The Integrative Sciences Initiative at NC State seeks to transform education through promoting scholarly collaboration across disciplines. This summer, the ISI spearheaded efforts for change through a series of workshops designed to bring faculty, staff and students from across the university — as well as from other institutions — together to imagine the future of STEM in higher education.
The series consisted of three workshops, each focusing on a different theme:
- Workshop 1: Creating a Community of Interdisciplinary Educators — Establishing Cross-Disciplinary Connections
- Workshop 2: Active Learning in Foundational Courses
- Workshop 3: Creating Community in the Classroom — Pathways to Implementation
Each workshop was designed to aid multidisciplinary teams in developing foundational courses for degree programs that serve students interested in the interface of molecular sciences and health. With support from Eastman Chemical Company’s University Engagement Fund, undergraduate students joined these project teams as Eastman Student Fellows. Overall, the workshop series aimed to initiate formal course redesigns while also establishing a community of interdisciplinary educators across campus.
“Our goal for the summer was to have teams of faculty and students work outside of their disciplinary silos to think about how we introduce students to molecular sciences and how we prepare them for the modern workforce,” said Jeremiah Feducia, ISI director of undergraduate programs. “We want ISI to be the catalyst for reimagining courses as gateways to science and to serve as a model for innovating molecular sciences education. We see a future where disciplines work together and form communities of practice to advance interdisciplinary academics.”
A Focus on Faculty and Students
The first workshop focused on bringing faculty from different disciplines together to identify cross-disciplinary concepts, led by Silvia Bettez, a professor of educational leadership and cultural foundations at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She spoke on “Critical Community Building and Belonging” which helped faculty identify common core values that inspire their work in the classroom.
“We live in an interconnected world,” she said. “Interdisciplinary lenses and collaborations create an increased capacity to understand multiple perspectives and discover innovative solutions to challenging issues and problems.”
Bettez facilitated community building activities, and guided participants on how to enhance community in their classrooms, as research shows that community building and belonging creates an enhanced learning experience. She also emphasized that how faculty teach (in ways that build community, enhance teacher-student and student-student relationships, and encourage active engagement) is at least as important as what faculty teach (content).
Faculty brainstormed possible opportunities that they envisioned in working with the ISI. They collaborated to identify common disciplinary concepts and grand challenges as connecting points to each other’s disciplines. Faculty also heard fromThe Integrative Sciences Initiative at NC State seeks to transform education through promoting scholarly collaboration across disciplines. This summer, the ISI spearheaded efforts for change through a series of workshops designed to bring faculty, staff and students from across the university — as well as from other institutions — together to imagine the future of STEM in higher education. a student panel that shared their experiences in foundational courses and how an integrative approach to education would have enhanced their ability to make connections and would have encouraged them to take more academic risks, allowing them to develop key critical thinking skills sought out by future employers.
Sofie Stofferis, a senior biomedical engineering major and Spanish minor, collaborated with faculty and peers to determine limitations in current courses with the intention of promoting integration of those difficult topics across various courses. She is also working with a faculty member to create a semester-long course to allow students to explore their majors and future careers.
“One of my biggest takeaways [from the workshops] was the value of multiple perspectives in problem-solving,” said Stofferis. “I saw firsthand how combining creative, analytical and human-centered viewpoints can lead to innovative solutions that none of us could have developed alone. I also learned how important it is to communicate across disciplinary “languages” so that ideas can be shared effectively.”
She noted that interdisciplinarity has pushed her to think beyond the boundaries of her traditional biomedical engineering coursework, and encouraged her to consider not only the technical functionality of a design, but also its social, economic and ethical implications. Through her experience, she has become a more adaptable learner and a better communicator, skills that she will carry forward into my career and beyond.
“I am impressed with the involvement of undergraduate students in these initial stages of the process,” said Bettez. “I noticed that when they spoke, they often emphasized that what made their classes most meaningful was how professors taught and how professors made them feel (valued, capable, intrigued, etc.). They also spoke explicitly about how excited they were about the ISI; they can see the value in it and they want it to be successful for future students.”
Building on Ideas
The second workshop showcased and built on ideas developed during the first workshop, and included a gallery walk of activity cards created by faculty and student teams, with participants sharing new ideas to help their colleagues enhance activities and connect them to courses outside of their discipline.
For many faculty, these workshops were the first time that they engaged with faculty outside of their Departments on projects related to undergraduate education. To help overcome the inherent challenge of interdisciplinary work, representatives from the Shelton Leadership Center guided participants through activities focused on moving beyond disciplinary lenses to create common language and promote interdisciplinary teamwork.
“I worked with faculty and students from departments across campus to outline the steps towards developing foundational, interdisciplinary ISI courses, and worked with colleagues from biology, chemistry, math and physics to develop active-learning modules for these courses,” said Naish Lalloo, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Chemistry. “The process of developing new courses feels like discovery — similar to having a new project in graduate school. Each faculty member has some limit to their knowledge, and it will take faculty and students working together to push past individual knowledge boundaries and create what will surely be an incredible learning experience for NC State students.”
Bringing Everything Together
The primary goal of the third workshop was to recognize how efforts to create individual activities would translate to the development of reimagined courses for first and second-year students at NC State. Faculty worked in disciplinary teams to generate implementation plans that aligned with the opening of Woodson Hall for classes in January of 2027.
Kasey Wagoner, assistant professor in the Department of Physics, and Eastman Summer Fellow Mario Tornero-Vila, a senior in biological sciences, co-led a session — Translating Special Topics to Foundational Courses. Wagoner discussed lessons learned from co-teaching an interdisciplinary course, Physics and the Brain, and highlighted the importance of story arcs in integrated courses. Wagoner and Tornero-Villa shared their experiences in translating this approach to foundational physics courses such as PY 212, a physics course taken by many students in the life sciences, and emphasized the importance of including students in the process of course development.
“This is an ambitious project which has the opportunity to be truly innovative. However, like with anything innovative, it comes with significant challenges that will require careful thought, creativity, and dedication to successfully execute,” said Wagoner. “After the discussions in these workshops, I’m confident that my colleagues at NC State have the expertise and drive to make this happen in a way that will provide students with a truly extraordinary learning experience!”
Breakout sessions covered integrative foci of specific foundational courses, course implementation plans and strategies for creating community with students in large enrollment courses. Each portion of the workshop helped bring to light the transformational nature of collaboration and the potential of interdisciplinarity to reshape the future of higher education.
Jane Lubischer, a teaching professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, noted that working across departments and colleges has tremendously enriched her experience as a faculty member, and working with the ISI has given her the opportunity to re-imagine how faculty members introduce students at NC State to their scientific disciplines.
“Students are very excited about the opportunities for changing our traditional approach to introductory science classes, and I have many wonderful colleagues across departments and colleges, driven to make a difference in students’ lives and struggling with similar silo-related (and time-related) challenges,” she said. “Taking the time to build supportive communities of learners is equally important for our students and for our faculty. The ISI’s goal of creating a series of foundational courses that break down silo walls is truly innovative.
What’s Next
ISI leadership hopes to build on the momentum generated by the summer workshops with future workshops and more opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty and students, in partnership with the Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs. The ability to connect and generate ideas will help ISI set a high standard for reshaping what it means to be an interdisciplinary scholar.
“Working with students and faculty across several disciplines gave me the opportunity to look at my courses with a fresh eye,” said Lisa Parks, teaching professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. “Students were excited to give us feedback on how we can help them see connections between their classes. Meeting faculty from different disciplines gave me a sense that I don’t have to flounder to integrate core principles across disciplines.”
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