New Frontiers: Fostering Students' Critical Thinking in Science through Virtual Mobility

Virtual mobility experiences provide a valuable option to enrich student learning and development from home. However, there is a lack of evidence of how these online experiences are leveraged in STEM and their potential positive effect on students' critical thinking capabilities. This study explores and details the design of a short-term virtual program and its influence on science students' critical thinking. The program focused broadly on agriculture through the lens of sustainability and the SDGs whereby students engaged in collaborative research, reflection and intercultural interaction and dialogue. Analysis of students' learning journals and focus group responses suggest that students achieved the learning outcomes of the program related to critical thinking, nurturing students to think and potentially act differently while broadening students' personal understanding, connection, and confidence in relation to science. This paper discusses the experience from the perspective of the Australian undergraduate students.