Debate Curriculum Mapping Template

Policy Format Group Member Mapping of SLOs to Debate

Communication skills SLO template

Paul Elder Critical Thinking Model

Information Literacy rubric

Debate and Social Emotional Skills

Featured Presentations/panels

Dr. Ed Lee III (Emory University), “Gotta be the Rock in the Cabbage”: The Role of Campus Partnerships in Sustaining Debate Programs.

Drs. Elisia Cohen (Minnesota), Danielle Leek (J Sargeant Reynolds CC), Richard Pineda (University of Texas-El Paso), “Administrators’ Perspectives on Making Arguments to Sustain Debate Programs.”

Dr. David Steinberg (Miami), Dr. Avery Henry (Florida State), Dr. John Koch (Vanderbilt), and Paul Hayes, JD (George Washington University), “The purposes and value of multi-format debate programs.”

Dr. Jarrod Atchison, DOD at Wake, and Melissa Combs, Associate VP, Presidential Advancement & Liaison to the Trustees, Wake, discuss best practices in fund raising.

Working Groups summary presentations at the 4th National Debate Development Conference. Governing, Non-Policy Format, Research, Audience, and Topic groups present in this video.

Working Groups summary presentations at the 4th National Debate Development Conference. Policy Format, Student Instruction, Technology, and Program Development groups present in this video.

Work Group Participants/Conference Program

NDCC participants by working group 5_28_21

NDCC participants by last name 5_28_21

Previous Conference Proceedings:

First Debate Development Conference at Sedalia (1975)

Second Debate Development Conference at Northwestern (1984)

Report of the Working Committee from the Quail Roost Conference on Assessment of Professional Activities of Directors of Debate (1994).

Third Debate Development Conference at Wake Forest (2009)

Tentative Daily Schedule

Friday

PDT MDT CDT EDT
Opening Session 7-8p 8-9a 9-10a 10-11a
Work Group Sessions: Audience, Governance, Research, Topics, and Non-Policy Format/Scheduling working groups 8-10a 9-11a 10a-12p 11a-1p
Presentation: “Selling Debate”: Promotion of debate programs and activities from an administrator’s perspective. Elisia Cohen (Minnesota), Danielle Leek (J Sargeant Reynolds CC), & Richard Pineda (UTEP). 10a-11a 11a-12p 12p-1p 1p-2p
Break 11a-12p 12-1p 1-2p 2-3p
Work Group Sessions: Policy Format, Student Instruction, Program Development, Technology, BP/USUDA Equity working groups 12-2p 1p-3p 2p-4p 3p-5p
Presentation: Dr. Ed Lee, senior director of the Alben W. Barkley Forum for Debate, Deliberation, and Dialogue, Emory, “Strategic Alliance Making for Program Justification.” 2-3p 3-4p 4-5p 5-6p
Break 3-5p 4-6p 5-7p 6-8p
Social Events 5-7p 6-8p 7-9p 8-10p

Saturday

Work Group Sessions:Audience, Governance, Research, Topics, and Non-Policy Format/Scheduling working groups 7-10a 8-11a 9a-12p 10a-1p
Panel: Multiformat programs and alternative debate formats – Paul Hayes (George Washington), Dave Steinberg (Miami), John Koch (Vanderbilt), Avery Henry (Florida State) 10-11a 11a-12p 12-1p 1-2p
Break 11a-12p 12-1p 1-2p 2-3p
Work Group Sessions:Policy Format, Student Instruction, Program Development, Technology, BP/USUDA Equity working groups 12-3p 1-4p 2-5p 3-6p
Presentation: Fundraising strategies. Jarrod  Atchison (Wake Forest). 3-4p 4-5p 5-6p 6-7p
Break 4-5p 5-6p 6-7p 7-8p
Social Events 5-7p 6-8p 7-9p 8-10p

Sunday

Work Group Sessions:Audience, Governance, Research, Topics, and Non-Policy Format/Scheduling working groups 7-9a 8-10a 9-11a 10a-12p
Work Group Sessions: Policy Format, Student Instruction, Program Development, Technology, BP/USUDA Equity working group 9-11a 10a-12p 11a-1p 12-2p
Break 11a-12p 12-1p 1-2p 2-3p
Workgroup Presentations 12-3p 1-4p 2-5p 3-6p
Closing Session 3-4p 4-5p 5-6p 6-7p