InterdisciplinaryUndergraduate Teaching

Malcolm Potts, Qatar University, February 2008

2. Benefits and Preparation

Benefits for Students

Grade point average Motivation & satisfaction Engagement with "real world"

issues Synthesis, problem-solving,

teamwork Connections between the major & liberal

education, between academics and their lives Career preparation

Affect on Students

“A curricular experience in which students are required to integrate learning from separate courses around a central theme appears to elicit greater growth in critical thinking” (Pascarella & Terenzini)

“The true core integrative approach to general education … [has] generally favorable effects on many of the … general education outcomes“ (critical thinking, writing, analytical thinking) (Astin).

Benefits for Faculty

New teaching & cutting-edge

research interests Faculty development Communicative &

collaborative skills “Community“ of colleagues Integrative skills, sensitivity to ethical

issues, enlarged perspectives

Benefits for the Institution

New fields & careers New funding sources &

community links Faculty recruitment &

retention New collaborations Unique institutional

identity Reform Competitiveness locally

and in the Region

Interdisciplinary Studies

Essential Faculty Traits

Open to diverse ways of thinking Able to admit “I don’t know” Can model listening and self-

reflection Flexible, comfortable with ambiguity Respects other disciplines

Integrative Faculty: Perpetual Learners

Risk-taking Flexibility Patience Resilience Sensitivity to others Thick skin Care/Devotion Take new paths Preference for diversity

Preparing Faculty

Encourage collaboration among faculty with common interests (social gatherings, study groups).

Sit in on each other’s courses. Hold workshops for faculty across disciplines

who are teaching same or related courses. Consult professional literature and

organizations; bring in consultants. Use leaves, grants to develop faculty.

Preparing Students

Highlight integration in all recruitment and other printed and web-based materials

Hold orientation that focuses on the power of integration for incoming students

Explain and reflect on the integrative nature of their college experience over & over

Course Planning

Consider a definition of integration. Determine which disciplinary or other

perspectives will be used. Assemble team of experts who can help. Try to let go of “coverage” model; focus on

active engagement and process.

Focusing Your Course

ThemesTopicsComparisonsProblemsIssuesDebates

Process of ID Inquiry (Klein)

INITIAL PHASE

a. Define problem

b. Determine goals, objectives, questions CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

a. Devise a plan

b. Gather all current and relevant knowledge SOCIAL LEARNING

a. Clarify roles of team members

b. Clarify differences in language, methods, tools

ID Process of Inquiry

INTEGRATION

a. Use known techniques for integration

b. Triangulate depth, breadth and synthesis

c. Reflect on learning

Integrating Content

New holistic understanding through new metaphors, terms, principles

“Borrowing” from one discipline and applying that information to another

Conceptual framework Integrative action Creative integration Meta-goals of course

Integrating Content

What opportunities do you see for

integrating themes or concepts in your

field with those in another discipline?

We will come back to this….

Specific Challenges for Integration

Distortion, misunderstanding of disciplines Use of data, methods, theories out of context Use of borrowings out of favor in their original

context Illusions of certainty about phenomena

treated with caution or skepticism in their original disciplines

Over-reliance on one theory or perspective Dismissal of contradictory evidence

Have You Learned…?

Benefits of Interdisciplinary Teaching Role, Traits of Integrative Teachers Focal Points of Integrative Courses Four Types of Course Designs Strategies for Integrating Content Challenges