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Citation reference: Harvey, L., 2004-5, Analytic Quality Glossary, Quality Research International, http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/
This is a dynamic glossary and the author would welcome any e-mail
suggestions for amendments or additions.
____________________________________________________________________
Interdisciplinary refers to research or
study that integrates concepts from different disciplines resulting in a
synthesised or co-ordinated coherent whole.
explanatory context
analytical review
According to Wikipedia (2005)
Interdisciplinary
work is that which integrates concepts across different disciplines. New
disciplines have arisen as a result of such syntheses. For instance, quantum information processing
amalgamates elements of quantum physics and
computer science. Bioinformatics
combines molecular biology with computer science. An interdisciplinary team is a team of
people with training in different fields. Interdisciplinary teams are common in
complex environments such as health care.
For the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR, 2005):
Interdisciplinary
is defined as the ability to analyze, synthesize and harmonize links between
disciplines into a coordinated and coherent whole.
Mansilla
and
In
this study we defined “interdisciplinary work” as work that integrates
knowledge and modes of thinking from two or more disciplines. Such work
embraces the goal of advancing understanding (e.g., explain phenomena, craft
solutions, raise new questions)
in ways that would have not been possible through single disciplinary means.
The Idaho State Board of Education (2002) note:
In spanning multiple disciplines, interdisciplinary programs
by their very nature
reach across the traditional boundaries of colleges and
departments. In this context, interdisciplinary is defined as meaning
University-wide, or programs involving faculty from more than two colleges
where no single college has a majority of the curriculum or faculty.
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (undated) states, pragmatically, that:
A simple definition of interdisciplinary research is
“research that involves the interaction among two or more different
disciplines”. This may range from the sharing of ideas to full integration of
concepts, methodology, procedures, theory, terminology, data and organization
of research and training in a fairly large field. Multidisciplinary research
draws on knowledge from different disciplines but stays within the boundaries
of those fields1. In this document, ‘interdisciplinary’ is used to refer to
both types of research that may be conducted by individual researchers as well
as groups. For administrative purposes, NSERC defines
interdisciplinary grant applications as those that require the selection of
referees from more than one discipline, the establishment of a review panel
with members from more than one discipline, or the expertise of more than one
selection committee or panel in the peer review process.
For purposes of implementing the new curriculum, we define an interdisciplinary course as one:
a. which focuses on a theme, issue, historical period or culture and studies it from two or more disciplinary perspectives, and
b. in which the faculty member or members teaching the course present an in‑depth discussion and analysis of these two or more disciplinary perspectives, and
c. in which students are evaluated on their recognition of and ability to deal with these two or more disciplinary perspectives.
To judge whether a course meets the terms of this definition, the Committee will look closely at
a. course syllabi and reading lists which must reflect interdisciplinary in depth
b. the tools of evaluation used in the course
c. the interests and expertise of the instructor(s)
d. the particular suitability of the course for an interdisciplinary approach.
Interdisciplinary
Extension work integrates the knowledge and perspectives of multiple areas of
expertise to holistically solve problems through research and education.
Falcioni (2004) attempts to distinguish
interdisciplinary from interdiffusion:
According to
the tenth edition of Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, the word interdisciplinary
is defined as the involvement of two or more academic, scientific, or artistic
disciplines. But those who are edgy about leaving their comfort zone often
confuse the term to mean interdiffusion, or as
Webster puts it, the process of mixing freely so as to
approach a homogeneous mixture. Interdisciplinary celebrates the whole without
jeopardizing its parts.
In an attempt
to disentangle similar terms.
Mallon and
For
comparative purposes, we adopted the same definitions for inter-, multi-, and unidisciplinary as Friedman and Friedman (1982). Interdisciplinary
is defined as faculty from different disciplines working together on
the same project; multidisciplinary is defined as faculty from different
disciplines working independently on different aspects of a project; and unidisciplinary is defined as faculty from a
single discipline working together, using consultants from other disciplines as
needed.
Factors that, arguably, have hindered
interdisciplinary work are the traditional divisions that have been established
between disciplines and the resulting homogeneity within academic bodies such
as departments and specialized academic
journals. Nevertheless, some of the most important
interdisciplinary work has been done by people who have a definite academic
home in one discipline (Wikipedia, 2005).
related terms
sources
Canadian
Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) 2005, Training Program
Grant Guide, Strategic Training Initiative
in Health Research, http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/17948.html,
modified
Falcioni, J.G., 2004, ‘The Agile Engineer’, editorial, Mechanical Engineering
Magazine Online (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers) http://www.memagazine.org/backissues/sept04/departments/editorial/editorial.html
Idaho State Board of Education,
2002, Academic/professional-technical education Notice of intent.
Mallon, W.T. and Burnton, S., 2005, ‘The
Functions of Centers and Institutes in Academic Biomedical
Research’ Analysis in Brief 5(1),
June 2005, Association of American Medical
Colleges (AAME) http://www.aamc.org/data/aib/aibissues/aibvol5_no1.pdf
Mansilla, V.B. and
Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, undated, Annex 4, Draft policies and
guidelines on the review of applications in interdisciplinary research areas http://www.nserc.ca/pubs/agir/AGIR_e_annex4.pdf
Wikipedia,
2005, Interdisciplinary, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interdisciplinary,
modified