Postgraduate Course: Interrogating Interdisciplinary Practice (fusion on-site) (EFIE11292)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | What does successful interdisciplinary interaction look like in practice? This course will explore the under-researched area of the interdisciplinarity in action and enable participants to become more effective, analytical and reflective interdisciplinary leaders and collaborators. |
| Course description |
This course will be part of the MSc Education Futures programme, but will have relevance to other programmes where students wish to explore the interactional dimension of interdisciplinary collaboration in research, educational and professional environments.
This course employs practical, experiential and methods-driven approaches to explore how interdisciplinarity is enacted in various educational, research and professional contexts. Engagement in collaborative group work throughout the course provides students with tools to think critically and reflectively across the boundaries of a range of disciplines, academic and professional contexts and practices, deepening their understanding of differences in theoretical, applied, and practice-based methodologies.
Students will explore what interdisciplinary processes look like and how interdisciplinarity is enacted in practice to further develop their knowledge and understanding of interdisciplinary approaches gained from the core courses. They will learn to analyse interactional patterns in order to understand the dynamics of collaborative group work and identify how these patterns shape our present and future interdisciplinary engagement.
The course provides students with a toolkit of knowledge and strategies for recognising and adapting to norms outside their own disciplinary knowledge and approaches, and establishes a foundation for more effective reflection on their own interactional patterns of interdisciplinary collaborative engagement. These are anchored by conceptual, analytical and reflective tools distributed across the 5 weeks and aligned with the following themes:
1) The concept of interdisciplinarity: definitions and approaches.
2) Emerging challenges and norms of interdisciplinary engagement (focusing primarily but not exclusively on Higher Education).
3) Theories, practices and values used to co-shape and contest current interdisciplinary endeavours in both pedagogy and research.
4) Analytical tools and approaches for exploring why interaction matters and mapping dynamic patterns in interaction.
5) Characteristics and complexities of interdisciplinary interaction and its potential for shaping interdisciplinary futures.
The course builds on understandings gained in the shared core 'Interdisciplinary Futures EFI core courses (though attendance on these course is not a pre-requisite) and develops these to explore theories, approaches and practices in research and educational contexts, in order to understand what successful interdisciplinary learning and teaching can look like. As part of the process, students identify and engage with challenges emerging in interdisciplinary research collaboration and interdisciplinary learning in different educational settings and contexts.
Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) - On-Site Fusion Course Delivery Information:
The Edinburgh Futures Institute will teach this course in a way that enables online and on-campus students to study together. This approach (our 'fusion' teaching model) offers students flexible and inclusive ways to study, and the ability to choose whether to be on-campus or online at the level of the individual course. It also opens up ways for diverse groups of students to study together regardless of geographical location. To enable this, the course will use technologies to record and live-stream student and staff participation during their teaching and learning activities.
Students should be aware that:
- Classrooms used in this course will have additional technology in place: students might not be able to sit in areas away from microphones or outside the field of view of all cameras.
- Unless the lecturer or tutor indicates otherwise you should assume the session is being recorded.
As part of your course, you will need access to a personal computing device. Unless otherwise stated activities will be web browser based and as a minimum we recommend a device with a physical keyboard and screen that can access the internet.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 20 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 4,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 12,
Online Activities 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
78 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Summative Assessment:
The course will be assessed by means of the following assessment components:
1) 1500-2000 Word Analytical, Reflective and Visual Report (100%)
A 1500 - 2000-word analytical, reflective and visual report on a topic, key aspect or challenge area in interdisciplinary interaction explored as a group during the 2-day intensive teaching block relevant to their programme of study and interest.
The report, including references and visuals, should not exceed 7 A4 pages.
(The summative report must include independent analysis of the intensive 'Day 2 recorded data', as well as an independent reflection/evaluation of the intensive Day 1 recorded data that the group analysed collaboratively.)
The report should be carried out independently and include:
- A definition of and justification for the chosen topic, explaining, with the use of supporting references, why this important in the context of interdisciplinary interaction;
- Analysis and discussion of any part of the recorded data from the intensive block (this can draw on the results of group work in the 2-day activities);
- Visualisation of the data analysis/findings;
- Critical reflection on individual and group interaction in collaborative group activity whether or not the group work went well.
- Any emergent issues in analysing their own group interaction data.
Key components should include, but not be limited to:
- An understanding of interdisciplinarity and how that is enacted in collaborative work with a focus on the process of interdisciplinarity;
- What has been learned;
- Critical evaluation of what worked well, what did not work well and what could be improved;
- What could be done differently, and how, if faced with similar situations (advantages/disadvantages). |
| Feedback |
Formative feedback and feedforward will be provided during the 2-day intensive block, when students present their group analysis on interaction data analysis to the class. Students will also receive feedback when they discuss assignment ideas.
Written summative feedback on their final assignment will be given to individuals. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of and engage critically with the process of interdisciplinary inquiry/approaches.
- Explore, analyse and reflect with others on the evidence-based and experiential learning process of interdisciplinarity in various contexts.
- Understand, recognise and utilise their own interactional qualities in group collaboration for personal growth and apply this learning in a variety of interdisciplinary contexts.
- Demonstrate understanding of the complexities of interdisciplinary engagement and apply this evaluatively.
|
Reading List
Indicative Reading List:
Essential Reading:
Choi, S., & Richards, K. (2017). Interdisciplinary Discourse: communication across disciplines. Palgrave McMillan.
