Interdisciplinary Course Research Articles

Teaching Non-Majors Hydroponics: PBL in Higher Education

We designed an interdisciplinary project-based learning course in hydroponics for undergraduate non-science major students. Students worked in teams to design, build, and maintain plants in various types of hydroponic systems over the semester. In three semesters of teaching the course, students consistently demonstrated knowledge of course material and became confident in growing plants by hydroponic methods. Students reported the project-based, team-based, and mini-lecture aspects of the course increased their learning and motivation in the course.

Student perspectives on co-creating timescapes in interdisciplinary projects

ABSTRACT Neoliberal ideology has transformed higher education timescapes in profound ways. However, research has given limited consideration to how pedagogical practices can create a space for students to reshape these timescapes. By drawing upon empirical material, I will first explore how students reflect upon timescapes in an interdisciplinary course. From the student accounts, it appears that it is possible to create spaces that enable students and teachers to express, explore, and negotiate their perspectives and co-create the timescape of courses. In addition, I will explore how an emphasis on dialog, relations, and reflections is perceived by the students and discuss how these pedagogical approaches provide opportunities for the co-creation of timescapes. Finally, I will highlight emerging possibilities to frame a counter narrative to neoliberalism in higher education that accentuates principles and values of authenticity, reciprocity, being more, hope, and collective responsibility.

Conditions of digitalization of education in aspect of the problem of forming ICT competence of students of pedagogical college as future teachers

The article substantiates the significance of the problem of the formation of future teachers’ ICT competence. The author’s definition of the concept “ICT competence of a student of a pedagogical college” is presented, its components (motivational-value, user-wide, general pedagogical, subject-pedagogical) are highlighted and described. Based on the analysis of normative documents, recommendations, studies in the field of digitalization of the economy and education, the conditions for the digitalization of education are highlighted and justified: the legislative framework for the digitalization of education; digital generation of students; digital pedagogical technologies and educationally significant digital technologies; training the human potential of the digital economy; digital educational environment of educational organization. The characteristics of the conditions for digitalization of education are described. The experience of taking into account the conditions of digitalization of education in the aspect of the problem of the formation of ICT competence of students as future teachers is described on the example of an educational organization — GAPOU “Chita Pedagogical College”, specialty 44.02.01 Preschool education. An example of the organization of a laboratory and practical lesson using various digital technologies in the framework of the author’s interdisciplinary course “Theory and Methods of Using ICT in a Preschool Educational Organization” is given. Based on the analysis of the results of the pedagogical experiment, the conclusion is substantiated that the application of the digitalization of education in the educational process of the pedagogical college in the aspect of the formation of ICT competence of future teachers is one of the effective ways of forming the ICT competence of future educators of preschool children.

Accountants' IT responsibilities and competencies from a student perspective

PurposeResearch question is about the perception of stricto sensu undergraduate and graduate accounting students, from the Metropolitan Region of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) of the accountants' responsibilities and competencies required to them in assisting IT/IS strategy definition and implementation.Design/methodology/approachThis is a descriptive research, using a qualitative paper-and-pencil approach. Designed based on United Nations Accounting Model Curriculum, a questionnaire was self-applied to 361 accounting students of eight higher education institutions (HEIs) in Rio de Janeiro, whose responses are quantitatively analysed.FindingsAccounting students strongly agree on the need to acquire strategic skills that enable them to assist organizations in IT/IS issues but are quite divided about the related accountants' responsibilities, underestimating their future role in this respect.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough quantitatively adequate, the sample is non-probabilistic and, thus, results cannot be generalized. The authors expect that this paper can encourage HEIs to engage the path of multidisciplinary education and rethink their silo-based pedagogical models which have to prepare students for their forthcoming professional challenges, by introducing interdisciplinary courses, soft skills disciplines and work-integrated learning activities.Practical implicationsFindings can be useful for teachers and coordinators of the IT/IS area in accounting courses, stimulating brainstorming on the accountant's role in assisting organizations in IT/IS strategies and practices implementation. The study has relevant implications for educators through the identification and analysis of difficulties faced by students.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the research base of accountants' strategic role since the responsibility awareness identified gap can be elaborated for stimulating the discussion about the centrality of the accountant in IT processes within organizations.

