Planning interdisciplinary education – tips

More deeply interdisciplinary teaching requires a conscious effort to integrate the subjects. This involves creating equality between the constituent disciplines so that different subject perspectives are in view throughout, not one by one in components that are isolated from each other. Ideally, different perspectives should be included in each session, which can be facilitated by lecturers with different subject backgrounds teaching together. In addition to the subject integration it brings, the dialogue between lecturers from different subject backgrounds generates dynamism in the classroom and illustrates how conversations can be held across subject boundaries. Teaching in multidisciplinary teams may decrease over time, when lecturers in the team have listened to one another, learnt more and thus become better at linking their own subject knowledge to other subjects. Individual lecturers themselves will become more aware of the whole and increasingly be bearers of interdisciplinary competences.

Interdisciplinary encounters are also facilitated and enriched by an open climate where it is possible for students to test different points of view. One way to create an understanding of why and how there are different perspectives within the student and/or teaching group is for lecturers themselves to model constructive conversations across disciplinary boundaries in their teaching.

Teaching and learning models and methods that work well in interdisciplinary education include problem-based learning and case methodology, both of which promote students’ ability to collaborate, communicate and find solutions to real-world problems. Particularly suitable for interdisciplinary courses are so-called ‘wicked problems’, i.e. complex societal challenges that require different disciplinary perspectives and lack tried-and-tested solutions, and which often involve interests that are difficult to reconcile; see for example: Lönngren, J. (2021). Wicked problems i lärande för hållbar utveckling – Vägledning för att ta fram exempel och problembeskrivningar. Högre utbildning, 11(3).

The course could also have components that are carried out in collaboration with the wider community, for example by the student group investigating a problem that a company or organisation has identified and is seeking answers to.

Finally, it can also be worthwhile to hold teaching sessions in a variety of subject environments, so as to illustrate different disciplines and research/education settings, although this can make room booking more complicated.

When working with interdisciplinary education, there is generally a greater need for discussion and communication within the teaching team than in intradisciplinary courses and programmes. This applies to the planning and implementation of the programme, as well as assessment, evaluation and further development. There are implicit, conscious or unconscious, teaching cultures that may need to be brought to the surface in the interdisciplinary teaching team. One recommendation is to begin with a discussion of what ‘interdisciplinarity’ means for this particular course or programme, and how the interdisciplinary approach is to inform its design. This may involve not just bringing subjects together under the same heading, but consciously integrating different disciplines in both teaching and assessment.

Traditions differ between subjects and programmes when it comes to writing syllabuses, formulating intended course learning outcomes, choosing teaching and assessment formats or formulating assessment criteria. There may also be different rules and guidelines in the different disciplinary domains. The most challenging tasks in a multidisciplinary teaching team seem to be the design of examinations and assessments and the formulation of intended course learning outcomes and grading criteria (see below).

According to the teaching staff interviewed in connection with the report Tvärvetenskaplig utbildning vid Uppsala universitet – lärdomar från satsningen på tvärvetenskapliga kurser 2018–2019 (UFV 2022/2144), the principal key to success is continuous discussion in the teaching team. It is in these conversations that innovative ideas and genuine interdisciplinarity take shape. There is no need to strive to emulate each other; it is necessary rather to recognise and use the strength inherent in the differences. It is therefore important to give the process time, to meet regularly during the planning phase and during the course to consult on both the major issues and the details.

There are also personal attitudes that promote cooperation and make the most of diversity. Lecturers with experience of interdisciplinary courses emphasise the importance of everyone involved entering into the project with an attitude of curiosity. It helps if you are excited by different perspectives and ways of working and can recognise that there are advantages and disadvantages to most things. A lack of pretension, and an open and humble attitude towards other disciplines, flexibility, pragmatism and courage are other assets in this context.

It is when the time comes to write intended learning outcomes that the work on the course becomes real and concrete. The ways in which intended course learning outcomes are formulated vary between different parts of the University and different disciplines. Developing and agreeing on them can therefore be both rewarding and difficult.

