ERIC Number: EJ1150572
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Sep
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1541-5015
EISSN: N/A
How to Enhance Interdisciplinary Competence--Interdisciplinary Problem-Based Learning versus Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning
Brassler, Mirjam; Dettmers, Jan
Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based Learning, v11 n2 Article 12 Sep 2017
Interdisciplinary competence is important in academia for both employability and sustainable development. However, to date, there are no specific interdisciplinary education models and, naturally, no empirical studies to assess them. Since problem-based learning (PBL) and project-based learning (PjBL) are learning approaches that emphasize students' collaboration, both pedagogies seem suitable to enhance students' interdisciplinary competence. Based on the principle of constructive alignment and four instructional principles on interdisciplinary learning, this paper proposes that students profit more from interdisciplinary PBL (iPBL) than interdisciplinary PjBL (iPjBL). A pre-post study was conducted with a sample of 95 students participating in iPBL and 183 students participating in iPjBL. As expected, multilevel models on students' development in (a) interdisciplinary skills, (b) reflective behavior, and (c) recognizing disciplinary perspectives show that iPBL enhances students' interdisciplinary competence more than iPjBL.
Descriptors: Interdisciplinary Approach, Problem Based Learning, Student Projects, Active Learning, Teaching Methods, Hierarchical Linear Modeling, Educational Principles, Course Descriptions, Pretests Posttests, Higher Education, College Students, Foreign Countries, Statistical Analysis
Purdue University Press. Stewart Center Room 370, 504 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907. Tel: 800-247-6553; Fax: 419-281-6883; e-mail: pupress@purdue,edu; Web site: http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/ijpbl/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A