An idea to explore: Interdisciplinary capstone courses in biomedical and life science education.
Biochem Mol Biol Educ
; 50(6): 649-660, 2022 Nov.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2047482
ABSTRACT
While biomedical and life science research have embraced interdisciplinarity as the means to solving pressing 21st century complex challenges, interdisciplinarity in undergraduate education has been more difficult to implement. As a consequence, disciplinary rather than interdisciplinary capstones have become ubiquitous. Disciplinary capstones are valuable for students because they enable them to integrate knowledge and skills within the discipline, but they are also limiting because the integration is within rather than across disciplines. In contrast to a capstone, which involves a single discipline, interdisciplinary capstones require two or more disciplines to combine and integrate across disciplinary boundaries. Interdisciplinarity, where two of more disciplines come together, is difficult to implement in the biomedical and life science curricula because student majors and finances are administered in ways, which reinforce institutional organization of schools and faculties and prevent collaboration. Here in this "idea to explore" we provide an interdisciplinary capstone model where students enroll in disciplinary courses, but then these disciplinary courses and students collaborate on interdisciplinary real-world problems. This interdisciplinary capstone model was implemented across two diverse and large biomedical and life science schools within two faculties in a research intensive, metropolitan university. This approach allows for integration of the biomedical, social and ethical perspectives required when solving problems in the real world, such as COVID-19. Interdisciplinary learning also better prepares students for higher degree research and future careers. Overcoming disciplinary curriculum silos and faculty barriers is critical if we are to meet expectations of acquiring interdisciplinarity as a key competency.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Biological Science Disciplines
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Biochem Mol Biol Educ
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Bmb.21673
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS