Assessment of Interdisciplinary Programmes

Abstract

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Teaching and Learning in Interdisciplinary Higher Education: A Systematic Review

“…To start with the proposed frameworks, these publications considered the following teaching and learning topics: an adaptation of Biggs and Collis' Structure of Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy to illustrate interdisciplinary learning (Ivanitskaya et al 2002), a proposed research agenda based on teaching and learning theories to encourage research in the field of interdisciplinary higher education (Lattuca et al 2004), a framework illustrating three major cognitive movements in interdisciplinary thought (Nikitina 2005), three strategies for interdisciplinary teaching (Nikitina 2006), four dimensions of a potential interdisciplinary pedagogy (Manathunga et al 2006), an empirically grounded framework for assessing students' interdisciplinary work (Boix Mansilla and Duraising 2007), and a framework for conceptualizing interdisciplinary classroom communication (Woods 2007). Second, best practices dealt with the relationship between disciplinary background and interdisciplinary education (Newell 1992), with the lack of adequate and appropriate methods for assessing interdisciplinary higher education programs (Field and Lee 1992), with the experiences of graduate students who pursued interdisciplinary studies (Graybill et al 2006), and a successful course approach (Eisen et al 2009). Third, the following essential conditions were identified through the evaluation of two interdisciplinary training programs: participation, training in group skills, information sharing, networking, critical reflection (Gilkey and Earp 2006), participation in a collaborative interdisciplinary team project, and faculty mentors (Misra et al 2009).…”

“…This category also includes the condition assessment of interdisciplinarity that suggests a summative assessment of the learning outcome interdisciplinary thinking. Both conditions suggest assessment instruments that include a combined development and performance perspective to help teachers as well as students to analyze the progression of interdisciplinary thinking (Field and Lee 1992;Ivanitskaya et al 2002;Woods 2007).…”

“…These four conditions seem to point to the need for a gradual, linear, phased pattern combined with predetermined learning outcomes that serve as milestones for each phase in which students are repeatedly exposed to interdisciplinary thinking (Graybill et al 2006;Ivanitskaya et al 2002;Manathunga et al 2006;Woods 2007). It has been suggested that this development process may follow that of Biggs' SOLO taxonomy (Ivanitskaya et al 2002) or intellectual maturation theories such as that of Perry (Field and Lee 1992). The second category, learning activities, includes the conditions learning activities aimed at achieving interdisciplinarity and learning activities aimed at achieving reflection.…”

Contemporary concerns in development studies: Perspectives from Tanzania and Zambia

“…In fact, they are questioning the strengths and capabilities of Development Studies and other interdisciplinary programmes, in preparing a rounded scholar who is able to train the next generation of scholars. This strange behaviour is not only witnessed in DS, but in all interdisciplinary fields of study in general, perhaps reflecting on the prioritisation of single disciplines over interdisciplinary fields (Szostak 2002, Field andLee 1992).…”

“…This is a controversial view to a well-established field such as Development Studies. As Field and Lee (1992), pointed out, perhaps interdisciplinary programmes have failed to document their contribution in the academia or are slow in doing so and hence attracting this kind of criticism.…”