Longitudinal perspectives of faculty and students on benefits and barriers to transdisciplinary graduate education: program assessment and institutional recommendations

Anna-Sigrid Keck,Kelly K Bost,Stephanie Sloane,Sharon M Donovan,Barbara H Fiese,Brent A Mcbride,Megan S Paceley,Janet M Liechty

doi:10.1057/s41599-017-0027-y

Anna-Sigrid Keck, Kelly K Bost + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-017-0027-y

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Abstract

Addressing complex societal problems, such as childhood obesity, requires transdisciplinary (TD) approaches to reach effective solutions. However, TD doctoral training programs in academic settings are still relatively new, and little is known about the benefits and barriers of participation. This study sought to longitudinally assess benefits and barriers of a TD approach to doctoral education from the perspectives of students working towards a joint PhD/MPH degree and their faculty advisors. Results show that benefits across 5-years included greater collaboration and networking, enhanced guidance and support, broadened ways of thinking, and expanded opportunities. Barriers included time demands, complicated logistics, and tension between depth versus breadth of knowledge. Similarities and differences among students and faculty are discussed. Findings provide resources for both faculty and students considering involvement with TD doctoral education, as well as for institutions and academic programs seeking to promote TD training and team science.

Highlights

Addressing complex societal problems demands coordinated effort from many sectors, stakeholders, and disciplines (World Health Organization, 2016)
Higher education plays a critical role in teaching and cultivating transdisciplinary (TD) team science, which we define in this paper as approaches that vertically integrate theories and bodies of knowledge across diverse disciplines and horizontally integrate approaches from stakeholders at multiple levels of the social ecology from individuals and families to communities to policy makers, in order to generate novel ways to address grand challenges (Bernstein, 2015; Hirsch et al, 2008; Jacob, 2015; Neuhauser et al, 2007; Neuhauser and Pohl, 2015; Stokols, 2006, 2013)
Educational programs that teach TD approaches go beyond multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary in order to foster syntheses across academic disciplines while seeking input from nonacademic stakeholders in order to solve real societal problems (Wall and Shankar, 2008)

Summary

Introduction

Addressing complex societal problems demands coordinated effort from many sectors, stakeholders, and disciplines (World Health Organization, 2016). Educational programs that teach TD approaches go beyond multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary in order to foster syntheses across academic disciplines while seeking input from nonacademic stakeholders (such as practitioners and policy makers) in order to solve real societal problems (Wall and Shankar, 2008). Such efforts are designed to yield new ways of analyzing and solving problems from multiple stakeholder perspectives and at various levels of inquiry (Bernstein, 2015; Harrison et al, 2011; Stokols et al, 2013)

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