One of the benefits of thrashing out intended course learning outcomes together is that this process can clarify what the course or programme is really supposed to give students and how, as the teaching has to be guided by objectives and based on intended learning outcomes. Another benefit is that lecturers themselves have an opportunity, in dialogue with colleagues from other subjects and traditions, to become more aware of what certain words and concepts mean to them personally, as well as to notice things that may be included in course and programme syllabuses without thinking. It can be helpful to start out with a completely open mind, for example through brainstorming, and then find your way forward. Everyone is likely to benefit from the teaching team identifying the differences between the traditions of their disciplines at an early stage, and recognising how they can make use of them.

The question to be answered by the learning outcomes is what students should know after the course. In an interdisciplinary course, there should be intended learning outcomes that relate directly to this. Examples could include:

After completing the course, students should be able to:

• discuss their own role and contribution within the group
• discuss the contribution of different subject perspectives
• explain and compare the scholarly basis of [X and Y], etc.
• explain and argue for X in an interdisciplinary perspective

Syllabus content – learning outcomes

Virtually all education comes with the challenge of finding reliable, valid and feasible ways of assessing goal attainment. In interdisciplinary education, moreover, there are sometimes learning outcomes, both for specific knowledge and general skills, that are not usually found in the course or programme syllabuses of the departments involved and for which there is therefore little experience of assessment.

Questions may arise, for example, about the structure of an academic paper, how different components are best assessed, and how active participation in seminars and written assignments should be assessed. Different academic disciplines have different ideas about what should be ‘valued’ and these can sometimes be unspoken and taken for granted. Despite finding grading criteria that all teaching staff initially agree on, it easily happens that they are interpreted differently when it comes to assessment. Students may also have different views on how to interpret the intended course learning outcomes, as they carry with them experiences and perceptions from their previous studies. It is therefore particularly important that grading criteria are discussed by lecturers and examiners, and then clearly communicated to the student group.

Experience from previous interdisciplinary education shows that it is possible to reach consensus across disciplinary boundaries, but that it requires open discussion in the teaching team, and that lecturers calibrate themselves against each other and are explicit in their assessments.

A further challenge is to design the assessment to reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the course. Assessment should always follow from the intended course learning outcomes, in accordance with the principle of constructive alignment. Consideration can be given to the use of assessments that test students’ ability to develop joint answers and solutions, such as group and project assignments. It is also possible to use forms of assessment that encourage students to reflect on their own learning and on their encounter with other subjects and academic traditions, such as journals, blogs, podcasts and video diaries.

Resources:

• DiaNa (Dialogue for Scientists and Technologists, in Swedish) at the Faculty of Science and Technology offers materials to support both lecturers and students in group assignments and interaction, oral and written presentations, etc.
• Experts in Teamwork (pdf) is a model at NTNU (the Norwegian University of Science and Technology) in Trondheim for supporting students’ work in interdisciplinary project teams.

Openness, good pedagogy and good planning are required to make full use of and manage the dynamics in a mixed student group. At every step of the way, it is important to bear in mind which students are taking the course. Is it a homogeneous group in terms of subject background, or is the student group also multidisciplinary? Are some students from the world of work so that the group is also interprofessional? The composition of the student group brings different opportunities and challenges.

A multidisciplinary student group can be a great asset in a course. Where there are participants who are professionals, this further enriches the course. It can add different perspectives and examples to the teaching.

As the composition of the student group may vary from one instance of the course to another, lecturers need to be prepared to adapt their course material and teaching. It is advisable to try to find out the composition of the student group before the course. This is easier in the case of a course that is part of a programme where, for example, a short questionnaire can be sent to all the students who have been admitted. Otherwise, it can be done right at the start of the course. This can provide lecturers with insights into students’ background, prior knowledge and motivation and serve as a basis for dividing them into groups. The survey can also provide inspiration for the course design, e.g. in terms of the choice of examples or the design of group assignments.

In addition to students learning from each other across disciplinary and/or professional boundaries, the encounter itself makes it clear to them how their knowledge contributes to a greater whole and an increased ability to talk about and reflect on their own subject. It is therefore important that both lecturers and students are encouraged to actively invite students with specialised knowledge to take part in discussions.