Teaching Note—Drawn Together: Collaboration Between Social Work and Education to Address Family Trauma

ABSTRACT In the past few decades, scholars and practitioners have given increasing attention to the experiences of families affected by trauma related to substance use, homelessness, and incarceration. As parents seek to restore and maintain parental bonds during traumatic separations and transitions, interdisciplinary family literacy interventions can be impactful. Given their shared interests, social workers and educators are uniquely positioned to work with community-based stakeholders to implement trauma-informed interventions. Research suggests that MSW graduates do not feel confident in their ability to demonstrate clinical competencies related to assessing substance use, implementing family interventions, and engaging in interdisciplinary teamwork. This teaching note describes the implementation of a trauma-informed family literacy intervention and explores ways to use this model in an interdisciplinary social work and education course.

Libraries Participation in the Implementation of the Politics of Memory: Theoretical and Applied Aspects

The article is devoted to the substantiation of the urgency of separation of the memorial direction in library research and development of library activity, connected with realization of the memory policy, the introduction of the appropriate course in the program of training of future specialists of library business.Emphasis is focused on increasing of scientific attention to the study of historical memory, especially culture memory and identity in the context of the transition to the information society, highlighting the organizational design of this research area in the form of appropriate research centres and the Memory Studies Association. Within the framework of the structuralfunctional method and from the standpoint of the connection between the concepts of “collective memory”, “historical memory”, “cultural memory”, there has been stated libraries participation in the formation and preservation different kinds of social memory through the realization of such essential functions of libraries as memorial, cumulative, informational and communicative. The relevance of the intensification of research into the memory studies within the framework of librarianship is substantiated. Prospective directions of interaction between the Ukrainian Library Association and the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory are offered with the aim of comprehensively uncovering commemorative potential of libraries and their more active involvement in the implementation of memory policy.The foreign experience of organizing relevant interdisciplinary programs and training courses for the preparation of master’s students has been revealed. The orientational structure of the course “Culture, memory, identity” for students of master’s level of specialty 029 “Information, library and archives” is offered, the study of which will allow students to analyze, identify, describe the processes of constructing of historical memory and cultural identity, critically to comprehend relevant scientific texts, to identify and critically evaluate approaches to the implementation of memory policies and preservation of spiritual heritage in Ukraine and abroad, to develop effective approaches to memory policy within the library practices.

Towards integrating art and freshwater science

Towards integrating art and freshwater science

Holding Complexity: Lessons from Team-Teaching an Interdisciplinary Collegiate Course on Urban Sustainability

Lead instructors discuss the structure, opportunities, and pedagogical challenges of an interdisciplinary team-taught course on urban sustainability involving seven professors from six departments across four of George Washington University’s schools over five years. The teaching team prioritized presenting and exploring diverse perspectives on urban sustainability, seeing a key learning objective of this course in students (1) learning to make links between disciplines; (2) having opportunities to reflect, disagree, share, and develop their own perspectives; and (3) developing a life-long engagement and openness with ideas and learning. This is challenging for many students. To promote student learning and engagement in the class, we utilize active-learning and cooperative discussion techniques, and see these as times that the class reaches “interdisciplinarity”. We employ place-based pedagogical approaches, focusing the class on the case-study (and students’ adopted hometown) of Washington D.C., finding that a “layering” of perspectives on a single city helps students see disciplinary similarities and differences more clearly. For those considering a large-team interdisciplinary course, we stress the importance of a lead instructor for coordination—both conceptually and administratively—and adequate institutional support for this unique and challenging endeavor.

