Claudia Sperrfechter is lecturer and research associate of Computer Science and colleague of Professor Nicole Ondrusch, from Heilbronn University.
Claudia’s specialty involves experimenting with innovative methods of teaching computer science to foster critical thinking. She does this by mainly using game-development based learning (GDBL) in virtual exchange, together with colleague, Nicole Ondrusch. They’ve tried out many different approaches over the years.
Now they have decided to focus on GDBL as the way forward in terms of fostering global approaches and enhancing Critical Thinking (CT).
Last week, Nicole mentioned that students thought their Critical Thinking skills were better than they actually turned out to be. Can you explain why students might misjudge this skill?
“If you never try out things, if you never compare yourself with others, explains Claudia, ‘you don’t see your limitations. These types of courses that foster CT tend to see students over estimate themselves initially. And it’s especially with virtual exchange courses and by working with international students, that they begin to realise how narrow their viewpoint is. This happens not only with international students, but also if they work with students from other disciplines.
“It turns out they need to rethink what their abilities are. They might overestimate at the start,’ she continues, ‘but afterwards, they tend to adapt to the view of the others. We need to understand how much of this assessment is biased and how much is an authentic transformation that you see in them or not.”
Tell us about the role of Virtual Exchange in terms of how it fosters Critical Thinking
“The role of VE is very important as you have contact with international students. Lots of our students are born and brought up here in Heilbronn. They haven’t travelled and so have not had that much contact with international students.
“The concept of CT has evolved over time. In Ancient Greece, CT was rooted in the fundamental world views of the time. During the Enlightenment, perspectives move to a more individualistic view of the world. And then, in the 19th and 20th centuries, psychology as a discipline came in to play, which had an impact on how we viewed the world. So, now at the end of the 20th century and in the 21st, there is a marked shift towards considering problems in a global way.
“There is no way our students – who will be the future developers of technology and of applications that can have a huge effect on the world – would be able to look at things other than from a global dimension. This is essential.
“And CT comes into it of course, as you need to have an open mind here. We know very well how useful virtual exchange is in helping students see things from different perspectives.
“The most profound moment for me occurred at end of a virtual exchange course, with the Venezuelan and other international students. I was talking to the Dutch students at the time. They agreed that they all took democracy for granted. By having this exchange with students who were experiencing life events very differently, they realised how important it is to put more effort into their thought processes when developing AI-based systems. One even said that it would be the first time he would vote as a result of this experience and this moved me a lot.
“In conclusion, I believe virtual exchange adds a very important dimension to teaching CT. All the methods proposed for fostering CT can also be used in VE – whether it’s more immersive methods that do not focus too much on teaching the basics of CT, but allow them work and foster their own skills by working on a project. Or, whether you use approaches where you teach the theory first. All of this can be done with VE. It’s so important for the students to be encouraged to move out of their comfort zones to reach new levels of CT.”
Given the current levels of threat to democracy across the globe, will you use these events as a springboard for future iterations?
“Yes, we definitely will. Last time, we focused on the UN Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG) number 16 which focuses on justice and democracy. In the future, we really want to make a difference with a new focus and we are planning many things. We are working with Malaysia, Egypt and Uganda in a common virtual exchange project putting all students together. It’s on computer science problems of course, with an emphasis on the critical thinking dimension.
“I think all virtual exchange fosters CT. No matter what you do in your virtual exchange, there will always be a component there. The UN’s SDGs really help as they give you relevant topics to choose from providing the perfect framework to hang your VE collaboration on. SDGs are a good place to start finding that focus, be it philosophy or science or if you are taking an interdisciplinary approach.