It can be difficult to fully harness the potential and dynamism of a student group that is heterogeneous in terms of prior learning. Keeping the teaching at the right level at all times can be rather challenging. Students have different vocabularies and experience of forms of discourse and risk talking past each other. When formulating questions and descriptions for written assignments, it is important to consider and discuss in detail how to express things, as the wording can easily be interpreted in different ways.

One way to deal with variations in prior knowledge is to start with classical lectures or workshops where students are given the basics of the subjects covered, to ‘brace them up’ so as to put everyone at a reasonably even level. After that, the genuinely interdisciplinary work can begin, for example using real-life scenarios. It can also be helpful to offer a variety of materials to suit different backgrounds.

Another approach is to start the course with an interdisciplinary introduction, and then look more closely at the contribution of the different disciplines to the subject matter. This can take the form of a case study, a newspaper article or something else that requires and illustrates the need for different perspectives.

In these contexts, it is often particularly important to make an effort to ensure that students feel comfortable and dare to ask questions, for example by allowing them to prepare jointly in mixed groups for different teaching components. If students feel comfortable, it is also possible to challenge them intellectually.

The composition of the student group depends on the admission requirements. If the general entry requirements for higher education are sufficient for admission to the course, it is easy to reach a broad student group in terms of subject background, as well as professionals and students straight from upper secondary school without specific subject knowledge. Higher admission requirements may result in a group of students that is more homogeneous in terms of subject background and has greater depth in the subject. In this case, though the course may be interdisciplinary, the student group itself does not contribute to this dimension.

There is, or at least should be, an interaction between interdisciplinary teaching and interdisciplinary research. While most interdisciplinary courses and programmes derive their research basis primarily from the disciplines involved in the course, when lecturers from different subjects teach together they often find ways to integrate their subject knowledge, sometimes resulting in joint research.

Interdisciplinary education can also stem from interdisciplinary research translated into education. There is great potential in this. In the report Den högre utbildningens forskningsanknytning: en nyckelfråga för den högre utbildningens kvalitet (pdf, in Swedish) (The research basis of higher education: a key factor for quality in higher education), commissioned by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Kerstin Sahlin writes that a research basis requires openness, breadth and depth. She argues that a quality research basis should mean an active broadening of the research base of educational programmes. This could come about naturally as the result of an interdisciplinary approach.

The research basis can be further strengthened by integrating research into the pedagogical organisation of the course and having students work (together) in research-like ways. For example, students can be asked to create their own interdisciplinary research questions, to find suitable research methods for a given interdisciplinary issue on their own, or even to carry out small research-like projects. Dividing students into interdisciplinary groups also gives them the opportunity to compare their different perspectives as they work. For inspiration, see e.g. Healey, M., & Jenkins, A. (2009). Developing undergraduate research and inquiry. York: Higher Education Academy

(See also research superstructure.)

Evaluating an interdisciplinary course is broadly similar to evaluating a single subject course, but the interdisciplinary approach deserves special attention.

• Integration of subjects: It is useful to get a picture of how well the integration between different subjects worked from the students’ perspective. One key question is whether the students perceived the course as a coherent whole, or whether it felt divided into separate subject blocks.

• Students’ experiences and comparisons: The students can be encouraged to reflect on the added value of the interdisciplinary course compared with courses in individual subjects. How did the learning differ, and what new insights did they gain from combining different subjects? What did they find particularly rewarding, less rewarding or challenging compared with more traditional subject courses?

• Formative evaluation: Using formative evaluation, which takes place continuously while the course is in progress, makes it possible to pick up students’ views and ideas at an early stage. This allows adjustments to be made during the course, provided that this is possible and justified.

• Summative evaluation and oral discussion: Complementing the final course evaluation with an oral discussion often provides deeper insights into development opportunities and can lead to constructive suggestions for future rounds of the course.

These considerations lead to a greater understanding of how the interdisciplinary approach works from a student perspective and ideas for further development.

Depending on which department and faculty has formal responsibility for a course or programme, procedures for educational evaluations will differ. It may be worth trying to develop your own, more customised model, but the important thing is to have a plan that ensures that all departments and divisions involved are engaged in the evaluation process. Similarly, everyone needs to be involved in the actions resulting from the evaluation.