Search

This article describes a political debate among congressional candidates that the authors organized in 2006. The debate was structured to maximize student involvement both in the planning stages and during the event itself. After discussing relevant literature on experiential learning, the article describes the debate format and details the issues encountered in planning and organization. Given the large number of stakeholders, a number of challenges emerged in dealing with the candidates, media, students, and university bureaucracy. Our description of these issues is designed to assist others wishing to organize similar debates. The article also examines student learning outcomes from the perspectives of those involved in debate planning and those who attended as part of an American Government class. We find that participation enhanced political knowledge and engagement for both groups. Finally, the paper considers how assessment of the debate's impact could be addressed more effectively and systematically in the future.