How Engineering Students Need To Focus On Inter-Disciplinary Learning Based on Industry Standards

In addition to developing knowledge, students should be trained to improve self-confidence, inculcate a passion to discover new things and industry relevant skills to achieve their career goals. These are the main objectives that instructors try to execute in the classroom to keep the students engaged. Interdisciplinary education helps educators in accomplishing these goals. Interdisciplinary learning aims to create an impactful learning experience that emphasises on critical thinking, collaborative learning and problem solving. The concept of interdisciplinary learning enables both teachers and learners to establish connections across various forms of learning by finding meaningful links over the curriculum.

While providing opportunities for detailed-oriented learning and resolving problems, interdisciplinary learning offers innovative ways to explore and learn new things. It not only helps in enhancing cognitive ability of students but also brings awareness to make new connections across various disciplines.

Here are some other educational benefits of interdisciplinary learning:

• Since multiple and different perspectives of a topic are explored through interdisciplinary learning, learners get an opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge in various disciplines.
• Innovative ideas are synthesised that arrive from several perspectives by integrating the learning process, which is an alternative way to acquire knowledge.
• Students develop most in-demand transferrable skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and research-based skills that are beneficial for future learning experience.
• With interdisciplinary learning, you learn about many applications of varied disciplines that help in boosting creativity.
• As new topics are explored across various disciplines and subject areas, it helps in inspiring students to understand new concepts.
• Interdisciplinary learning motivates students to pursue new subject areas in which they are interested and the instructors emphasise on experiential learning through varied real-world experiences. As a result, the learning has a meaning and purpose attached to it by helping students to retain these experiences for a lifetime.
• Helps students to develop both forms of structural knowledge – factual information also known as declarative knowledge and process-based information also known as procedural knowledge.
• The interdisciplinary form of education enables to understand the causes of conflict and its consequences, and how can it be resolved.
• Develops collaborative thinking skills in learners enabling the process of working as a team.
• Prepares graduates for higher studies or new career opportunities in emerging fields.
• Provides enhanced and better control of learning while encouraging the students to analyse and set goals to accomplish those objectives.

By implementing effective strategies such as developing cross-curricular components, allowing students to collect information, introducing new subjects, ensuring that learning in core subjects are connected to real-life applications. Focusing on the aim of learning using varied knowledge, skills and strategies and questioning techniques help to develop a way of abstract understanding.

REVA University, top University in India largely emphasises on interdisciplinary learning to support the professional development of students using knowledge-based and skill-based learning across different disciplines and help them to deepen and apply their learning in relevant situations to establish concrete connections across various subjects.

Read more: 7 Ways to be a More Creative Student this Year