Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia
Vicerrectoría Académica y de Investigación
Course: English VII: English Conversation
Code: 518012
Learning Guide - Task 4 - Debating Controversial Issues
1. Information of the Task
Table 1. Description.
Aspect Description
1. Type of activity Independent
2. Evaluation moment Intermediate
3. Managing unit Escuela de Ciencias de la
Educación ECEDU
4. Score of the Task 70
5. The activity starts on: Wednesday, October 29, 2025
6. The activity ends on: Wednesday, November 12,
2025
7. Student independent work 18
hours
2. Detailed Description of the Learning Activity
Through this activity, the following learning outcome is expected to be
achieved:
Defend a clear and well-structured point of view using persuasive
language and argumentation strategies to build critical thinking and
effective oral communication skills during structured debates in
academic settings.
The activity consists of:
Participating in a live, moderated debate via Teams on a selected
controversial topic, where you will defend either the PRO or CON side.
You will have to prepare well-researched arguments, present and rebut
ideas fluently, and comply with debate etiquette. At the end, submit a
PDF with session details, a screenshot, and a 200-word summary
reflecting on the debate and your final position. This task sharpens your
argumentative, sociolinguistic, and critical thinking skills, fundamental to
the graduate profile’s emphasis on persuasive communication and
intercultural competence.
The following materials and resources are required for the development
of this activity:
• Bygate, M. (2001). Speaking. In R. Carter & D. Nunan (Eds.), The
Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages (The Cambridge Guides, pp. 14-20). Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press. https://www-cambridge-
org.bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/core/books/cambridge-guide-to-
teaching-english-to-speakers-of-other-
languages/speaking/463A464D131A9EFAC3B09E5419E743F6
• Iberri-Shea, G. (2017). Many More Sides: Debate across the
Curriculum and around the Globe. Contemporary Argumentation &
Debate, 37, 75–90. https://research-ebsco-
com.bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/linkprocessor/plink?id=e6be11b
f-5853-3f96-aa32-7aa06c583e4d
• Silberstein, S. (2001). Sociolinguistics. In R. Carter & D. Nunan
(Eds.), The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of
Other Languages (The Cambridge Guides, pp. 100-106).
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. https://www-cambridge-
org.bibliotecavirtual.unad.edu.co/core/books/cambridge-guide-to-
teaching-english-to-speakers-of-other-
languages/sociolinguistics/435A1B37205B913C742ACFABBC5FB15
2
• Moreno, L. I. (2022). Fostering speaking skills through debates.
[Objeto_virtual_de_Informacion_OVI]. Repositorio Institucional
UNAD. https://repository.unad.edu.co/handle/10596/51200
To develop this activity, follow these steps:
Step 1: Getting information from the course internal mail and the
student’s institutional email about proposed topics and
schedules to participate in a debate session
Task 4 consists of your participation in a synchronic debate via Teams to
demonstrate your ability to support your ideas about a controversial
topic, also strengthening your sociolinguistic skills.
Go over the above references for Course Learning Outcome 3 for you to
understand the nature and dynamics of debates.
In the course internal mail and your institutional email, you will get from
the course director the guidelines and information to register for one of
the available debate sessions. When subscribing, you will be able to
choose one of the controversial topics available and either the PRO or
the CON side for the debate.
Step 2: Getting ready to participate in the debate
Depending on the number of students subscribed to each controversial
topic and position (PRO or CON), the debate session can last between
one to two hours. Research the topic of the debate and prepare the
arguments to defend your point of view and position about the
controversial issue. Remember that the arguments must be strong
enough to try to convince others that you are right. Get ready to defend
your position and try to anticipate your counterpart’s arguments so that
you will be able to provide accurate rebuttals if possible, during the
debate.
Step 3: Debating controversial issues
According to your subscription in Step 1, be ready on the set day and
time to present and defend your ideas verbally, accurately, and fluently
via Teams. The session will count on a student teacher as the moderator
of the debate and at least one student for the PRO side and at least one
student for the CON side.
During the debate, take a screenshot and save it as part of the evidence
of Task 3 that you will deliver to the Evaluation environment. Be
attentive to the moderator’s instructions on how to participate in the
debate and be respectful of the rules of the activity. Keep in mind to
always address directly to the topic.
Throughout the debate, you will be required to introduce yourself,
summarize the importance of the controversial issue the debate is
about, explain your PRO or CON position regarding the topic,
interchange questions and answers between both sides, provide
rebuttals to your counterpart’s position, and draw some conclusions
about the topic and/or the activity.
NOTE: The use of a microphone and camera is mandatory.
Step 4: Submitting a summary of the debate
Make sure to submit a PDF to the Evaluation environment containing the
following information:
1. Date of the debate
2. Time of the debate
3. Name of the student teacher who conducted the session
4. List of students on the PRO side of the debate
5. List of students on the CON side of the debate
6. A neat and clear screenshot of the debate that shows your name
and the session date
7. A 200-word summary of what occurred during the debate session
and your conclusion on the topic
Please, be sure all the above items are accurately included in your
submission, or it will not be taken into consideration in the total score of
the activity.
SPECIAL NOTICE ABOUT CURRENT SYNCHRONOUS AND
COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES:
Please be vigilant about the subscriptions for Task 5. This activity will be
scheduled according to your personal availability. Therefore, you will
likely interact with different students in Task 5 compared to your peers
in the default collaborative group for the course “English VII: English
Conversation.”
Please note that submission for Task 5 is strictly individual. However,
the final exam for the course, Task 6, will involve creating a
collaborative video podcast. For Task 6, you will work together with your
peers from your default collaborative group through the Learning Forum.
3. Guidelines for Developing and Submitting Learning Evidence
Learning evidence refers to the actions, products, or observable processes
that are done or delivered to demonstrate acquired capabilities, skills,
aptitudes, and attitudes. These serve to allow the teacher to assess and
evaluate student performance effectively.
The evidence to be developed individually is:
• A PDF document with the summary of the debate session in which
you participated and at least a screenshot of the debate as
evidence.
Please note that all individual or group written products must comply with
“spelling and mechanics” standards and the submission conditions defined
in this activity guide.
Regarding the use of references, consider that the product of this activity
must comply with the standards of Choose an option.
In any case, comply with the referencing standards and avoid academic
plagiarism. To do so, you can support yourself by reviewing your written
products using the Turnitin tool available in the virtual campus.
4. Academic Situations
Consider that in Agreement 029 of December 13, 2013, Article 99, the
following actions are considered as offenses against academic order,
among others: item e) "Plagiarism, that is, presenting as one's own the
entirety or part of a work, paper, document, or invention created by
another person. It also includes the use of false citations or references,
or proposing citations where there is no match between the citation and
the reference," and item f) "Reproducing or copying, for profit,
educational materials or results of research products that have intellectual
property rights reserved for the University."
The academic sanctions that the student will face are as follows:
a) In cases of proven academic fraud in the respective academic work or
evaluation, the grade imposed will be zero points without prejudice to the
corresponding disciplinary sanction.
b) In cases related to proven plagiarism in academic work of any nature,
the grade imposed will be zero points, without prejudice to the
corresponding disciplinary sanction.
