scholarly journals Dissolving Disciplinary Boundaries in “Making Together”: A Recall of the Boundary-Object Methodological Power

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 16
Author(s):  
Marie-Claude Plourde
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Boundary Object ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
A Site ◽  
Conceptual Articulation

The goal of this article is to contribute to the literature on interdisciplinary collaboration by suggesting that efficient collaboration occurs when boundaries disappear (and not by trying to bridge them). It is using the constitutive approach to organization that I intend to comprehend this “dissolving of boundaries”, but also using Star and Griesemer notion of boundary-object as a framework. This conceptual articulation allows me to reveal the “making together” as the means for the disciplinary boundaries disappearance. This paper show how an architectural “project” becomes a site for communication enabling collaboration between specialists from various disciplines.

scholarly journals The Power of Peer Review on Transdisciplinary Discovery

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 1020-1047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elina I. Mäkinen
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation System ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Site Visit ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Academic Evaluation ◽  
Evaluation Procedures ◽  
Peer Reviewers ◽  
Research Agendas ◽  
A Site

This study examines the tension between the academic evaluation system and the development of unconventional research agendas. While scholars have studied the evaluation of research that crosses disciplinary boundaries from the perspective of peer reviewers, they have paid comparatively little attention to the experiences of the performers of unconventional science. This study asks how researchers develop unconventional research agendas to address a long-standing health problem and, in the process, make sense of the actions of a site visit committee organized to advise a foundation funding the project. This study develops a process narrative on the development of a specific transdisciplinary team proposing to study premature birth. The findings show that when the performers and the evaluators of unconventional science developed competing understandings of the research agenda, transdisciplinary discovery became limited as a particular research topic became taboo. Yet, the study also reveals how the performers of unconventional science challenged the power of the site visit committee by making it seem as though they followed the committee’s decisions. These findings raise questions about the role of private foundations as funders of academic research and the suitability of traditional evaluation procedures for assessing transdisciplinary discovery.

scholarly journals Establishing a pharmacotherapy induced ototoxicity programme within a service-learning approach

2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Schellack ◽  
Anna M. Wium ◽  
Katerina Ehlert ◽  
Yolande Van Aswegen ◽  
Andries Gous
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Learning Module ◽  
A Site ◽  
Effective Service

Pharmacotherapy-induced ototoxicity is growing, especially in developing countries such as South Africa. This highlights the importance of ototoxicity monitoring and management of hearing loss. This article focuses on the establishment of an ototoxicity clinic as a site for the implementation of a service-learning module in the Audiology programme. The clinic offers a unique opportunity of collaboration between pharmacists and an audiologist where pharmacotherapy-induced ototoxicity is uniquely monitored. The Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) provides training to both the disciplines audiology and pharmacy. The main aim of this article is to describe how ototoxicity monitoring is implemented in the curriculum within such an academic service-learning approach. Through service learning students develop a deeper understanding of course content, acquire new knowledge and engage in civic activity. It simultaneously provides a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration between the disciplines of audiology and pharmacy. The objectives for this programme are therefore to facilitate learning and to provide a service to the local community by identifying, preventing and monitoring medicine-induced hearing loss in in-hospital and out-patients; as well as to establish inter-disciplinary collaboration between the disciplines and stakeholders for more effective service delivery. The constant interdisciplinary teamwork between the audiologist, pharmacist, physician and nursing staff in the wards results in best practice and management of patients with ototoxic damage.

