Oskustele

Oskustele is a web-based platform and framework designed to support collaborative reasoning and structured discussion. The project aims to help groups analyze claims, assess evidence, and reach reasoned conclusions through transparent argumentation. The term was coined by the developers as a neutral label for the platform.

Key features include:

- Argument mapping: structured templates that link claims, evidence, warrants, and counterarguments.

- Evidence ledger: attaches sources, notes, and confidence ratings to each element of an argument.

- Versioned debates: discussions are archived with an audit trail to track changes over time.

- Consensus tools: supports structured decisions through votes, criteria, and reproducible outcomes.

- Accessibility and interoperability: designed to work with assistive technologies and common citation formats, with options to import and export data.

Oskustele is used in higher education, research workshops, and policy discussions to train critical thinking and collaborative problem solving. It emphasizes transparency, reproducibility, and inclusivity in deliberation. The platform is released under an open-source license, and governance invites community contributions and adherence to a code of conduct.

Reception and impact have been studied in pilot programs and classroom trials. Proponents report improvements in students’ ability to articulate reasoning, evaluate evidence, and track the evolution of arguments. Critics point to a learning curve, potential cognitive overload for large discussions, and concerns about data privacy and moderation in open forums.

See also: critical thinking, argument mapping, evidence-based reasoning, Socratic method.