Integrating Technology into Interdisciplinary Studies

“Interdisciplinarity, first of all, is bringing the practice and the research, the academic ideas, but also constantly being on the lookout for ideas”

For Bo, interdisciplinarity is a dash of creativity, a play with ideas, and being open to new ones, “not being ideologically wedded to a discipline or a particular idea” for “combining things that haven’t been combined before.” She emphasized not on spoon feeding students with instruction but on “helping them make... connections in a meaningful way.”

The post-pandemic educational shift was unwelcome by advocates of in-person communication, particularly in interdisciplinarity, as according to Bo, “we often think of interdisciplinarity as the magic that can only happen face to face.” However, it brought down barriers for many who prefer online engagements over in-person and is preferred by many students. The integration of a plethora of software such as Vevox, Moodle, and Miro into her module streamlined the mingling of disciplines by simplifying the visualization of ideas.

“...and of course, some of the face-to-face magic was lost, but it wasn't as much as we thought it would be. So, I think technology also challenged us to rethink how we do interdisciplinarity.”

“... it's been this really great tool for us to empower students to actually go off and do collaboration and interdisciplinary thinking and using it because they could still use it as a place where they can converge their thinking and kind of put it on this virtual whiteboard.”

“you have to think about the content but also how you are delivering it.”

“...Innovation 101 exemplifies a student-centred teaching philosophy, engaging us as active partners in our educational journey. The module's innovative assessments encouraged me to explore and reflect on innovation in a globally relevant context but also a personal one.”

“I really enjoyed the module from start to finish! Thank you for making it so interesting and interactive with other peers. I have been challenged for the first time in my degree in a completely different way - and will be able to use these skills in my daily life and future career.”

“Thanks to all staff who have worked so hard on this module. You have done a great job to share a new kind of thinking for chemists and I really appreciate it.”