Becoming Historic: Unsettling Preservation as “Activism” in the Memphis Neighborhood of Central Gardens

Based on an interdisciplinary research course for graduate students, this paper describes a project that combines arts-based research, walking methodology, and posthuman theories to design a research-creation. The purpose of this assemblage of photographs, archived newsletters, online information, maps, and other materials is to aid in the suspension of linear thinking and offer a unique contribution to the discussion of what gaining “historic” status can do in a particular place/time. This paper describes how the neighborhood association, formed 50 years ago, had the primary mission to lobby for historic status in order to protect property values and prevent multi-dwelling homes and businesses from moving in. By embarking on a multisensory inquiry employing walking methodology, I demonstrate how this insular, exclusive, historic neighborhood continues to be entangled within the surrounding geographic areas, as well as within the socio-politico-and economic dimensions of the city.

Reflections on an interdisciplinary curriculum and pedagogical approaches in a public health course

I. INTRODUCTION The notion of interdisciplinary health(care) education is an emerging, though not novel concept (Allen, Penn, & Nora, 2006). The module Social Determinants of Health was introduced in the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health in 2018. The module covered important foundational concepts in the study of social determinants of health and explored examples of such determinants over 13 weeks. The module adopted an interdisciplinary approach to public health, drawing from biomedical, psychological and sociocultural perspectives informed by both the natural and social science disciplines. Coursework took the form of student-led seminars, opinion editorial (Op-Ed) and reflective essays, and a fieldwork project involving a chosen group in the community. While the adoption of such an interdisciplinary approach, or the use of the chosen pedagogical approaches are not novel, we present our reflections on the implementation of a novel, interdisciplinary course in public health for undergraduates in Singapore who do not have prior knowledge or expertise in the subject area.

Energy‐Transition Education in a Power Systems Journey: Making the Invisible Visible and Actionable

AbstractWe describe an approach to educating for systemic change in energy systems by integrating technical knowledge of solutions with reflection on paradigms and norms, facilitated by experiential and art‐based forms of learning. The course, “Power Systems Journey: Making the Invisible Visible and Actionable,” is part of the University of Minnesota interdisciplinary grand‐challenge curriculum. Students take on the challenge of public science communication about how to change the electric‐grid system (from power generation to consumption) as part of an energy transition to respond to climate change. The course integrates electrical engineering, history of science and technology, systems thinking, design thinking, paradigms, art, humanities, science communication, storytelling, experiential learning, and the creation of GIS story‐maps and museum exhibits. The design context and elements of the course are described and include: the grand challenge of the energy transition itself, the context of energy‐transition education, the nature of the grand‐challenge curriculum, the collaborative and teaching philosophy, the role of students, the interdisciplinary course framework, the special focus on the role of arts and humanities in energy education, and the course‐curricular structure, which uses the “Earth Systems Journey” curriculum model. The centerpiece of the article describes the “Power Systems Journey” experience in narrative form to match the pedagogical approach of the course using artwork examples from students as they investigated the grid. The article concludes with reflections from students and teachers on what the course offers and where to go from here.

Law and Economics Under the Palms: Henry Manne at the University of Miami, 1974–1980

Henry G. Manne described himself as the only full-time missionary for law and economics from the first glimmerings of that subject. This paper deals with the period of Manne’s career when he first assumed this role, which coincides with his time at the University of Miami Law School (1974-1980). Prior to Miami, Manne had formulated a vision for law and economics, and had developed prototypical structures for funding and running interdisciplinary conferences and intensive economics courses for law professors. Manne professionalized these at Miami, using the organizational vehicle of the Law and Economics Center (LEC) that he set up and ran until his departure. Over the course of this period, Manne recruited and invested heavily in teaching, research and conference administration capacities. The LEC branched out, particularly into the policy arena, multiplying the frequency and diversity of activities pursued. It introduced innovative ways of linking economics and legal practice, economists and legal professionals, and played a pivotal role in the integration of law and economics as intellectually integrated disciplines.

