Under the supervision of the Dean of the School of Foreign Languages, Prof. Adnan Al-Smadi, the Vice Dean for Administrative and Networking Affairs, Dr. Mais Al-Shara'h, and Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Dr. Zaidoun Al-Sharaa, the School held an introductory workshop titled “Introduction to the Art of Debates," presented in Arabic and English by Jordan Debates on Thursday, 4/18/2024 from 2-4 hour. Jordan Debates is a non-profit institute that aims at empowering Jordanian youth and highlight their talents by promoting the culture of the art of debate as a tool that stimulates the capabilities of future leaders. The Institute seeks to instill the art of debate based on global standards as a national tool and to establish a debate community that interacts with societal issues in an effective and sustainable manner. The workshop aimed at:
- Introducing students, instructors and administrative staff to Jordan Debates and urging them to actively participate in their local, national and international competitions.
- Introducing students to the art of debate and the importance of debate for students of the School of Foreign Languages, in particular.
- Introducing students to the basics of the art of debate, scientifically and practically.
- Applying the basics of the art of debate by presenting a demo of a debate in front of the students to ensure having students learn more about the methods and arts of debate. The topic of the presented debate is the effectiveness of e-learning in universities.
- Introducing students to the University of Jordan's Debate Championship and how to register for the tournament.
The workshop was attended by a number of students, members of the academic and administrative staff of the School of Foreign Languages, in particular, and students of the University of Jordan, in general.
In cooperation with the Jordan Debates and the Vice Dean, a questionnaire was distributed electronically among the participants, and its results after analysis were as follows:
The highest percentage of attendance came from the School of Foreign Languages (33.3%). The workshop was attended by students from all School at the University of Jordan (UJ). 49% of attendees heard about the workshop through the Facebook page of the School of Foreign Languages, which indicates the efficiency of the School's media outlets across UJ's whole campus. The attendees' satisfaction rate with the workshop and its organization reached 70.6% (Excellent). As for the answer to the question, “Do you want to attend more workshops dedicated to the field of debates and presented by Jordan Debates?" Participants answered “Yes" by 98%.
The School of Foreign Languages looks forward to further workshops incorporation with Jordan Debates.