Purpose: The main focus of this paper is to discuss appropriate forms of higher education for building up students' competence for working on complex real-world problems. Design/methodology/approach: Within this paper the Harvard approach is accurately compared with the ETH approach by discussing theoretical and practical implications as well.…

This paper is a discussion of a team-taught interdisciplinary course that was designed to provide cohesion between the 12 departments that participate in the environmental studies major at Salisbury University. This course provides a model for addressing several positive and negative tendencies at work in interdisciplinary programs, and provides…

Purpose--In 1997, the University of British Columbia (UBC) adopted a sustainable development policy stating that the campus should adhere to sustainable practices in all of its actions and mandates and that all students who attend UBC will be educated about sustainability. The purpose of the paper is to consider how far UBC has moved in the last…

The folk songs and ballads of early America describe life as experienced by the common people. They were sung within the family, by neighbors and at gatherings of larger communities. The stories told were carried in the memories of those who heard them. Once a strictly aural and oral tradition, the words came to be written down, and the surviving…

Given increasing industry demand for integrative learning, marketing curricula need to emphasize interdisciplinary approaches to teaching. Although team teaching is a useful method for achieving cross-functional integration, there are very few frameworks for effectively implementing team teaching. Consequently, marketing educators seeking to offer…

Nanotechnology refers to the research and technology development at the atomic, molecular, or macromolecular levels, in the length scale of approximately 1-100 nanometer range, that provides a fundamental understanding of phenomena and materials at the nanoscale and creates and use structures, devices, and systems that have novel properties and…

Wood education programs across the nation, at and below the secondary levels of education, have declined in enrollment in recent years. To many, wood education means only carpentry or woodworking. A systematic approach to the subject, as a part of a materials science course, can reverse the material's negative connotation and make wood education…

Historically, teacher education in special education has focused on identifying characteristics of various disabilities and promoting best practices for intervention and remediation. This article introduces a disability studies approach to teacher education in special education. Disability studies is an interdisciplinary area of study that…

The main concern of this article is to illustrate how West Point equips future Army officers with an appreciation and understanding of cultural knowledge. A unique, multidisciplinary goal-based approach to curricular design and assessment (of students as well as the academic program) is described, focusing on the structure, process, and content of…

"Interdisciplinary education" has become a catchphrase among Christian educators, but what does such a practice look like in reality? The authors, a systematic theologian and a biblical scholar respectively, reflect on their shared experiment in teaching students the doctrine of God. Their findings invite a rethinking of the nature of theological…

The author is always looking for ways to see connections and to adapt experiences across different subjects. Combining art with other disciplines helps keep students engaged, even the really analytical and verbal learners. Aerial perspective is an art technique, a scientific principle, and a vehicle for introducing Chinese painting and…

The push for academic electives has grown over the years for many reasons. The pressure for high test scores has forced schools to focus on literacy and core content areas. The competition for entrance to four-year universities has grown, too. However, in the race to improve academic offerings and raise test scores, some schools have neglected to…

What are the humanities, and how should they be cultivated? With respect to this crucial question, opinions differ as to how widely the humanities should be construed and pursued. Initially connoting the study of Greek and Roman classics, the concept now more generally covers arts and letters, history, and philosophy. But does it also include the…

Objectives: Within a strong interdisciplinary framework, improvement in the quality of care for children with autistic spectrum disorders through a 2 year implementation program of Practice Parameters, aimed principally at improving early detection and intervention. Method: We developed Practice Parameters (PPs) for Pervasive Developmental…

"Forensics," in its most universal sense, is defined as the use of science or technology in the investigation and establishment of facts or evidence for determining identity or relatedness. Most forensic reasoning is used for arguing legal matters. However, forensic studies are also used in agronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, and…