Sociohydrologic Systems Thinking: An Analysis of Undergraduate Students’ Operationalization and Modeling of Coupled Human-Water Systems

One of the keys to science and environmental literacy is systems thinking. Learning how to think about the interactions between systems, the far-reaching effects of a system, and the dynamic nature of systems are all critical outcomes of science learning. However, students need support to develop systems thinking skills in undergraduate geoscience classrooms. While systems thinking-focused instruction has the potential to benefit student learning, gaps exist in our understanding of students’ use of systems thinking to operationalize and model SHS, as well as their metacognitive evaluation of systems thinking. To address this need, we have designed, implemented, refined, and studied an introductory-level, interdisciplinary course focused on coupled human-water, or sociohydrologic, systems. Data for this study comes from three consecutive iterations of the course and involves student models and explanations for a socio-hydrologic issue (n = 163). To analyze this data, we counted themed features of the drawn models and applied an operationalization rubric to the written responses. Analyses of the written explanations reveal statistically-significant differences between underlying categories of systems thinking (F(5, 768) = 401.6, p < 0.05). Students were best able to operationalize their systems thinking about problem identification (M = 2.22, SD = 0.73) as compared to unintended consequences (M = 1.43, SD = 1.11). Student-generated systems thinking models revealed statistically significant differences between system components, patterns, and mechanisms, F(2, 132) = 3.06, p < 0.05. Students focused most strongly on system components (M = 13.54, SD = 7.15) as compared to related processes or mechanisms. Qualitative data demonstrated three types of model limitation including scope/scale, temporal, and specific components/mechanisms/patterns excluded. These findings have implications for supporting systems thinking in undergraduate geoscience classrooms, as well as insight into links between these two skills.

How to Overcome Complexities of Interdisciplinary Communication? Translation from One Disciplinary Language into Another for Interdisciplinary Course Design

This paper presents the analysis of the first stage of interdisciplinary course design, which is aimed at the development of the communicative competence across disciplines in business education. The complexities of interdisciplinary communication caused by team members' diverse professional backgrounds, areas of expertise, organizational contexts, life experiences and unique disciplinary languages need to be under control on the way to achieve the intended goals. To foster the interdisciplinary course outcomes, we modeled the translation process from one disciplinary perspective with its scientific language into a language that is understandable to members of different disciplinary expertise. The model stems from the definition of translation as an intralingual transformation process inherent in communication of diverse disciplinary groups in order to co-create new interdisciplinary meaning and achieve the shared goals. It was applied to translation of learning goals and objectives from the language of the business and management course into the language of the English language and communication course to facilitate the process of interdisciplinary collaboration among the team members. The effect of the translation process lay in the team members' better understanding of the integration principle of the interdisciplinary course. This study can give impetus to further research to investigate the process of intralingual translation as a social practice and factors of successful interdisciplinary communication.

Using narrative in STEM education

Interdisciplinary pedagogy, especially team‐taught courses, can advance STEM success for all students. This presentation focuses on three pedagogical exemplars: learning communities, co‐teaching, and team teaching. It explores my use of narrative, both written and in virtual worlds, in interdisciplinary courses over the past decade. I will also illustrate how to apply the insights of interdisciplinary pedagogy to STEM education.

TRACING THE DEVELOPMENT OF LITERACY PRACTICES FOR INTEGRATING INTERDISCIPLINARY CURRICULUM IN HIGHER EDUCATION: INTERACTIONAL ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY

ABSTRACT In this paper, I present an ethnographic approach that guided multiple cycles of analysis undertaken to trace the developing history of the decisions and actions taken by the lead professor and his design team as they engaged in iterative and recursive phases of development of an interdisciplinary course of study. This study was undertaken in an undergraduate Organizational Communication Program in a public regional university in the United States over a two-year period. The goal of this study was to identify factors that were critical in developing the interdisciplinary curriculum that met the university’s and department’s learning objectives. The microethnographic discourse analysis undertaken provided warranted evidence of how the interdisciplinary curriculum afforded students opportunities to develop conceptual understandings of practices of long-term and futures thinking critical for studying societies from an organizational communication perspective.

Breech Disciplinary Levees

A review of general education at the author’s university led to an effort to include project- and theme-based interdisciplinary courses that addressed the “public good,” but many faculty resisted what they perceived as threats to purely disciplinary knowledge. When knowledge is under attack, professors in all disciplines should help prepare students to address problems in US democracy.

