Project
Developing transdisciplinary professionals: students and professionals as co-learners in the Transdisciplinary Mixed Classroom
Our society is confronted with wicked problems, think of the grand challenges in sustainability, food and healthcare. We need to prepare our learners and equip them for dealing with these wicked problems which are multi-faceted and so complex that no single approach suffices to find solutions.
That is why we need transdisciplinary professionals. These professionals can collaboratively transcend traditional boundaries like disciplines, practice and science. Within higher education, we can stimulate the development of transdisciplinary professionals.
Being a transdisciplinary professional implies having the ability to cross boundaries. That is why our research departs from boundary crossing theory. Our focus lies in learning environments where students and professionals from different disciplines are mixed and learn together as co-learners: Transdisciplinary Mixed Classrooms. We will study whether these Mixed Classrooms can support the development of boundary crossing competence in students and professionals, and more importantly: what principles in Mixed Classrooms contribute to such competence development.
This research is a multiple case study and makes use of mixed methods. We will for example compare different cases by conducting interviews, observing and administer reflection assignments and surveys.
Promotion Team:
Promotor Prof. Dr. Perry den Brok
Co-promotor Dr. Judith Gulikers
PhD candidate Sarah de Vries MSc.
Contact sarah.devries@wur.nl
