Friday, February 26, 10:30 am–12:00 pm
Assessing the Value of Interdisciplinary Team-Teaching in a Science Curriculum
Oak Room, IMU
The positive impact of interdisciplinary study and team-based pedagogies on student learning is well documented. At Indiana University's Human Biology Program, the power of these practices becomes amplified when interdisciplinary teams of faculty teach from their own disparate perspectives but within a collegial framework that exemplifies meaning-making through evidence-based reasoning. This strategy models the dynamic exchange of disciplinary content that is critical for addressing the complex dilemmas that shape the human condition and helps students cultivate the habits of mind that facilitate critical and reflective thinking.
In a traditional classroom with a single instructor, the value of interdisciplinary approaches is often acknowledged and perhaps highlighted; however, it is rare for students to experience the construction of knowledge by interdisciplinary faculty teams. Until the process of creating interdisciplinary understandings is explicitly modeled it is unlikely that students will fully appreciate its value or appreciate how it might be practiced. The team-teaching approach, coupled with the use of team-based and case-based classroom activities, cultivates strong interpersonal skills and encourages students to consider a far more complex world view; using it to develop a rich understanding of their everyday surroundings and to evaluate information about the pressing issues facing society today.
This presentation shares ongoing research aimed at assessing the impact of the interdisciplinary team teaching strategy on student learning and intellectual development. An overarching goal of interdisciplinary team-teaching is to support the development of self-authorship and enhanced student engagement. Thus, the assessment instruments are aimed toward measuring self-authorship outcomes. To this end we employed qualitative (e.g. interviews) and quantitative (e.g. NSSE) measures which allow us to gain a rich understanding of the value and impact of this teaching approach.
