Abstract:

Our interconnected world faces several of global challenges, such as climate change, that no single discipline can fully address [1]. Instead, interdisciplinary solutions are increasingly required to deal with multifaceted problems that constantly evolve, causing considerably uncertainty about their origins and their most effective solutions [2]. Specifically, for effective cooperation across different disciplines, professionals need to develop a set of social and communication skills aimed at finding optimal solutions guided by both proper technical and social understanding. In the higher educational field, interdisciplinary programs are still developing [1, 3], representing initial attempts to acquire problem-solving competencies by combining concepts and methodologies from different disciplines. Unfortunately, this approach is not yet fully implemented in many Spanish Universities, including the University of Málaga (UMA), where syllabi often present very specific approaches in terms of a single discipline.

Recognizing this gap, we are exploring venues to improve interdisciplinary language skills among future professionals. To gauge the receptiveness across various fields and among university students, we have conducted 4 interdisciplinary seminars, each attracting over 30 participants, totaling 187 students. These seminars, which combine diverse disciplines, such as Economics, Law, Computer Science and Telecommunications Engineering, aim to instill in students the value of lifelong interdisciplinary learning. Our goal is to contribute to the market with talented professionals who enrich the values of dialogue, flexible mindset and leadership in companies, so that they can provide responsible and supportive solutions aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development [4].

After these seminars, students were asked to respond to a standardized test with strict control on data protection and preserving the anonymity. We observed a very positive response, with over 86% of the students expressing satisfaction. Specifically, 61% of students rated the seminars with the highest possible score (5 out of 5), while 25% rated them with a commendable 4. Only 4% of respondents rated the seminars below 3. Moreover, when considering the enduring value of lifelong interdisciplinary learning, students greatly emphasized its significance. 58% of participants awarded this aspect with a perfect score, while an additional 22% rated 4. Similarly, when queried about the necessity for more interdisciplinary activities, students underscored the transformative impact of such activities on their learning experience, noting heightened motivation compared to traditional monodisciplinary approaches.

In the forthcoming paper, we will outline the methodology employed.

References:
[1] Shuford, J. (2024). Interdisciplinary Perspectives: Fusing Artificial Intelligence with Environmental Science for Sustainable Solutions. Journal of Artificial Intelligence General science (JAIGS).
[2] Schijf, J. E., et al. (2023). Measuring interdisciplinary understanding in higher education. European Journal of Higher Education.
[3] Huang, Z., Kougianos, et al. (2021). A Systematic Interdisciplinary Engineering and Technology Model Using Cutting-Edge Technologies for STEM Education. IEEE Transactions on Education.
[4] Coetzer, J. H., et al. (2022). Rethinking higher education models: towards a new education paradigm for the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development.

Keywords:

Interdisciplinary, higher education, university, sustainable, development.