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Eligibility

Faculty regularly teaching or supporting (librarians) in the teaching of interdisciplinary courses or who have an interest in doing so.

Amount

Each participant will receive $750 in professional development funds.

Submission

Specific Questions for Applicants:

1. Instructors teaching interdisciplinary courses are especially invited to apply. Please describe your past, current and/or future experience teaching interdisciplinary courses. This should include subject area, modality, outcomes and any other relevant information.
2. Please describe any FLC experience that you have had in the past, including the role that you played, and how the FLC’s shared their learning on a broader scale.
3. The FLC will meet on a Wednesday or Friday. Are you available to meet monthly on Wednesday or Friday in Oxford with the FLC (time TBD by the participants)?

Deadline

April 23, 2025

Purpose and Description

Many of society’s Wicked Problems—such as climate change, artificial intelligence, and the influence of
social media—are best addressed through an interdisciplinary approach. Interdisciplinary education
enhances ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ learning by fostering cognitive flexibility, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills,
all essential for tackling complex, real-world challenges (Repko & Szostak, 2020). Research shows that
interdisciplinary courses improve ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs’ ability to integrate knowledge across domains, leading to
deeper engagement and more effective transfer of learning (Boix Mansilla & Duraisingh, 2007). Despite
these benefits, faculty often struggle to balance disciplinary depth with interdisciplinary breadth, design
effective assessments, and facilitate integrative thinking (Newell, 2010).
While MPIL has developed many interdisciplinary courses, faculty often lack structured support for
teaching them effectively. By sharing teaching strategies and objectives, we can identify synergies that
lead to more authentic, active learning experiences for ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs. This Faculty Learning Community (FLC)
will explore successful models of interdisciplinary pedagogy and develop shared teaching resources.
Research shows that faculty who receive structured support in interdisciplinary teaching are more
effective at designing integrative assignments, engaging ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵs, and assessing cross-disciplinary
learning (Lattuca, 2001). Without this support, instructors may default to teaching within disciplinary
silos rather than fostering true integration (Klein, 2005).

FLC Member Goals

• Support one another in adapting disciplinary expertise for interdisciplinary courses.
• Identify and implement evidence-based interdisciplinary teaching strategies.
• Develop interdisciplinary ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ projects and classroom activities.
• Create assessment strategies tailored for active, interdisciplinary learning.

Activities

Members will:

• Read and discuss Creating Wicked Students: Designing Courses for a Complex World by Paul
  Hanstedt to explore strategies for fostering ¾Ã¾ÃÈÈÊÓƵ adaptability and problem-solving in
  interdisciplinary settings.
• Collaboratively determine a concrete outcome for the FLC, such as a Lilly Conference
  presentation or a CTE workshop, to share insights and best practices. Work together to develop
  and deliver the chosen outcome.
• Select key topics, curate learning materials, and facilitate discussions on interdisciplinary
  teaching strategies.
• Identify 3-4 complex topics (e.g., sustainability, artificial intelligence, social media influence)
  and analyze them from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Use these topics as case studies to
  apply and refine interdisciplinary teaching approaches based on members’ expertise and
  interests.

Members

2025-2026

• Chelsea Green, Finance, Co-facilitator
• Janice Kinghorn, Economics, Co-facilitator