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College of Education

Interdisciplinarity

We commit to inquiry and partnership across disciplines and understand that the most pressing educational questions and challenges benefit from interdisciplinary approaches.

We foster interdisciplinarity to leverage the diverse expertise and perspectives from various disciplines in solving educational and broader societal challenges. We acknowledge an interdisciplinary approach benefits the preparation of education professionals in all areas, and we ensure our students are ready for a multifaceted world and equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate complex problems in educational settings and beyond. We acknowledge that interdisciplinarity requires a shift in the underlying structures that support our work, with updated internal infrastructures needed to support and enable interdisciplinary approaches to research, teaching and service in a forward-looking college of education.

Strategic Priority 2.1: Enhance interdisciplinary learning opportunities for students in education that strengthen the preparation of educational leaders in all areas. (Wolfpack 2030: Goals 1, 6)

Key initiatives:

  • Increase the number of interdisciplinary and/or co-taught courses and research projects.
  • Develop and implement interdisciplinary programs that apply multiple perspectives and approaches to solving complex problems.

Strategic Priority 2.2: Build internal structures and expand resources that encourage, support and reward interdisciplinary work. (Wolfpack 2030: Goals 1, 2, 6)

Key Initiatives:

  • Reduce internal barriers for and incentivize interdisciplinarity in all aspects of work, including program development, teaching assignments and research.
  • Create structural and financial support to form expanded interdisciplinary research teams that grow current relationships and research-practice partnerships.
  • Leverage new and existing positions (including cluster faculty and distinguished scholars) and relationships to expand the participation of College of Education’s faculty, staff and students in collaborative efforts across the university.
  • Number of interdisciplinary and/or co-taught courses offered
  • Enrollment within interdisciplinary and/or co-taught courses
  • Percentage of students who participate in an interdisciplinary course during their credential or degree program
  • Number of interdisciplinary research projects participated in by College of Education
  • faculty, staff and students
  • Amount of funding awarded to interdisciplinary projects
  • Number of interdisciplinary collaborations and partnerships led by College of
  • Education faculty, staff and students
  • Faculty and staff assessment of facilities as conducive for interdisciplinary work*

*Denotes direct alignment with Wolfpack 2030: Powering the Extraordinary strategic plan metrics.

Interdisciplinarity in action

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