Abstract:

The concept of transdisciplinarity, whether in research or education, advances a qualitatively different relationship between learning, knowledge and its mode of production within society. Transdisciplinary practices are characterized, for example, by learning or researching that takes place in (or close proximity to) the context of application, with shared problems identified or formulated through participatory practices between various interested parties. So in transdisciplinary ventures, learners and researchers integrate data, information, tools, techniques, perspectives, concepts and/or theories from two or more disciplines to tackle socially relevant problems collaboratively with other stakeholders (real or simulated) in situ. As such, by transgressing disciplinary practices and creating new synergies, transdisciplinarity acts as a mechanism for innovation. In this paper, I report preliminary insights into how and why one Australian university is designing transdisciplinary degrees to prepare students for future-oriented careers. Indeed, the various imperatives and catalysts for developing these programs are subsequently being interpreted and mapped as graduate attributes, to then also shape the educational design of these programs. I conclude by speculating on the power of reconceiving transdisciplinary education generatively, as it relates to transdisciplinary learning, educational designing, teaching and researching.

Keywords:

Transdisciplinarity, synergies, innovation, learning, researching, inquiry, graduate attributes, educational design.