Students' Perspectives on the Experienced Curriculum and Pedagogies Supporting Interdisciplinary Learning

Abstract

Across American higher education interest in interdisciplinary education has exploded, and perhaps nowhere more so than in undergraduate general education. While students are the ultimate recipients of interdisciplinary curricula and vital stakeholders in the quality-monitoring process, the perspectives and experiences of students have been largely neglected in the evaluation of interdisciplinary teaching and learning. This study examined students’ experiences with a pilot interdisciplinary curriculum in general education. In addition to examining how undergraduate students are navigating and making meaning of their interdisciplinary learning, the study investigated the conflicts that exist between the intentions of interdisciplinary course designers (the intended curriculum) and the actual experiences and beliefs of students engaged in the learning (the student-experienced curriculum). Data was collected through classroom observation, post-course survey, analysis of student reflective work produced in the course, and 51 interviews with faculty and students involved in the pilot interdisciplinary curriculum. The findings reveal specific instructional strategies and design features that students perceive to be meaningful to their interdisciplinary learning, the various difficulties that students encounter during their interdisciplinary learning, and the preconceived beliefs about general education that students hold which shape their perceptions of interdisciplinary instruction. By integrating these findings, specific implications for instructional practice and institutional implications for supporting faculty are shared.