Argumentation in higher education: Examples of actual practices with argumentation tools

Abstract

This practice oriented chapter pr esents one case of using interactive media for supporting collaborative argumentation by university students. The discussion is descriptive, focusing on the scenario and the tools that are used, and on examples of actual discussion by students. Some basic mechanisms of employing argumentation are illustrated, by students using computer tools (chat, forums, graphical tools) for producing an argumentative essay. The chapter shows some of the characteristic constraints that are involved in implementing argumentative learning in university practice. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.