Reimagining STEM Education to Help Underrepresented Students Thrive in the Classroom

This presentation will highlight a novel, interdisciplinary course for students interested in pursuing an undergraduate degree in STEM. Science, Math, and Research Training (SMART) is a year‐long course that provides first‐year students with a strong foundation in biology, chemistry, calculus, and computer science. These disciplines are integrated in a manner that allows students to develop problem solving skills and to appreciate the value of collaboration and communication across multiple STEM disciplines. SMART is a thematic course that focuses on important and timely issues such as antibiotic resistance and infectious disease. In order to provide this type of interdisciplinary training for students, the topics covered during the course of each semester must be limited. This presentation will discuss the means by which the content that is covered in a traditional introductory science course has been stripped down and limited to the most important, foundational concepts. The purpose of this redesign was to provide students with foundational knowledge of science, but also focus on the development of critical thinking and scientific writing skills. The removal of traditional content also allows the instructors to focus on metacognition to allow students to assess their own learning needs. Our goal is for our students to feel empowered to take charge of their own learning and to determine, early on in their scientific career, the strategies that work best for their learning. Furthermore, this course redesign allows for instructors to implement high impact classroom practices as well as inclusive pedagogy techniques that guarantee the success of all students, regardless of their background and preparation in high school. SMART is geared primarily to first generation college students, student from underrepresented backgrounds, and students with a low socioeconomic status. Helping these students develop a sense of belonging and self‐efficacy in STEM is a primary goal of this program.

Integrative Teaching of Mathematics as a Means of a Forming Modern Economist

Introduction: A modern specialist in practically any field should not only possess professional expertise but also have a good command of modern computer technologies and main mathematical methods of data modeling and processing. It is employers’ requirements and, at the same time, students’ demands to receive this exact type of education. The study examines various ideas of educator-researchers striving to change the educational process to match the new goals. Meanwhile, the authors place the main emphasis on teaching mathematics. Drawing on the experience of teaching at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, the authors propose an integrative model of teaching mathematics that utilizes the contextual approach and content-based teaching. Materials and Methods: The main methods of the study are the analysis of scientific works and pedagogical modeling based on the following methodological approaches: competency-based, integrative, activity-based, as well as the concept of the zone of proximal development. The authors place special importance on the contextual approach and content-based teaching. Results: The analysis of works confirms the significance and relevance of interdisciplinary courses. The necessary modernization of the educational process and its contents is based on the integrative approach. The contextual approach is increasingly used in higher education to reinforce professional orientation. As for content-based education, it is currently used only in foreign language teaching. Within this study, the authors propose an integrative model of teaching mathematics at economics universities. To enforce the focus on the application in basic student training, the contextual approach is utilized which allows giving professional substance to the content of an educational course. The second part of the model is content-based teaching. The authors enhance its potential uses and believe that studying interconnected subjects together allows one to show common patterns and makes the educational process more efficient, intensive and mindful. Discussion and Conclusions: The relevance of having command of mathematical methods and computer technologies for multidisciplinary specialists makes it possible to generalize the creative model by adding various professional contexts.

Effects of interdisciplinary courses on future engineers' competency

PurposeThis study explores the effects of interdisciplinary education on engineering students by observing students' competencies before and after the programme.Design/methodology/approachThe effects of interdisciplinary education were studied over three years through the use of a survey to test the social competencies of organisational life and the interdisciplinary competencies of college students. A total of 5,185 responses were collected from engineering students who took part in interdisciplinary education programmes. The survey was conducted during weeks 3 and 14 of each semester, and a comparison test was used to reveal any changes.FindingsAmong the 12 competencies developed or adapted, leadership significantly improved during all six semesters. Analytical thinking, interpersonal competency, professional attitude, global-mindedness, and creative attitudes also improved in some of the semesters.Research limitations/implicationsIt was not possible to control for the effect of classes that students were attending in addition to the targeted interdisciplinary class. However, this study was able to examine empirically the improvement of competencies for future engineers, and its findings provide a basis for future researchers to elaborate on other competencies as well.Originality/valueThe study recommends competencies needed by engineers working in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, examining the effects of interdisciplinary education on competency development. It contributes to strengthening the current trend in universities that seek to reform interdisciplinary education by empirically verifying its effectiveness.