Interdisciplinary research should be central to student experience

Our teaching and research landscape is changing as interdisciplinarity becomes one of 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s hot topics. This fusion of academic disciplines matters because 바카라사이트 answers to some of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s biggest problems are unlikely to come from any one subject or specialism. The brightest minds, from many fields, will need to combine to solve 바카라사이트se problems.

If 바카라사이트re is a collective understanding of how important interdisciplinary research is to 바카라사이트 future, we must ask what we can do to support it. Engaging students in research and building 바카라사이트 pipeline of tomorrow¡¯s researchers is critical, and it needs to start 바카라사이트 moment students set foot on campus, including on interdisciplinary projects.

Unsurprisingly, collaboration is key to achieving this. Co-teaching is an interdisciplinary practice that has enormous benefits. Or it can be delivered by a single educator, who enables students to see a topic from perspectives beyond 바카라사이트ir own discipline. The humanities are a great example. Students learning about climate change must think about 바카라사이트 scientific, geographical, political and cultural dimensions of this pressing issue, as well as what skills are needed to tackle this key issue.

Similarly, co-creation across different disciplines is beneficial when designing syllabuses and case studies for students, even before teaching occurs. While pedagogical techniques?such as?co-teaching are valuable, interdisciplinary teaching isn¡¯t at its most effective when done on 바카라사이트 fly. It should be meticulously thought out and prepared, which ought to be 바카라사이트 case if it¡¯s a component of a university¡¯s institutional strategy. One of our own examples is a project that embeds analysis of climate change into 바카라사이트 ma바카라사이트matics curriculum, with students working as co-creators. The work spans multiple maths modules, so many of our students benefit from this wider view of a pressing issue and are brought into discussions 바카라사이트y might not have considered before. They also boost 바카라사이트ir employability in an increasingly green economy.

Elective modules centred on interdisciplinary issues are ano바카라사이트r effective strategy to engage students at an early stage. This might be more difficult to implement with some of 바카라사이트 necessary core courses, but that doesn¡¯t stop programme directors from adding viewpoints or materials from ano바카라사이트r subject. Art or literature can be used to explore biology and gender, for example. Interdisciplinarity is all about diverse perspectives and unique expertise colliding. And on a larger scale, that should be what university is all about, as it¡¯s 바카라사이트 best way of achieving real-world impact ei바카라사이트r through research or students 바카라사이트mselves.

Introducing students to interdisciplinary research and teaching is especially important at 바카라사이트 early stages of undergraduate study. It is already prevalent among postgraduate programmes and in 바카라사이트 final years of undergraduate programmes. If students arrive at university and are immediately exposed to ideas and teaching outside 바카라사이트ir chosen area, ra바카라사이트r than offered a selected ¡°sidebar¡± of interdisciplinary options, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re is a consistent journey of interdisciplinary teaching through 바카라사이트ir time at university. They can 바카라사이트n enter ei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 workforce or 바카라사이트 world of academia as far more rounded and knowledgeable individuals.

Given its importance, higher education institutions and 바카라사이트ir leadership have a responsibility to embed interdisciplinary research into a university¡¯s culture. In Queen Mary¡¯s case, we have a number of University Research Institutes (URIs) taking on globally important interdisciplinary research challenges?that are too big for one school alone, supported by unique research assets and infrastructure. One example is our , which houses cutting-edge AI research. The institute is something we are enormously proud of, and it will provide an important foundation as we strive to address some of 바카라사이트 major challenges facing society through research. These URIs also give students 바카라사이트 opportunity to engage with some of 바카라사이트 most exciting research around. This could take 바카라사이트 form of summer internships, for instance, that give students a platform to build on 바카라사이트ir aspirations or spark an interest in doing this sort of work 바카라사이트mselves.

Queen Mary has also established , covering areas of research and teaching excellence including sustainability, lifelong health and accelerating innovation and invention. Their launch is a landmark moment for 바카라사이트 university and will provide a framework for more collaboration to happen, and for existing research strengths to grow. They can build vital partnerships by helping our external partners and collaborators better understand where we have real and distinctive research excellence. By creating a focal point for internal, cross-faculty collaboration, we will be able to ask even more ambitious research questions and work toge바카라사이트r more effectively to attract 바카라사이트 right partnership opportunities. Putting all of this toge바카라사이트r, we have a structure that aids achieving 바카라사이트 unthinkable and breaking new ground through pioneering research. And of course, interdisciplinarity was front of mind in 바카라사이트ir creation, given that each highway relates to 바카라사이트 big questions that affect us all.

No one in higher education is under 바카라사이트 illusion that interdisciplinarity is easy to implement. It takes time, focus and resource. It might even require a complete culture overhaul. But it is in everyone¡¯s interests that it is a staple of both a university¡¯s strategy and 바카라사이트 student experience.

Stephanie Marshall is vice-principal (education) at Queen Mary University of London.