Application of the Newell liberal arts model for interdisciplinary course design and implementation

Health professions faculty think that interdisciplinary education is critical for students pursuing careers as health care professionals. Initial attempts at interdisciplinary education by simply combining students into groups without adequate curriculum adaptation, preparation, and planning have been ineffective. Applying the liberal arts interdisciplinary model, developed by William Newell, a transdisciplinary faculty team in the College of Health Professions of the University of New England identified the course content, design, and instructional processes necessary to create an interdisciplinary elective course. The eight-step model and how it was applied to the development of an ethics course for seven different health care professional disciplines is presented. The result of this applied design approach was a course that assisted the transition of health care professional students previously accustomed to studying and working within their own discipline to communicate, cooperate, and collaborate across discipline-specific lines.