Holbook, J. B. (2013). What is interdisciplinary communication? Reflections on the very idea of disciplinary integration. Synthese, 190, 1865-1879.
Klein, J. T. (1990). Interdisciplinarity: History, theory and practice. Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
Lattuca, L. R. (2001). Creating interdisciplinarity: Interdisciplinary research and teaching among college and university faculty. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press.
McCalli, A. (2007). Interdisciplinary teamwork: is the influence of emotional intelligence fully appreciated? Journal of Nursing Management, 15, 386-391
Vienni Baptista, B., Fletcher, I. and Lyall, C. (Editors) (2023), Foundations of Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary Research: A Reader, Bristol: Bristol University Press.
Villemeuve, D. et.al (2020). What is interdisciplinarity in Practice? Critical Reflections on Doing Mobility Research in an Intended Interdisciplinary Doctoral Research Group. Sustainability, 12, 197; doi:10.3390/su12010197
Recommended Reading:
Amey, M. J., & Brown, D. F. (2005). Interdisciplinary collaboration and academic work: A case study of a university partnership. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 102, 23-35.
Aldrich, J. H. (2014). Interdisciplinarity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bammer, G. (2013). Disciplining interdisciplinarity: Integration and implementation sciences for researching complex real-world problems. Canberra: Australian National University E Press.
Bridle, H., Vrieling, A., Cardillo, M., Araya, Y., & Hinojosa, L. (2013). Preparing for an interdisciplinary future: A perspective from early-career researchers. Futures, 53, 22-32.
Bromme, R. (2000). Beyond one's own perspective: The psychology of cognitive interdisciplinarity. In P. Weingart &
N. Stehr (Eds.), Practising interdisciplinarity (pp. 115-133). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Choi, S., & Schnurr, S. (2014). Exploring distributed leadership: Solving disagreements and negotiating consensus in a 'leaderless' team. Discourse Studies, 16(1), 3-24.
Donnellon, A. (1996). Team talk: The power of language in team dynamics. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Drew, P., & Heritage, J. (1992). Introduction. In P. Drew & J. Heritage (Eds.), Talk at work (pp. 3-65). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Creamer, E. G. (2005). Insight from multiple disciplinary angles: A case study of an interdisciplinary research team. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 102, 37-44.
Frodeman, Robert (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity, 2nd edn, Oxford Handbooks (2017; online edn, Oxford Academic, 6 Mar. 2017), https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198733522.001.0001
Hemmings, A., Beckett, G., Kennerly, S. & Yap, T. (2013). Building a community of research practice: Intragroup team social dynamics in interdisciplinary mixed methods. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 7(3), 261-273.
Housley, W. (2000). Category work and knowledgeability within multidisciplinary team meetings. Text, 20(1), 83-107.
Imafuku, R., Kataoka, R. , Mayahara, M. , Suzuki, H. , & Saiki, T. (2014). Students' Experiences in Interdisciplinary Problem-based Learning: A Discourse Analysis of Group Interaction. Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 8(2). DOI: 10.7771/1541-5015.1388
Lau, L., & Pasquani, M. (2008). 'Jack of all trades'? The negotiation of interdisciplinarity within geography. Geoforum, 39, 552-560.
Leigh Winowiecki, Sean Smukler, Kenneth Shirley, Roseline Remans, Gretchen Peltier, Erin Lothes, Elisabeth King, Liza Comita, Sandra Baptista & Leontine Alkema (2011) Tools for enhancing interdisciplinary communication, Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, 7:1, 74-80, DOI: 10.1080/15487733.2011.11908067
Further Reading:
Hepburn, A., & Wiggins, S. (2007). Discursive research: Themes and debates. In A. Hepburn & S. Wiggins (Eds.), Discursive research in practice: New approaches to psychology and interaction (pp. 1-28). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Lyall, C. (2019) Being An Interdisciplinary Academic: How Institutions Shape University Careers, London: Palgrave Pivot.
Perignat, E. et. Al (2023). Practices for high performing Interdisciplinary Faculty Teams. College Teaching, 71/1, 18-27.
Richards, K. (2005). Introduction. In K. Richards & P. Seedhouse (Eds.), Applying conversation analysis (pp. 1-15). Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
Schegloff, E. A. (1991). Reflections on talk and social structure. In D. Boden & D. H. Zimmerman (Eds.), Studies in ethnomethodology and conversation analysis (pp. 44-70). London: Polity Press.
Van Dijk, T. A. (2006). Discourse, context and cognition. Discourse Studies, 8(1), 159-177.
Woods, C. (2007). Researching and developing interdisciplinary teaching: Towards a conceptual framework for classroom communication. Higher Education, 54, 853-866. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Mindset: The course will support students in developing a reflective mindset and confidence in their own ability to approach interdisciplinary collaboration flexibly and critically, fostering synergy, creativity, and the co-creation of innovative solutions to complex problems, ultimately leading to more impactful collaborative interdisciplinary work and meaningful contributions to society.
Skills: Students will be provided with skills and knowledge in research and enquiry enabling them to identify and creatively tackle problems both collaboratively and independently; they will strengthen their personal and intellectual autonomy and competence and be able to critically reflect and evaluate dynamic interactional challenges; they will be skilled communicators able to engage effectively with others. |
| Keywords | Interdisciplinarity,Interdisciplinary Interaction,Collaborative Group Work,Interaction Analysis,EFI |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Seongsook Choi
Tel: (0131 6)51 6539
Email: S.Choi@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Abby Gleave
Tel: (0131 6)51 1337
Email: abby.gleave@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage