Other great faculty advisors have given their opinions on virtual MUN in 2020 and what it meant for them and their students. As we near the end of the year, I find myself looking back on everything that was in this wild ride called 2020. While virtual MUN was certainly quite different from what we were used to, I think it revealed some key lessons that we wouldn’t have otherwise stumbled upon.

This is what I’ve taken away from a year as faculty advisor of an exclusively virtual delegation.

1. Virtual MUN Makes for Better Debate

Strictly looking at MUN through the lens of debate, I can honestly say that the debates I heard in virtual sessions were consistently better than the ones I used to hear. The flow of debate is faster since there’s hardly any time between speeches. One student finishes, and in seconds the next one starts. No more walking up to the front of the room from the back row.

Orwellian though it may seem, there’s something to be said for having every camera turned on all the time. The sensation that you’re being watched leads to better attention from delegates who, in person, would likely be much more distracted.

However, the real reason is that students have access to mankind’s entire body of knowledge during the debate. Being able to simply search for a treaty or a country’s past actions in the middle of a moderated caucus is a boon to us teachers who believe that real learning occurs in vivo, and that MUN shouldn’t just be about doing heaps of research beforehand.

In the future I would encourage the use of electronic devices during MUN sessions. Of course, the most prepared delegate will have an advantage as they won’t have to spend time searching for info during the committee. But newer delegates who didn’t have a clear idea of what to look up will be able to participate more meaningfully if given the opportunity to find the info they need when they need it

2. But it’s Not as Fun

I’ll be the first to admit that no matter how hard I tried to push my students to do more online MUN, my attempts at motivation fell flat. The delegation was barely able to muster up the enthusiasm for events in October, let alone November and December. While my delegates have certainly enjoyed their conferences, they also don’t seem keen on doing more than a couple in the year.

That may be the result of general virtual fatigue. They do spend 6-8 hours a day on Zoom, so I can understand why another weekend of it might be overkill. However, they also told me the lack of social events and potential prom dates deflated their tires.

Our next in-person MUN event is going to place a lot more emphasis on those social activities and collaboration with others. I underestimated the value of those moments. Virtual MUN makes them sorely missed.

3. Faculty Advising Online Is Awesome

I would love to find a way to be a virtual faculty advisor in real life. Not only can I monitor my students from the comfort of my home, but I can also be literally anywhere at any time. No more hiking up the stairs and down again to visit various rooms. Instead of shrugging my shoulders when I open the door to an unmod, now I get to be inside the negotiations and listen to each individual without awkwardly hovering over someone’s shoulder.

I was able to give the most precise feedback I ever have because of virtual MUN. Being able to record snippets of debate from my PC gave me the opportunity to review the tape with students like an old school football coach.

If there’s a way to make it so the FAs can eavesdrop and listen in without disturbing anyone, I will find it. Get one delegate from each bloc to wear a wire? Send in ADs with their phones streaming? I’m not sure what the solution is, but going back to regular MUN is going to make my job feel incomplete without that ability to hear and see everything like the Architect of the Matrix.

4. I Miss the Moments

2020 has been a bittersweet year for MUN. Our team won delegation awards. Several of my delegates got their first gavel. Those are the moments every FA yearns for, those triumphant slices of glory that make the whole weekend you invested worth it. I miss those.

I miss those bear hugs when someone wins and takes a step forward in their personal development. I miss those group photos. I miss those little moments where you slink away from the conference for an hour or two to catch up with old friends.

So for as much as I’ve enjoyed virtual MUN this year, I’m looking forward to going back to normal. Hopefully, we can bring a bit of the lessons learned online to our analog world.

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* Photo by Julia M. Cameron from Pexels