Team B
Minimum Staffing Ratios
Con Position I do not support Minimum Nursing Staffing Ratios
AN INTRODUCTION TO SYNCHRONOUS ONLINE DEBATES
A debate is a structured learning experience that stimulates the use of logical, formal argument and critical thinking in the presentation of factual material. Debaters research the debate topic, work as a team, organize and prepare individual presentations, plan some elements of emotional appeal for persuasion. These synchronous online debates have a format that provides a frame-work for the debates. Teams will be evaluated on their work; however, the emphasis is not on “winning”. There is also an evaluation of each student’s individual contribution.
Debate Format
The debate will take place in a Blackboard Collaborate on a date specified in the syllabus.
During each time period only the designated debaters will present their team positions. All other classmates, including the opposing team, will not respond until the designated time.
Debate Team Roles
There are two basic roles – the presenters and the rebuttal debaters
Each Presenter has a maximum of 600 words to present his/her position(s) on the issue.
Debaters may complete their presentation in less than 600 words but may not go over the word limit.
PRO and Con Presentations. Every team member presents once at the beginning of the debate.
Rebuttals. These also have a maximum of 600 words. Rebuttals are designed to answer or
respond to each of the arguments of the other team. Rebuttals may respond to every argument made by other team members, using specific information to disprove them. The rebuttal round is the time to defend your team’s positions and attack weaknesses in your opponent’s position.
Although you may do a quick review of your teams’ main points you should not use your “time” to just rehash points already made.
EVERY STUDENT SPEAKS THREE TIMES – ONCE AS AN INITIAL PRESENTER AND ONCE AS A REBUTTAL DEBATER and ONCE for FINAL REMARKS
Tips
Debaters should aim to write clearly, logically and coherently. Students should be familiar with the topic and their points. Discussion about the topic, the team’s positions and the anticipated positions of the opposition team can be very helpful. These discussions can be held online in small group discussions or by phone, or even in person.
Members of the debating teams should work together on the points each will debate in order to avoid a situation in which a couple of students raise the same points. There may be some over-lapping of points but sheer repetition indicates that the preparation was not coordinated.
When presenting your point, try to operate with fact, not opinion. In other words, try to bring empirical evidence, not pure emotions, into debate. Avoid personal attacks or personal remarks during the debate. Operate with facts and statistics from the readings. Personal opinions and experiences can be used to supplement and/or emphasize a position.
Postings should have substance and thoughtfulness.
The end of the third week are final remarks. Each team member will make one final state-ment. This statement will include a brief summary of key points, reiteration of any important re-buttal comments and response to some of the open discussion.
CRITERIA FOR DEBATE
Teams are graded as a whole and there is also an individual grade. Team members should work together so that all members have an adequate background on the positions and arguments that are being proposed. Even though postings are individual, the overall team debate is consid-ered. Overall the debates are scored on knowledge, accuracy, reasoning, communication, and presentation.
Debate Grading Guidelines for the Team portion (10 of the total debate grade of 15 points)
Argumentation
Quality of the Research (thorough, comprehensive, creative when possible)
Comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the issue.
Major points are supported with several relevant facts, statistics or examples.
(You will not be expected to bring up points that do damage to your position, your opposing team has that job. If they do bring up a damaging point you should be ready with a rebuttal).
Organization and Coordination
Reasoning
Communication
Presentation – correct grammar and spelling, confidence, clarity and conviction.
Respect for the other team
Each Team must submit a list of references used in preparation for the debate. This list should be comprised of the findings from all team members ‘search of the literature. The reference list should reflect the points that the team members are making and should be in APA style.
Debate Grading Guidelines for the Individual portion (5 of the total debate 15 points)
Presentation – correct grammar and spelling
Organization
Submission of report of main points to be covered (see below)
Each team member must research his/her aspect of the team’s position
Debate the issue with rationales, present different points, i.e., members of a team should not repeat the same point unless this was planned for special emphasis as in rebuttals.
Sample debate posting
The following is a sample for the first team member presenting the PRO side of a debate on a national single-payer health care system in the US. Note it is 544 words.
