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75 - Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research

from Part V - Avenues for Developing Undergraduate Research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2022

By
Enakshi Sengupta ,
Patrick Blessinger  and
Manfred Hampe
Edited by
Harald A. Mieg ,
Elizabeth Ambos ,
Angela Brew ,
Dominique Galli  and
Judith Lehmann
Harald A. Mieg
Affiliation:
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Elizabeth Ambos
Affiliation:
Council on Undergraduate Research, Washington DC
Angela Brew
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, Sydney
Dominique Galli
Affiliation:
Indiana University–Purdue University, Indianapolis
Judith Lehmann
Affiliation:
Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Summary

With radical changes in social problems and the need for research to be application-oriented a change has been noticed in undergraduate research (UR) as it tends to become interdisciplinary in nature. Interdisciplinary research is developing intensively, drawing from various fields of research as opposed to the traditional form of research. Although the institutionalization of UR is a relatively recent phenomenon within the higher education community, the roots of research-focused universities can be traced back to the nineteenth century with the Humboldtian model of higher education (i.e., the integration of research and teaching) and the founding of the University of Berlin. Interdisciplinary undergraduate research (IUR) takes UR to a higher cognitive level by conducting research with students across the sciences, humanities, and the arts. This chapter focuses on how IUR is being used to increase student engagement and academic achievement. Within this context, this chapter addresses the following two research questions: (1) How is UR fostered or transformed by interdisciplinarity to produce IUR? and (2) What are the future challenges of UR with respect to interdisciplinarity?

Keywords

collaborative researchsocial relevanceinterdisciplinaryproblem-based learningmeta-cognitiveinquiry-based learningdisciplinary groundingadvancement through integrationcritical awareness
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Undergraduate Research , pp. 683 - 694
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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