Interdisciplinary student collaboration

Interdisciplinary collaboration means different things to different people and, often, different disciplines. Different conceptions may lead to different operationalisation of interdisciplinary collaboration and different expectations.  At AAU, interdisciplinarity is an integrated approach in the PBL mindset, but it is integrated in different ways and with different prevalence.

A recent university strategic project at AAU used the  SSH-STEM integration model as a framework for fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. In this project, interdisciplinary competences are enhanced through STEM and SSH students’ participation in collaboration across academic disciplines to understand and make use of different disciplines when solving complex problems. Interdisciplinary problem analysis and problem solving, appreciation of other disciplines and the ability to find common ground are among the learning objectives of the interdisciplinary collaboration. An example of a SSH-STEM initiative is the Fintech hackathon for all students at AAU across STEM and SSH programmes to enhance students’ innovation competencies.

Another way way to  to  enhance interdisciplinary student collaboration can be to initiate interdisciplinary projects across programmes within either SSH or STEM. An example of this is the leadENG project, where students work on the same technological system but with different yet interdependent focus areas.

A combined ‘outside-in’ approach to interdisciplinarity can increase the potential for a deeper and more comprehensive reflection on disciplinary boundaries and maybe even integration of disciplines e.g. by creating shared terminologies (a transdisciplinary approach). An example of a project combining interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives is the The National Academy of Digital Entertainment (DADIU) which unites students, educators and the game industry in a semester-based programme. 

An initial step to reach the interdisciplinary level can be multidisciplinary where the target is that students become familiar with their own discipline and meet and explore other disciplines even though students are not directly collaborating across disciplines – rather they are borrowing insights from other disciplines to extend their own discipline. An example of this kind of project is seen in the so-called Giraf project,  where teams of students from computer science is working together creating an app that can help children with autism structure daily life.

International research literature presents several purposes for integrating opportunities for learning of interdisciplinary collaboration in higher education. It might be to develop students’ disciplinary perspective, increase students’ employability or develop interdisciplinary collaborative skills to better address complex societal challenges. To learn of the purpose of  interdisciplinary collaboration from different stakeholder perspectives, please view the video recordings of XX.

It is recommended to think carefully about the overall purpose to better align the interdisciplinary learning outcomes and learning activities.