Undergraduate Course: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Practice 4: Creating Interdisciplinary Futures (EFIE10001)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh Futures Institute |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | In this course you will create new approaches to reflect on and grow in your interdisciplinary practice. You will lead earlier year students in their development as interdisciplinary practitioners, while developing your vision for your own interdisciplinary future. Topics will include design thinking, leadership models and types, models for evaluation and feedback, and organisation of knowledge systems as networks. |
| Course description |
As in previous years, the core course Reflections on Interdisciplinary Practice provides you with the space and the tools to integrate your learning from across the programme (and beyond), encouraging and supporting you in the synthesis of the discrete elements of your learning experience. The main focus of the course in fourth year will be to support your work on the capstone project. This project is your opportunity to bring together and apply all the insights and skills you have developed over the past years, to produce a piece of work that addresses some of the big challenges our world is facing and to help shape a better future. To help you with this, you will learn more about relevant cutting-edge theories and frameworks of thinking and knowledge creation, including, for example, networks of knowledge and 'futuring' methods.
Another important element for this final year of your undergraduate studies will be the preparation for the time after graduation; you will be supported in this by a set of tasks and exercises that will help you in this key transition stage. This will include reflection on your values and aims for the future as well as - on a practical level - pulling together your portfolio of work and incorporating key examples into a CV that presents the depth and breadth of your experiences in the most effective way to prospective employers in different sectors. You will continue to develop your team working and mentoring skills by supporting groups of earlier years students, and you will contribute to the development of peer support structures and learning materials for future cohorts of EFI students. This will be done through a process of co-creation allowing you to use your experience gained over three to four years of learning to shape and further enhance the degree.
Student Learning Experience:
The course will be delivered in the now familiar structure, which might include a mix of presentations, workshops, peer support activities and time for individual work/reflection. You will continue to work on your portfolio; (group) coaching sessions at the start and mid-way through the academic year will help you identify your goals for the year (and beyond) as well as any potential gaps that still need to be filled. You will also have the opportunity to suggest additional workshop activities that will help you meet these goals and fill any gaps.
Assessment will take the form of a series of reflective submissions linked with a portfolio used to provide appropriate evidence for relevant Learning Outcomes. This may include the outline of a peer support session on one of the topics introduced in year 1 or 2 of the programme, together with a reflection on the delivery of the session to earlier years students, and a draft reference for one of your peers, commenting on their suitability for a job or further study.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
196 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Reflective Submissions (4 formative outputs equivalent to 500-1000 words each, 2 summative outputs equivalent to ~1500 words each worth 50% and 50% of the final course mark respectively).
Students are required to submit a series of reflective outputs detailing the exploration of Knowledge Creation and accompanying Personal Growth, how their learning integrates across these, and across the programme as a whole, incorporating relevant evidence as appropriate (see below).
Semester 1:
- Introductory reflection (personal goals and growth - formative)
- Mid-semester reflective output (e.g. writing annotated reference for peer - formative)
- End-semester submission (integration of Personal Growth and Knowledge Creation, e.g. development of materials for peer support workshops); 50% weighting - summative
Semester 2:
- Reflection on progress towards goals and growth (formative)
- Mid-semester draft output (integration of Personal Growth and Knowledge Creation, e.g. critical engagement with design thinking theories, visualisation of knowledge as networks - formative)
- Final reflective submission on learning from across the degree, utilising knowledge of theories and application of interdisciplinary practice, and how this has shaped their journey to become an interdisciplinary practitioner - underpinned by evidence from all portfolios (50% weighting - summative)
2 formative pieces (at the start of each semester) will focus on goal setting and progress,
Evidence Portfolio:
Students are also required to submit a portfolio of work evidencing the activities and application from across this course and other courses, linked to the reflective submissions, with relevant evidence also expected to demonstrate the course Learning Outcomes. |
| Feedback |
Feedback will be given on the summative submissions (including one half-way through the course). Students will also receive feedback - both from staff and their peers - on the formative submissions.
In addition to this feedback linked to specific components of assessment, students will also receive feedback on their ideas and their formative work during workshop sessions and discussions.
A key element of the course is individual goal setting: students will learn about different frameworks for this and also learn how to apply such frameworks to the setting and evaluation of their own individual goals. Feedback on these goals (and the reflection on them) will be given at least twice each year. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the scope and dynamic nature of knowledge creation across several specialist areas, and how this underpins interdisciplinary research.
- Apply knowledge, skills and understanding of advanced methods in dynamic and unpredictable practical and professional contexts, reflecting on and understanding the wider application of these.
- Present and communicate arguments and ideas using informal and formal methods appropriate for a range of peers, senior colleagues and specialists across different contexts, while critically evaluating the significance and wider application of these.
- Work collaboratively within interdisciplinary groups in ways that show awareness of different roles and responsibilities, while exercising autonomy, initiative, leadership and accountability when negotiating and working with specialist external practitioners.
- Understand and apply advanced models and theories of personal and professional development, including wellbeing, and develop and reflectively work towards their goals in order to meet personal, academic and professional challenges, while aligning these with career and professional aspirations.
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Reading List
Indicative Reading List:
Barabasi A. (2014). Linked: How everything is connected to everything else and what it means for business, science and everyday life. Basic Books
Lima M. (2013). Visual complexity: mapping patterns of information. Princeton Architectural Press
Luft J. (1982). The Johari Window / A Graphic Model of Awareness in Interpersonal Relations. NTL Reading Booking for Human Relations Training, NTL Institute.
Moon J. (2007). Getting the measure of reflection: considering matters of definition and depth. Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice, 6, 191-200.
Ross, J. (2014). Performing the reflective self: audience awareness in high-stakes reflection. Studies in Higher Education, 39(2), 219-232. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
By taking this course, you will have opportunity to further develop, apply and practice your Skills for Success in the following areas in particular:
- Collaboration: many of the activities on this course ask you to work in groups, and you will learn how to understand and respect the perspectives and needs of other people, and learn from others
- Communication: you will learn how to communicate complex issues to a range of different audiences and through a range of different formats
- Inclusivity: we teach you, and you will have opportunity to practice, how to listen to and engage with other people in a way that shows respect for different points of view and encourages you to see the benefits of diversity
- Individuality: you will be asked to set and reflect on your individual goals, to identify your strengths and existing experiences, and to build on those whilst also creating plans for future growth
- Reflection: this is at the core of the course you will regularly reflect on how your learning and experiences (on this course, but also on the programme as a whole and even wider life experiences) contribute to your development as student, interdisciplinary practitioner and person.
- Critical thinking: by engaging with our lectures and reading materials on the complex problem explored each year, but also through classes on, e.g., systems thinking, you will develop your ability to see wider themes and patterns in information and learn to question norms, practices and opinions
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| Keywords | Reflection,Transitions,Employability,Design Thinking,Leadership |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Sabine Rolle
Tel: (0131 6)50 3670
Email: S.Rolle@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Matt Bryant
Tel:
Email: Matt.Bryant@ed.ac.uk |
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