What students can tell us: using argumentation and debate in e-learning times?

Long lectures and dictations, memorization by heart and little interaction in the classroom often leave students less involved and committed. These deficiencies were highlighted by COVID-19 with the online classes. In this study, we propose an active learning activity to improve students' understanding of business concepts. We applied the activity in an online class, at a renowned university in Portugal, to first-year students from management and economics courses. Students answered a quiz, before and after the activity, to measure the level of comprehension of the topic. The high scores of the post-quiz reflect the good acquisition of knowledge. The survey found that most students (96%) agree that active learning methods can be more efficient at acquiring and understanding management concepts. Students also raised several positive points about active learning methods.