Abstract:

Introduction:
Debates foster empathy and tolerance, allowing students to consider different perspectives and understand the reasons behind divergent opinions. This promotes openness to diverse ideas and strengthens teamwork and effective communication skills, which are transferable to the professional sphere, preparing students for future careers.

Objective:
The objective of this initiative is to encourage active student participation and foster critical thinking through the discussion of relevant topics related to the Veterinary Biotechnology syllabus.

Methodology:
Three thematic blocks were selected for the Veterinary Biotechnology elective course to identify areas of interest and scientific relevance. Once the blocks were chosen, three open-ended opinion questions related to the content were created. These three questions were as follows: Would you be willing to have food from cloned animals in your regular supermarket? -Do you find the European Union’s stance on the use of CRISPR technology in plants appropriate? -Would you be willing to consume lab-grown or cultured meat? These questions were presented to all students in the course as specific discussion topics with a description to narrow the focus of the discussions. To facilitate this, three online debate were conducted using the Blackboard tool. Analyzing these debates provides insight into student participation. We considered the following metrics provided by the platform for our analysis of student engagement. At the end of the debates, a survey was conducted among the students of the subject

Results:
84.2% of students believe that debates have had a very positive or positive impact on their understanding of the topic discussed. Additionally, the skills most developed during debates include critical thinking (52.63%), research (42.10%), understanding other points of view (31.57%), and written expression (21.05%). Furthermore, 78.94% of students consider debates to be a very positive or positive way to interact with their peers on a topic, and 73.68% believe they are an excellent option for learning about and delving deeper into specific subjects. Moreover, over 70% of students attribute their skill improvement to feedback provided by the professor.

Conclusion:
By incorporating debates as a formative activity, students can actively participate in discussions related to the course content, encouraging thoughtful analysis, peer interaction, and the development of well-founded opinions supported by solid arguments. In summary, debates are highly valued by students and contribute to the development of key skills necessary for their future careers.

Keywords:

Biotechnology, critical thinking, debates.