Perspectives on interdisciplinary undergraduate research

An Innovative Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Course

“…Healthcare research aims to improve quality of life for individuals and populations; however, many health problems are complex and multifaceted. Thus, multiple perspectives and levels of expertise are needed to explore research questions in these areas 1,2 . Collaboration among multiple disciplines is essential in research as it is difficult for any individual discipline to have the expertise or research ability to address these complex problems 1,3 .…”

“…Funding agencies, like the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, however, emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary research 6–8 . Creating interdisciplinary research opportunities and engaging students early in their academic careers at the undergraduate level is needed as this participation will subsequently foster the development of skills and abilities needed by interdisciplinary researchers after graduation 1,2 …”

“…Thus, multiple perspectives and levels of expertise are needed to explore research questions in these areas. 1,2 Collaboration among multiple disciplines is essential in research as it is difficult for any individual discipline to have the expertise or research ability to address these complex problems. 1,3 Moreover, the collaboration between disciplines has been identified as a key element to decrease disciplinary specialization, which results in professional barriers, profession-specific jargon, and "siloed" approaches to solving problems.…”

“…[6][7][8] Creating interdisciplinary research opportunities and engaging students early in their academic careers at the undergraduate level is needed as this participation will subsequently foster the development of skills and abilities needed by interdisciplinary researchers after graduation. 1,2 This article describes the development and implementation of a pilot course designed for undergraduate students interested in engaging in interdisciplinary research. It also explores the students' perspectives on collaborating with an interdisciplinary team and the lessons learned from the project that will be used to refine the future course.…”

Exploring the use of Photovoice with Entrepreneurial Design Projects as a High Impact Practice in Engineering Technology Education

“…It increases the experience-based learning, assists students in exploring unknown fields and discover new ideas and motivates them to complete their degrees. However, interdisciplinary collaboration can mostly be seen in the postgraduate degree levels, while it remains poorly implemented in undergraduate education [2].…”