Interdisciplinarity in Higher Petroleum Education in the Context of International Standards

Abstract

Abstract The article deals with the problem of interdisciplinarity impact on higher petroleum education in Ukraine. Different views on the essence of interdisciplinarity, especially in the context of higher petroleum education, have been presented. It has been indicated that many scholars have studied the essence of interdisciplinarity within higher education systems of different countries and identified that interdisciplinarity encompasses a combination or interrelation of various sciences that are embodied in engineering training process. Interdisciplinarity is considered as one of the effective tools to support enthusiasm of young generation for petroleum engineering; to increase motivation of future petroleum experts; and to enhance the efficiency of collaboration between professionals from different fields. In reality, interdisciplinary approach is very often confused with multidisciplinarity when educators give students knowledge from various disciplines without making the link between them into a coordinated whole. It has been concluded that interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary approach can be regarded as a natural training context in which boundaries between knowledge systems tend to be erased and a new teaching paradigm is required. It has been revealed that implementation of interdisciplinary approach in engineering programmes necessitates the development of such an educational framework that would provide educators with the relevant methods, tools, and models for design of interdisciplinary engineering curricula regarding specific learning outcomes and ensure support for faculty members to improve their own competence in the interdisciplinary issues. The standards and guidelines of international educational interdisciplinarity of degree programmes in petroleum engineering are analyzed in the article.