A Framework to Guide Undergraduate Education in Interdisciplinary Science

Area of Science:

• Science Education
• Interdisciplinary Studies

Background:

• Increased investment in interdisciplinary research necessitates knowledge integration across disciplines.
• The Vision and Change initiative emphasizes interdisciplinarity as a core competency for undergraduate biology majors.
• Current lack of a synchronized definition hinders the implementation and assessment of interdisciplinarity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a working definition of interdisciplinary science.
• To develop a conceptual model for an Interdisciplinary Science Framework.
• To guide the development and assessment of interdisciplinary efforts in undergraduate science education.

Main Methods:

• Historical analysis of interdisciplinarity.
• Review of institutional barriers to interdisciplinary work.
• Derivation of a definition from faculty and organizational perspectives.
• Leveraging literature and the proposed definition to build a conceptual model.

Main Results:

• A working definition of interdisciplinary science was established.
• A conceptual model for an Interdisciplinary Science Framework was developed.
• The framework aims to guide the creation of learning outcomes, activities, and assessments.

Conclusions:

• The proposed framework and definition offer a foundation for addressing interdisciplinarity in science education.
• This work supports the Vision and Change competency of understanding the interdisciplinary nature of science.
• Standardizing the understanding and assessment of interdisciplinarity is essential for effective science education.