Structured Academic Controversy as a SoTL Informed Strategy for Advancing Learning Goals

Michelle Tichy, Alfred University

Michelle Tichy, Alfred University


Structured Academic Controversy (SAC) is a cooperative learning technique engaging students in evidence-based reasoning, perspective-taking, and synthesis through structured dialogue around controversial psychological questions. Grounded in SoTL, this poster presents SAC as a high-impact instructional strategy aligned with APA Undergraduate Learning Goals. In SAC, students research and advocate for opposing positions, switch perspectives, evaluate each side, and collaboratively synthesize a consensus statement. Unlike traditional debate, SAC is cooperative and instructor-orchestrated, emphasizing disciplined inquiry and conceptual integration. Pedagogical supports include defined roles, timed rounds, and guided prompts. In the era of generative AI, SAC shifts emphasis from information generation toward interpretation and meaning-making—skills central to psychological literacy.