(The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Al-Fanar Media).
Interdisciplinary education is crucial to prepare university graduates for a labour market in which the required skills and available jobs differ greatly from what they were a few years ago. Governments, companies, and individuals are increasingly interested in identifying the skills that meet business requirements now, and predicting what they will be in the future.
For example, the ability to solve complex problems is a key skill and is required in about 36 percent of jobs. Mastering this skill requires creativity and flexibility to adapt to changing situations.
The skill requirements expected in many sectors in the labour market also include social skills, such as communication and emotional intelligence, and cognitive abilities, such as creativity, numeracy, critical thinking, and specialised skills.
So, educational institutions should design interdisciplinary curricula, based on sustainable skills, to allow students to practice these skills, enhancing their soft skills and mental skills to become productive members of society.
Solving Real-World Problems
In recent years, developing interdisciplinary education, research and training has become a primary goal of many academic programmes.
“Scientists have realised the need to rely on multiple disciplines to solve some complex problems that cannot be addressed within the scope of a single field of research. This is evident in areas like studying the impact of climate change on society, the environment, and sustainable development.”
Scientists have realised the need to rely on multiple disciplines to solve some complex problems that cannot be addressed within the scope of a single field. This is evident in studying the impact of climate change on society, the environment, and sustainable development.
Studying these problems, identifying causes and results, and developing appropriate solutions requires the cooperation of experts from various disciplines, such as the natural sciences, engineering, and the social sciences. Researchers also rely on examining and analysing the dynamics of interdisciplinary research to avoid errors and strengthen the methodological basis of their work.
For example, the American Medical Association has requested the adoption of telehealth medicine as a core competency for medical students after recognising the pivotal role that information technology will play in providing healthcare services from a distance in the future. Research reveals that not many physicians provide telehealth services now, despite patients’ increasing interest in this format. The reason is that many doctors do not have sufficient information about it.
The essence of interdisciplinary education is the formation of partnerships among different sectors, the delivery of educational programmes centered on real-world challenges, and the use of methodologies that include students’ actual work experiences.
“Interdisciplinary education ensures students are equipped with knowledge and skills from a variety of fields, while enhancing policy-makers’ endeavours towards achieving fairness and inclusiveness.”
The delivery of project-based courses, along with interdisciplinary strategies, entails collaboration between external parties and faculty, and providing students with effective guidance from both sides. This methodology allows students to enhance their cognitive skills, understand their abilities and potentials, and work with others.
Interdisciplinarity at Zayed University
Zayed University provides a prominent example of putting this strategy into effect. It has adopted an interdisciplinary educational curriculum centered on solving real-world problems using effective learning methodologies, which ensures students’ participation and interaction with passion in their classrooms, and enhances their critical and creative thinking skills.
From the very beginning, our students participate in practical and direct learning experiences in cooperation with employers, where they address real-world challenges that they may face in their career path. Over time, they acquire the necessary dexterity that enables them to work with companies and solve real-world problems, gradually increasing their levels of cooperation, independence, and self-confidence.
The role of higher education here is to stimulate innovation, which enhances its ability to contribute to providing long-term economic benefits through its interaction with society. This role includes raising the levels of the local workforce, devoting technical developments in various sectors, and enhancing the attractiveness of the local environment to entrepreneurs.
The shift towards sustainability within higher education should promote ethical perspectives and dialogues, as well as the development of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary aspects.
Over the past six decades, researchers and academics have focused on the importance of technology, and how it can be integrated into the educational system. Technology adds great value to education and affects students’ performance and achievements, but it also raises many questions, related to equality in particular. This disparity emerged clearly during the Covid-19 crisis. Some students were deprived of education for long periods, up to years, due to limited access to electronic devices and internet connection.
Interdisciplinary education ensures students are equipped with knowledge and skills from a variety of fields, while enhancing policy-makers’ endeavours towards achieving fairness and inclusiveness.
The various disciplines provide different bodies of knowledge, methodologies, and ideas that help find solutions to realistic problems, and promote a comprehensive decision-making methodology with the participation of all stakeholders. This reinforces the importance of integrating interdisciplinary education into curricula in a way that helps learners reach a deep and comprehensive understanding of the problem at hand and possible innovative solutions.
“Adopting interdisciplinary methodology in education plays a pivotal role in the acquisition of knowledge. However, policies and accreditations must also be in line with this vision, to facilitate providing students with continuous learning skills, and to ensure that programmes are consistent with the requirements of the labour market.”
A correct interdisciplinary methodology focuses on embracing different ideas and points of view, which encourages critical thinking, analysis, and open discussion about the values of justice and inclusiveness, within multidisciplinary environments, and thus enhances mutual trust between students and educational institutions, and between educational institutions and various job sectors.
The acquisition of knowledge is not limited to universities alone. This confirms the need to reconsider the importance of higher education institutions and their long-term feasibility.
Therefore, adopting interdisciplinary methodology in education plays a pivotal role in the acquisition of knowledge. However, policies and accreditations must also be in line with this vision and support the modifications needed in educational programmes, to facilitate providing students with continuous learning skills, and to ensure that programmes are consistent with the requirements of the labour market.
Sandra Baroudi is an assistant professor in the College of Interdisciplinary Studies at Zayed University, in the United Arab Emirates. She holds a Ph.D. in educational leadership, management and policy from the British University in Dubai.
Related Reading
- American University in Cairo’s President: We Need the Humanities to Solve Today’s Problems
- Why Today’s Students Need Interdisciplinary Studies: A Zayed University Professor Explains
- Saudi Council Links Programme Enrolments to Labour Market Needs
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