Holistic and pragmatic standards processes enable interdisciplinary science

Triplestores or resource description framework (RDF) stores are purpose-built databases used to organise, store and share data with context. Knowledge extraction from a large amount of interconnected data requires effective tools and methods to address the complexity and the underlying structure of semantic information. We propose a method that generates an interpretable multilayered network from an RDF database. The method utilises frequent itemset mining (FIM) of the subjects, predicates and the objects of the RDF data, and automatically extracts informative subsets of the database for the analysis. The results are used to form layers in an analysable multidimensional network. The methodology enables a consistent, transparent, multi-aspect-oriented knowledge extraction from the linked dataset. To demonstrate the usability and effectiveness of the methodology, we analyse how the science of sustainability and climate change are structured using the Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph. In the case study, the FIM forms networks of disciplines to reveal the significant interdisciplinary science communities in sustainability and climate change. The constructed multilayer network then enables an analysis of the significant disciplines and interdisciplinary scientific areas. To demonstrate the proposed knowledge extraction process, we search for interdisciplinary science communities and then measure and rank their multidisciplinary effects. The analysis identifies discipline similarities, pinpointing the similarity between atmospheric science and meteorology as well as between geomorphology and oceanography. The results confirm that frequent itemset mining provides an informative sampled subsets of RDF databases which can be simultaneously analysed as layers of a multilayer network.

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Discourse, Practice, Context: From HPS to Interdisciplinary Science Studies

PSA Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association ◽

10.1086/psaprocbienmeetp.1994.2.192950 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 1994 (2) ◽

pp. 393-395 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alison Wylie

Keyword(s):

Science Studies ◽

Interdisciplinary Science ◽

Discourse Practice

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Crossing Boundaries: Steps Toward Measuring Undergraduates’ Interdisciplinary Science Understanding

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.19-09-0168 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. ar8 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Brie Tripp ◽

Sophia A. Voronoff ◽

Erin E. Shortlidge

Keyword(s):

Education Reform ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Science Students ◽

Interdisciplinary Science ◽

Writing Assignments ◽

Assessment Development ◽

New Instrument ◽

Science Understanding ◽

Interdisciplinary Framework ◽

Undergraduate Science

A desired outcome of education reform efforts is for undergraduates to effectively integrate knowledge across disciplines in order to evaluate and address real-world issues. Yet there are few assessments designed to measure if and how students think interdisciplinarily. Here, a sample of science faculty were surveyed to understand how they currently assess students’ interdisciplinary science understanding. Results indicate that individual writing-intensive activities are the most frequently used assessment type (69%). To understand how writing assignments can accurately assess students’ ability to think interdisciplinarily, we used a preexisting rubric, designed to measure social science students’ interdisciplinary understanding, to assess writing assignments from 71 undergraduate science students. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 25 of those students to explore similarities and differences between assignment scores and verbal understanding of interdisciplinary science. Results suggest that certain constructs of the instrument did not fully capture this competency for our population, but instead, an interdisciplinary framework may be a better model to guide assessment development of interdisciplinary science. These data suggest that a new instrument designed through the lens of this model could more accurately characterize interdisciplinary science understanding for undergraduate students.

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