Debates and negotiations
Debates and negotiations give two sides private preparation, timed rounds, and reports of their contributions.
Sides and rounds
A debate is a live room with two sides that argue a motion in timed rounds; a negotiation is two teams working toward an agreement. Both templates start with groups of 4 to 6 and randomly assigned sides. Debate starts with a 30-minute session, and Negotiation starts with a 45-minute session.
The supporting side opens
DebatePreparation
Each side prepares in a private huddle before recording begins. Debate gives students notes for their side of the motion. Negotiation gives each team its own private brief. The stage names the side that has the floor when the recorded rounds begin.
Split at random now is the starting choice for forming sides. You can instead assign students yourself, let students choose, or split them as they join. A reopened discussion keeps the assigned sides.
The verdict
| Part | What it means |
|---|---|
| Judge | A person who remained outside both sides throughout the argument. |
| Verdict | The side that the judge names as the winner. |
| Debaters' votes | Named votes recorded beside the judge's decision. |
| Later decision | The instructor names the winner from the report when everyone present argued a side. |
| Negotiation outcome | The teams record whether they agreed and write the terms. |
You or a teaching assistant can judge through Watch. The report identifies the judge under Judged in the room by.
The road of a debate
Grades and reports
Debate Rubric (Prepara) scores Argument, Rebuttal, Evidence, and Delivery from 0 to 4. The AI assesses the first three from students' words. Delivery uses voice measures and is flagged for your review. Negotiation uses the General Discussion rubric.
The report shows each side's talk time, share of the discussion, and average rubric scores. Staff can also read each person's grade and talk time. Students receive held feedback when you press Release feedback.
Questions
Students meet with their side in a private huddle before returning to the main room for recorded rounds.
Negotiation teams use private briefs to seek an agreement. Debate sides argue a motion before a judge names the winner.