Structured debates
Sessions run to a set format on technology, science and current IT trends, so both sides get the same floor.
Open discussions on technology
ITDebates
One question about technology, two sides that read it differently, and a room that hears both out before deciding what holds up.
Format
Structured debate
Topics
Technology, science and IT trends
Venue
Universities and partner institutions
Open to
Students and community members
A strong argument is not the one that wins the room. It is the one that survives the reply.
How the project works
IT Debates takes a live question about technology, gives the case for it and the case against it the same amount of time, and lets the audience weigh both.
Positions are prepared in advance and the floor is shared evenly, so every claim has to hold up against the answer that follows it.
On the floor
What happens in a session
Four things define a debate here, and each of them sits on one side of the line or the other.
Topics with something at stake
Innovation, the digital future and the real impact technology has on work and everyday life.
Held where students already are
Debates take place in universities and at partner institutions rather than behind closed doors.
Room to disagree
Critical thinking and open discussion inside the IT community, without one approved answer to arrive at.
Purpose
What the project is after
Analytical thinking and the confidence to defend a position in front of a room.
A shared platform where different views on the same IT topic meet directly.
Students and community members brought into technology conversations that go somewhere.
Audience
Who is in the room
Students
Any year, any faculty. The only requirement is a willingness to think on your feet.
IT Community members
Engineers, designers and organisers who already work with the questions being argued.
Anyone interested
No technical background needed to follow a debate, and none needed to take a side in one.
Every session starts with a question that has more than one answer
IT Debates runs across universities and partner institutions, and the floor stays open to students and community members alike.