Interdisciplinarity in Teaching and Learning

Murdoch University has always been committed to interdisciplinarity. Interdisciplinarity is embedded within academic offerings and is supported and promoted throughout the institution.

The 2003 – 2007 Strategic Plan states that a goal of Murdoch is to provide all graduates with an awareness of other disciplines. The approved set of Graduate Attributes supports this goal by listing interdisciplinarity as one of the 7 key attributes students should be exposed to.

• Interdisciplinarity is recognised as a fundamental, distinguishing and desirable characteristic of Murdoch University so that it can continue to educate students to live and work in the complex world of tomorrow.

• The University wishes to foster and promote interdisciplinarity in teaching and learning through planning and policy formulation.

• The opportunity to develop an interdisciplinary perspective should be available to all students as part of their undergraduate education through the provision of flexibility in course structures and either through courses of study that are interdisciplinary in orientation and/or through individual units within disciplines.

POLICY

Academic Planning and Management

1.

That the offering and promotion of joint degrees, arising through collaboration between different Divisions, be encouraged by:

(i)

Divisions agreeing on a single administrative school based AOU, but specifying the percentage split of course ownership, “home Division” but with active collaboration and consultation between Divisions undertaken by the Program Chair.

(ii)

Identified courses that are shared by two Divisions rotating the Division that provides the Program Chair each two years.

(iii)

There be specific requirements for inter-school communication in cases where a School offers courses that contain more than 25% of core units from another School. If there is one such course, the membership of the School Committee should include a member of academic staff from that School, appointed by the Head of that School. If there are two or more such courses from different Schools, the membership of the School Committee should include two members of academic staff from two different Schools, appointed by the Head of each School. This is regardless of whether these Schools are within the same Division or from separate Divisions.

(iv)

Ensuring that any timetabling issues for joint degrees are actively addressed by allowing a range of enrolment options.

2.

All Murdoch University students should experience interdisciplinarity at some stage in their study. Divisions and Schools can encourage and support this by:

• Providing and promoting joint degrees;

• Encouraging double degrees;

• Encouraging double majors;

• Encouraging students to undertake a minor or minors from a different discipline; and

• Encouraging students in highly prescribed courses to choose electives from another discipline.

3.

That where possible, students entering Murdoch University through articulation arrangements be able to undertake a Murdoch University elective as part of their study program.

4.

That Foundation Units be maintained as a fundamental introduction for students to the interdisciplinary nature of Murdoch University through cross-Divisional coordination, teaching and interdisciplinary themes.

5.

That Foundation units specifically examine the success of interdisciplinary teaching and learning through regular evaluative mechanisms and that these be examined as part of future Foundation Unit Reviews.

6.

That the University continue to foster an interdisciplinary perspective in teaching and learning through:

(i)

the Graduate Attributes process continuing to include interdisciplinarity;

(ii)

the Graduate Attribute process collect data on the extent of coverage of interdisciplinarity in undergraduate teaching acrossthe University;

(iii)

offering staff development activities that enhance an understanding of, and teaching for, interdisciplinarity; and

(iv)

developing teaching and learning resources that enhance understanding of, and teaching for, interdisciplinarity.