Along came a swagman: teaching Australian university curricula and methods in Southern Italy

Abstract

The development of critical thinking skills within certain individuals can be enhanced through international and intercultural experiences (Vincenti, 2001). To test this assertion the effects of exposing a group of Italian university students to a curriculum delivered in a week-long intensive format by a visiting Australian university professor were measured. A pre- and post-delivery survey on critical thinking skills found statistically significant self-reported improvements on three of the 12 items of the critical thinking inventory (Sofo, 2007). These improvements include a marked difference in perceived ability to move beyond lower-order cognitive skills such as knowing and comprehending to actively applying core and higher-order skills including the ability to identify assumptions, gain fresh perspectives and systematically explore different perspectives as part of a team. Beyond the specific items tested within the critical thinking inventory, the students also experienced cross-cultural facilitation which incorporated andragogical teaching methods with a discipline alternate to their own.