Abstract

Soft skills are essential in scientific work, particularly those related to oral communication in English. Since 2017, a virtual student exchange has been implemented at the School of Physics of the University of Costa Rica. The project carries out activities with an emphasis on topics of Medical Physics, and has participants from Costa Rica, the United States and Mexico. In this work we seek to determine the activities carried out within the framework of this virtual exchange that are of greatest interest to Physics students at the University of Costa Rica. A survey was conducted with the 29 students who participated in activities of this exchange in the period 2018-2019. The survey included aspects of knowledge of the types of activities carried out, types of participation in activities, level of English and confidence in speaking English, as well as factors that limit participation.

Key words: Skills development; international training programs; scientific staff training ; electronic learning; life skills