Collaborative Research: Conference: Promoting Cross-Disciplinary Dialogue Between Experts in Argumentation and Innovative Technologies

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Helping students develop the ability to construct high-quality arguments and to engage in productive argumentation with others is now widely seen as an essential goal of schooling that should be at the forefront of our efforts to develop an educated citizenry. From major policy documents, academic publications, and the popular press, we hear the call for teachers to prepare their students to make well-reasoned judgments about complex, controversial issues. Today, students are expected to actively engage in knowledge construction through inquiry and argumentation, by asking questions, defining problems, challenging the ideas of others, formulating their own positions, and supplying reasons and evidence for what otherwise would be unsupported opinions. These ambitious educational goals call for profound changes in the roles and responsibilities traditionally assigned to students and teachers. They require creative solutions, which include the use of innovative pedagogies and technologies.This project will organize a workshop to support a dialogue among scholars in argumentation and technology, creating a shared space for researchers to discuss existing barriers and blind spots and engage in cross-disciplinary collaboration. During the two-day, online workshop, participants will present innovative research in their respective fields and form cross-disciplinary teams to discuss opportunities for joint projects and grant applications. In addition, participants will complete an open-ended online survey to address ideas, barriers, and opportunities for continued collaboration. They will also evaluate their experience during the workshop and suggest improvements for promoting dialogue between the fields of argumentation and technology. The workshop will bring together learning scientists specializing in research on argumentation and computer science experts developing innovative technologies, thus supporting frontier research in both fields. It will survey existing challenges in argumentation and technology, identify additional areas of concern, explore possible solutions, and create new opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.