Only a handful of research papers have examined the assessment of student debate activities in higher education, and very little is currently known about how students might perceive a final oral exam in which they have to debate with/against each other. The aim of this study was to examine students' perceptions of participation and learning in…

This article assesses the effectiveness of two active learning formats -- a fully flipped and a semi-traditional one -- for students' soft skills, such as critical thinking, teamwork, self-efficacy, and learning perception, and for students' achievement measured in terms of grades. To measure the impact on the soft skills, it uses a Wilcoxon test,…

The inverted classroom model (ICM) has started to attract attention as a pedagogical approach in political science teaching. While there are many publications describing the application of the model in single courses and analyzing students' performance in inverted classes, the existing literature provides little guidance for first-time users of…

This essay outlines a set of mini-games designed to more effectively allow political science instructors, particularly in International Relations, teach basic principles and concepts associated with digital insecurity and cyber conflict. This topic, increasingly significant in IR syllabi in recent years, is in many cases considered with…

Instructors seeking to add active learning elements to their courses encounter an "evaluation challenge" when trying to assign grades to discussion-based activities that do not produce a final product. By creating a way to incorporate evaluation into hard-to-observe activities, the protocol presented here can help instructors make active…

The creation of educational audio-visual materials has recently become popular. It is an innovative and entertaining practice, which can reach millions of people through social networks and YouTube. For this reason, this specific was designed for students enrolled in the following three modules: The Spanish political system, public administration…

Simulations offer opportunities for students to receive instruction in political strategies and practice developing political skills without the real-world consequences faced by policymakers. Budget simulations introduce students to collective action problems prevalent at all levels of American government and can be used in a variety of courses.…

The advent of artificial intelligence and concerns over academic integrity have put instructors from every discipline on notice regarding the kinds of coursework we are assigning. But this is also a moment to deliver content in a manner that is clearer and more dynamic, use more active forms of learning, and improve the academic and professional…

Active learning--and gaming, in particular--is now a well-established part of many political science courses. First, we discuss the design and implementation of a "Gateway Game", a pedagogical tool with broad applicability and test its effectiveness in increasing student motivation, satisfaction, and learning. Crucially, we provide…

Introduction to American Government is a foundational general education course meant to promote understanding of democracy and students' ability to participate in it. But, there is substantial variation in how the course is structured: it can enroll anywhere from a dozen students to hundreds; it can be delivered online, face-to-face, or in hybrid…

Active learning techniques are being use with increasing frequency in the classroom and more time is being dedicated to designing and implementing them. However, the literature still suffers from a lack of rigorous empirical methods to test the effects of simulations. Most of the claimed benefits of utilizing simulations, and other active learning…

The ability to integrate learning--to make connections across classes or even within a single class--is integral to students becoming better learners, and to growing their capacity to perform as civic actors. We discuss an upper-level Campaigns and Elections class in which the course structure and assignments were set up to encourage students to…

This paper addresses some of the implications of courses with an experiential learning component for students with disabilities. We describe the adaptation of an original survey project, fielded using computer-assisted telephone-interviewing (CATI) software, in two political science classes. The software was not compatible with technology…

Simulations are an excellent tool for teaching and have been used in many disciplines including in various subfields of political science, notably in international relations. We focus on the value of employing simulations in the classroom to complement the pedagogy surrounding political theory and related fields such as professional ethics and…

College campuses have taken on increased responsibility for mobilizing young voters. Despite the discipline's commitment to civic engagement, political science departments play a minimal role in this programming. This article outlines a course structure--including learning objectives, course outline, and assessments--that treats a campus-wide…