Interdisciplinary Projects Emerging Naturally

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 196-200
Author(s):  
Anna Cohen-Miller
Keyword(s):  
Informal Learning ◽  
Collaborative Work ◽  
Integrative Learning ◽  
Adult And Continuing Education ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Interdisciplinary Projects ◽  
A Site ◽  
Adult And Continuing ◽  
Education Conference

In this article, the author discusses how the 60th annual American Association for Adult and Continuing Education conference was a site for everyday informal learning, interdisciplinarity, and integrative learning and teaching. She provides examples for ways in which interdisciplinary projects can emerge naturally from a conference and argues for the need to go beyond disciplinary boundaries and move toward integrative collaborative work.

scholarly journals Investigating language and the media

AILA Review ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 57-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Perrin
Keyword(s):  
Language Use ◽  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Knowledge Generation ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Media ◽  
Linguistic Activity ◽  
Transformation Methods

Drawing on a case study of newswriting, this article presents media linguistics as a subdiscipline of applied linguistics (AL), dealing with a distinctive field of language use. Language in the media is characterized by specific environments, functions, and structures. Medialinguistic research, however, tends to overcome disciplinary boundaries. In multidisciplinary collaboration, it accesses a wide range of knowledge generation and transformation methods. In interdisciplinary collaboration, it contributes precise analyses of situated linguistic activity to the development of empirically-grounded communication studies. In transdisciplinary collaboration, it tests these theories against reality and solves practical problems. The article first outlines such a practical problem (Section 1). After explaining key concepts of media lingustics (2), it focuses on the linguistics of newswriting (3) and four related research methods (4). Finally, it discusses how the value media linguistics can add to both theory and practice of language use and the media (5).

scholarly journals The Boundary Object of a Makerspace

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arild Berg ◽  
Tengel Aas  Sandtrø ◽  
Evin Güler ◽  
Alfredo Carella ◽  
Mali Norvalls ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
Boundary Object ◽  
Maker Movement ◽  
A Value ◽  
Shared Space ◽  
Life Context ◽  
Elective Course

To enhance research based interdisciplinary collaboration, the theoretical perspective of ‘Boundary Object’ was used in this article to analyse how Makerspace is a shared site of collaboration in an elective course. The study explores in practice the transitional space between institutionalized and research based higher education in relation to the free maker movement.  This was driven by a pedagogical need to study how student motivation related to personal and professional interest can be maintained in a free space of learning in a formalised coursework. The theoretical model of Boundary Object was suitable to visualize a triad of interplay by i) informational artifacts; ii) their related practices; and iii) the concepts of epistemological premises of artifacts, practices, and their intersections. The study shows these concepts in a real-life context of establishing an elective course at a University and how the makerspace concept has both challenges and potential in coordinating interdisciplinary studies and how to make it professionally relevant. Despite some challenges the elective course was created as a new shared space for people with different motivations.  The study demonstrate how such an elective course can contribute positively to student life, seen in a both professional and social perspective; it can strengthen inclusion, a feeling of belonging, study enjoyment and interdisciplinarity skills in a  professional setting. These qualities form a value based conceptual framework, with success criteria that can enable essential student skills for the 21st century; creativity and collaboration for sustainability.

scholarly journals Problems Don’t Care about Disciplinary Boundaries

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-101
Author(s):  
Regina F. Bendix
Keyword(s):  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Academic Training ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Complex Problems ◽  
Scholarly Practice ◽  
Collaborative Skills

Interdisciplinary collaboration is a sensible approach for addressing complex problems. However, academic training and the resulting disciplinary habitus (and competition) often leave such collaborative skills woefully underdeveloped. This contribution outlines how ethnographic sensibilities and skills may contribute to overcoming borders between disciplinary practitioners and enhancing self-awareness within and across scientific and scholarly practice. It thus proposes ethnographic attention as interdisciplinary midwifery.

scholarly journals Interessekonflikter i forskning: Om forskningens saksorienterte forpliktelse

2019 ◽  
pp. 19-44
Author(s):  
Rune Nydal ◽  
Berge Solberg ◽  
Bjørn Myskja
Keyword(s):  
Subject Matter ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Crucial Issue ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Freedom Of Research ◽  
Public Sectors ◽  
Interest In Research

Researchers are increasingly challenged to adjust to interests defined outside their own disciplinary boundaries. This follows from more or less explicit expectations to seek interdisciplinary collaboration and partnership within the private and public sectors. How can researchers identify and handle conflicts of interest in this situation? To answer this question, we first defend the validity of the traditional ideal of disinterested research. This ideal still provides a key guideline for identifying conflicts of interest in research: the freedom of research. This freedom should not, however, be misunderstood as disciplinary confinement or as freedom to ignore societal interests. We suggest that the crucial issue is the freedom and duty to be oriented towards the subject matter itself.

