Interdisciplinary courses and learning are a prominent trend across the scholarship of teaching and learning, as well as academia at large. Before disentangling what constitutes effective interdisciplinary learning, and how to achieve that, it’s worth stepping back and asking: why be interdisciplinary at all? What about interdisciplinarity is useful and important to students? Why not stick with more traditional disciplinary studies?
Interdisciplinarity is more than just a buzzword. In his chapter on the design of interdisciplinary courses, Newell (1994) expounds: “[educational outcomes include] an appreciation for perspectives other than one’s own; an ability to evaluate the testimony of experts; tolerance of ambiguity; increased sensitivity to ethical issues; am ability to synthesize or integrate; enlarged perspectives or horizons; more creative, original, or unconventional thinking; increased humility or listening skills, and sensitivity to disciplinary, political, or religious bias.”(p. 35) Though this list of benefits is far-reaching, it mirrors the motivations referenced by the UCSB professors quoted above. At its core are improving understanding, perspective, and communication across any number of disciplinary boundaries. “Interdisciplinary techniques go beyond [multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approaches] by allowing students to see different perspectives, work in groups, and make the synthesizing of disciplines the ultimate goal.”(Jones, 2010, p. 76)
Interdisciplinarity is also necessary because it’s the reality. The literature as well as UCSB faculty agree (see Dr. Stan Awramik above), the professional world increasingly is built on interdisciplinary collaboration, leveraging individuals disciplinary strengths to tackle problems that are intractable with one discipline alone. This demand is already being seen. Though interdisciplinarity is no substitute for expertise in a subject, it can easily be a differentiating factor. Jones (2010) highlights this: “Students who have the skills that interdisciplinary courses provide are so valuable to our future that they are now sought out by colleges and businesses.” (p. 78).
Interdisciplinary learning is not without pitfalls and misuse (see Jones, 2010), but that should not diminish its strengths. Interdisciplinary courses offer students skills and perspectives uniquely suited to the interdisciplinary approach. Given the increasing demand for these skills, it’s worth looking more carefully at what exactly constitutes interdisciplinary learning, and how it can best be facilitated.