Providing a meaningful learning environment for each student represents a constant and ongoing challenge for faculty. This objective can be facilitated by active student participation in class interactions. The authors have developed the Constructive Engagement Method (CEM), an integrative method for actively involving students in the learning process. CEM permits students to hone interpersonal skills through the development of interrelated practical applications of critical listening and peer evaluation. The CEM approach introduces a method of student performance evaluation that has been judged as fair and equitable by almost all student participants. CEM fully involves all students, even in classes with very large enrollments. CEM as a teaching strategy utilizes a modified debate format that begins with a period of student preparation followed by a debate between two competing teams. The debate is followed by an evaluation period, during which the non-participating students practice the all-important task of determining the value of each team\u27s investment in the process. CEM comprises five stages as follows: Phase 1--Preparation; Phase 2--Opening Statements; Phase 3--Intense Interaction; Phase 4--Closing Statements; and Phase 5--Evaluation. The CEM methodology has enjoyed strong support among graduate and undergraduate students
