Practical case to educate in critical thinking: the radio program "Debates From The Observatory" of the Universidad Europea

Abstract

In this article we present a classroom experience at the course History and Theory of International Relations, in the bachelor’s degree in International Relations, at the Universidad Europea. The activity consisted of creating and recording a radio program about debates on international politics. In order to encourage the students’ ability to document their work on trustworthy sources, we followed a three-fold methodology: firstly, quantitative analysis through an initial survey, and the students’ final grades; secondly, qualitative analysis with focus group discussions; finally, experiential learning, as we required the students to learn and apply concepts autonomously prior to the recordings. Considering the positive results, we need to repeat the experience in the future and to involve other groups, so the population and the conclusions are representative enough.