A multidimensional approach to examine student interdisciplinary learning in science and engineering in higher education |
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| Authors: | Elisabeth Jacoba Hendrika Spelt Pieternelleke Arianne Luning Martinus A J S van Boekel Martin Mulder |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands;2. Educational Institute/Department of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands;3. Department of Social Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Preparing science and engineering students to work in interdisciplinary teams necessitates research on teaching and learning of interdisciplinary thinking. A multidimensional approach was taken to examine student interdisciplinary learning in a master course on food quality management. The collected 615 student experiences were analysed for the cognitive, emotional, and social learning dimensions using the learning theory of Illeris. Of these 615 experiences, the analysis showed that students reported 214, 194, and 207 times on, respectively, the emotional, the cognitive, and the social dimension. Per learning dimension, key learning experiences featuring interdisciplinary learning were identified such as ‘frustrations in selecting and matching disciplinary knowledge to complex problems’ (emotional), ‘understanding how to apply theoretical models or concepts to real-world situations’ (cognitive), and ‘socially engaging with peers to recognise similarities in perceptions and experiences’ (social). Furthermore, the results showed that students appreciated the cognitive dimension relatively more than the emotional and social dimensions. |
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| Keywords: | Interdisciplinary thinking learning processes student experiences interdisciplinary course higher education |
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