Interdisciplinary projects in science-based degree programs: Student satisfaction outcomes with different project delivery models

About

A rapidly changing higher education sector has increasingly emphasised the importance of building broader and interdisciplinary skills in students, to improve both their academic achievement during degrees and their employability on graduation. This may be particularly useful for students of general science degrees, who commonly work in fields unrelated to their degree upon graduation.

Interdisciplinary student projects are often used to develop both disciplinary skills and broader skills related to employability, and are delivered through a range of curriculum models. Despite the perceived importance of these interdisciplinary projects for student learning outcomes and skills development, students’ satisfaction within projects has not been well studied.

Aim

Through a systematic review of the literature, we aim to determine students’ reported satisfaction during their experiences within interdisciplinary projects. We also seek to determine whether the delivery mode, degree of interdisciplinarity and learning activities within the project have an effect on students’ experiences.

Researchers

• Dr Joanne Hart, University of Sydney
• Dr Elisa Bone, The University of Melbourne

Outcomes

The results of this project will be communicated through conference presentations and publications.

More information

Dr Elisa Bone, Melbourne CSHE, The University of Melbourne