Hello professors, classmates and fellow debaters. As the first debater in this online debate I would like to introduce my team Florence Nightingale, Martha Rodgers, Lavinia Dock and Mary Seacole. We are going to outline the reasons we support the need for a national, single-payer healthcare system in the United States. We will address the health of the people of the United States (US), the costs of healthcare under the current “system” and with single-payer, the moral imperative of the government to its people through the legislative process, and the ethical ques-tion of whether health care is a human right.
The first point in this debate is the health of our nation. The United States is recognized as one of the wealthiest countries in the world, an indisputably highly developed country that is both democratic and capitalistic. The US is ranked as 6th wealthiest country in the world based on the Gross National Product (GNP) per capita. Some estimates are that 17 % of the GNP in the US is spent on healthcare. Yet the United Nations World Population Prospects reports that the infant mortality rate (a standard indicator of the level of health in a country) in the United States is 7.07 deaths per 1,000 live births (last three-year average). This ranks the US as 34th (of 194 countries ranked). YES, 34th – falling behind Slovenia, Ireland, South Korea, Greece, Brunei and Cuba. All of the other countries with high GNP rankings also ranked very low in infant mor-tality, that is they had fewer infant deaths relative to the number of live births.
Is it not logical that a wealthy county would have a “better” rate of infant mortality? This is not saying that the citizens of a wealthy country have more of a right to better health, just that it is logical that wealth would lead to better healthcare. That is not the case in the United States to-day. We are a wealthy country with an expensive health care system but our wealth does not re-sult in better health for our citizens.
The Common Wealth Fund consistently ranks the US last among seven nations that have been studied in terms of performance in health care. These include rankings of quality care, access, efficiency, equity, and long, healthy, productive lives. They note that the way in which the US differs from these other countries are the absence of universal health insurance coverage.
The US is the only wealthy nation in the world that does not have health coverage for all of its people. The economy of the US has not been healthy in the past few years, but looking at the last thirty years with a very healthy economy one-sixth of the people under age 65 are uninsured, most of whom are working in low paying jobs.
Debate schedules
The dates of the debate in posted in the syllabus and Blackboard
Part One – Initial arguments/Submission of References
Part Two – Rebuttal argument
Part Three – Final Remarks by Each Team Member
Review of Debate Grading
Team Grade = 10 points:
presentations
rebuttals
final remarks and references
Individual Grade = 5 points:
presentations
rebuttals
final remarks and references
Rubric for online debate – INDIVIDUAL portion
Criteria Excellent Good Adequate Poor
Comprehensive un-derstanding and presentation of the argument points. The presentation is accu-rate and very clearly written showing an understanding of the points being presented. Argument showed co-ordination with the whole team.
2 points The presentation is accurate and generally clearly written showing an understanding of the points being presented.
Argument showed coordination with the whole team.
1.8 points The presentation is largely accurate and clearly written showing an understanding of most of the points be-ing presented.
Argument showed coordination with the whole team.
1.6 points The presentation is not accurate and/or not clearly written.
There may not have been any points turned in.
Argument showed a lack of coordination with the whole team.
0-2 points
Content development – Use of research findings or
information from
articles in peer re-viewed journals or other reliable sources. Reference(s) are very well integrated and cited and are used to support the position. Major points are supported with several relevant facts, statistics or exam-ples.
2 points Reference(s) are somewhat integrated and cited and are used to support the position. Major points are sup-ported with some rele-vant facts, statistics or examples.
1.8 points Reference(s) are poorly integrated and cited and are used to support few parts of the position. Major points are not supported with relevant facts, statistics or ex-amples.
1.6 points Reference(s) are not integrated and cited nor used to support the description. The refer-ence list was not sub-mitted.
Major points are not supported with rele-vant facts, statistics or examples.
0-1.5 points
Organization and clarity of writing. Correct Grammar and spelling. Very well organized and developed
Writing is very articu-late, clear and descrip-tive with no errors in grammar and spelling.
1 points Generally, well orga-nized and developed.
Writing is clear and descriptive with few errors in grammar and spelling.
0.8 points Writing is not always clear and well written.
Organization is incon-sistent and there are several errors in gram-mar and spelling.
0.6 points Unclear writing that is very poorly organized and/or with many errors in grammar and spelling
0-1.5 points