Framing and facilitating complex problem-solving competences in interdisciplinary megaprojects: an institutional strategy to educate for sustainable development

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lykke Brogaard Bertel ◽  
Maiken Winther ◽  
Henrik Worm Routhe ◽  
Anette Kolmos
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Student Responsibility ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Institutional Strategy ◽  
Extra Curricular Activities

Purpose Problem-based learning (PBL) has been suggested as an approach to education for sustainable development (ESD); however, the integration of interdisciplinarity is continuously challenged as it requires transfer and collaboration across disciplinary boundaries, as well as integration into an often already-overflowing curriculum. Even in formalized PBL universities emphasizing student responsibility for defining relevant problems, envisioning sustainable solutions and developing transversal competences, interdisciplinary collaboration is still often “relocated” to extra-curricular activities. This paper aims to explore Aalborg University (AAU) Megaprojects as a case for systematically integrating principles of ESD, and particularly interdisciplinarity, into PBL at scale. Design/methodology/approach The paper proposes a framework for analysing potentials and challenges concerning interdisciplinary framing and facilitation in large-scale projects based on PBL- and ESD-related research and presents findings from a case study on the first three rounds of megaprojects at AAU in 2019 and 2020. Findings The findings indicate that interdisciplinary megaprojects have the potential to motivate students to engage in sustainable development; however, they require systematic framing and guided facilitation, particularly in the early stages, for students to take ownership, prioritize collaboration and see the contribution to and connection between disciplines. They also need prioritization at all institutional levels to succeed as an institutional strategy of ESD. Originality/value The paper provides insights into the potentials and challenges of framing and facilitating large-scale megaprojects as an approach to integrate the SDGs and interdisciplinary collaboration into higher education. Hence, it aims to provide new insights, concepts and practices for ESD and PBL for sustainability.

scholarly journals The Rise of Resilience in Spatial Planning: A Journey through Disciplinary Boundaries and Contested Practices

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 7277
Author(s):  
Carlo Rega ◽  
Alessandro Bonifazi
Keyword(s):  
Complex System ◽  
System Theory ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Reference Frame ◽  
Spatial Planning ◽  
Boundary Object ◽  
Disciplinary Boundaries ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Resilience Thinking ◽  
Sustainability Framework

Resilience has become a popular term in spatial planning, often replacing sustainability as a reference frame. However, different concepts and understandings are embedded within it, which calls for keeping a critical stance about its widespread use. In this paper, we engage with the resilience turn in spatial planning and we dwell on the relation between resilience and sustainability from a planning perspective. Building on insights from ecology, complex system theory and epistemology, we question whether resilience can effectively act as a ‘boundary object’, i.e., a concept plastic enough to foster cooperation between different research fields and yet robust enough to maintain a common identity. Whilst we do not predicate a dichotomy between resilience and sustainability, we argue that the shift in the dominant understanding of resilience from a descriptive concept, to a broader conceptual and normative framework, is bound to generate some remarkable tensions. These can be associated with three central aspects in resilience thinking: (i) the unknowability and unpredictability of the future, whence a different focus of sustainability and resilience on outcomes vs. processes, respectively, ensue; (ii) the ontological separation between the internal components of a system and an external shock; (iii) the limited consideration given by resilience to inter- and intra-generational equity. Empirical evidence on actual instances of planning for resilience from different contexts seems to confirm these trends. We advocate that resilience should be used as a descriptive concept in planning within a sustainability framework, which entails a normative and transformative component that resonates with the very raison d’être of planning.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document