Interdisciplinary learning and research

Find out how to work across multiple academic disciplines in higher education, in order to pool expertise and develop novel skillsets and solutions to complex problems. These guides offer insight on how to break down disciplinary boundaries in university teaching and research to seek greater understanding.

By Miranda Prynne , 26 January, 2022

Using action learning to improve interdisciplinary online teaching

Advice on applying action learning to student surveys to improve teaching practices

A guide to using action learning – questioning knowledge to find solutions – to evaluate and improve teaching practices, based on research by Na Li, Qian Wang, Jiajun Liu and Victoria Marsick

By dene.mullen , 25 January, 2022

Why interdisciplinarity is just like a fantasy role-playing game

Creating an interdisciplinary team at research universities is just like playing a fantasy role-playing game

Who’s the barbarian? Which one’s the wizard? Lorena Quilantán García offers practical advice on embarking upon your very own interdisciplinary hero quest

By Miranda Prynne , 11 January, 2022

Co-creating an interdisciplinary well-being module for all students

Advice on working with students to develop a well-being module that educates them in mental health and self-care

Elena Riva and Wiki Jeglinska explain how academics can work with students to co-create well-being modules that span multiple disciplines and support students’ self-care, drawing on their own experience of collaborating on such a scheme

By miranda.prynne , 12 August, 2021

How to embed creativity more fully into university curricula

Advice on designing university curricula that nurture creativity

Five key strategies to enhance student creativity through university curricula that encourage exploration and enquiry

Reading time

4minutes

By miranda.prynne , 3 August, 2021

Connecting research and humanities through creative collaborations

Advice on establishing creative collaborations between students in different disciplines to further their learning

Creative collaborations between students in different disciplines can offer opportunities to gain “real world” experience and apply their knowledge in new contexts. Allison Schwartz explains how

Reading time

4minutes

By miranda.prynne , 11 February, 2021

Supporting academia’s well-being during Covid-19 and beyond

Advice on supporting the well-being of overworked academics

With an unprecedented global mental health crisis and rising stress among university staff, six academics come together to propose how best to support faculty and new ways of working now and well beyond the pandemic

Reading time

3minutes

By miranda.prynne , 4 November, 2020

How to support staff across all departments to design quality online courses

How Southampton University supported staff across all departments to design quality online courses

The sudden shift to online forced university staff to rethink and redesign classes often with little experience or knowledge of remote teaching. Helen Carmichael and Bobbi Moore explain how the University of Southampton supported all faculties to ensure high-quality online courses

Reading time

4minutes

Interdisciplinary learning and research