Interdisciplinary collaboration that works

Abstract

Why is collaboration between the Social Sciences and Information Technology (IT) important? The aim of this paper is to explore this question and present a case for an alliance between these two distinct fields. Our remit as educators is to prepare learners for their real-world experiences, not only in their careers, but in the skills to navigate an increasingly complex world. Unquestionably, these skills require exhaustive technical knowledge which is imparted by our IT experts. However, alongside this technical know-how, learners require a critical understanding of society and essential knowledge about what it means to be human. Social scientists bring to the table the skills to help create better practices, systems and ideas considering the ‘human factor’, and thereby play a strategic role in the social shaping of technology. The authors maintain that together, the Information Technology practitioner and the Social Scientist combine for optimal impact in education. We do this through preparing students for technology trends and creating innovative solutions by providing a whole broad education planning for both technical and soft skills development. This paper outlines why collaboration between these two fields is important and presents a working model example through a student drone training project.