Special Session - Applying Theories of Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Research and Teaching Practice

1 Maura Borrego, Assistant Professor of Engineering Education, Virginia Tech, [email protected] 2 Lynita Newswander, Graduate Research Assistant in Engineering Education, Virginia Tech, [email protected] 3 Lisa D. McNair, Assistant Professor of Engineering Education, Virginia Tech, [email protected] Abstract Interdisciplinary research is becoming more widespread, and the ability to function on multidisciplinary teams is one of the ABET criteria each engineering student must meet before graduation. But how can faculty more easily bridge the gaps between disciplines for themselves and their students? Through a series of fun, interactive activities, participants will explore their own past encounters with other disciplines, learn about theories that describe interdisciplinary interactions, and begin to apply some of these principles to the design of an interdisciplinary learning activity. The accompanying interactive session description (paper) describes the motivation for this approach, one theory, and one example application to designing interdisciplinary learning activities.