This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: When we speak with Luyao Huang, her Ph.D. project at Leiden University is in full swing. Two papers—a systematic literature review and a case study on an interdisciplinary course—are already behind her.
Next year, she will carry out a study in which teachers react to various scenarios. Today, Huang tells us about her most recent study: a deep dive into student collaboration. For this study, Huang wanted to know how interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teamwork functions in practice.
She collected data from seven student teams: two from Leiden University College, two from the Leiden Leadership Programme (a master's honors program) and three from the LDE Sustainability Honours Programme (a former bachelor's honors program). What can teachers learn from her initial insights? "When I came here from China in 2021, interdisciplinary education was a popular theme, both at ICLON and the university as a whole.
The pandemic highlighted how difficult it is to solve complex problems by using a single discipline. The university supported interdisciplinary projects in different fields. I saw an opportunity to further explore interdisciplinary teaching in practice.
What could be improved?" "I used not only interviews but also naturalistic observation. I attended 85 student team meetings as a nonparticipant observer, whether they took place before, between or after classes, even in the evenings and on weekends." Huang tried to remain as unobtrusive as possible, almost as if she were not there. "To not spoil the data." Following students closely over a long period can be challenging, explains Huang.
"It takes a lot of time, and the researcher's constant presence may make students feel uncomfortable. But I feel the students handled it well. They were willing to show both their strengths and weaknesses to me, which I really appreciated.
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