Why is intercultural exchange a useful tool for honing critical thinking skills?
Eight weeks ago, 24 students from five of ENLIGHT’s partner universities, embarked on a journey. The first six weeks were spent interacting online, with participants getting to know each other—starting from the basics of everyone's studies, to addressing hard questions such as defining the most pressing issues of our time. Throughout this process, the students formed genuine bonds as they researched and discovered information about the world through a myriad of lenses.
This experience culminated in an on-site week in Bratislava where students solidified their online friendships face-to-face and worked on techniques to make their voices heard. The final course project, the symposium “ENLIGHT Intellect: The NextGen Symposium on Critical Thinking in Tackling Global Issues" required each student to give a talk showcasing a novel idea stemming from their group’s research. The talks were impressive, and the forum for a comfortable and honest exchange of ideas was possible due to the atmosphere of familiarity that had been built starting with the first online meeting.
Throughout the entire process, students underwent critical thinking—revising their views, analyzing and synthesizing information, applying reasoning, and more. In the end, both the students and the educators walked away empowered, having expanded their own lenses about the discussed topics and honed their skills on how to broadcast their ideas effectively to the world.
Blended Intensive Course Fostering Critical Thinking Skills 2024 was hosted by Comenius University and involved lecturers from University of Göttingen, Université de Bordeaux and Comenius University.