ERIC Number: EJ1023577
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Feb
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1527-9316
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Impact of Integrated Student Experiences on Learning
Wingert, Jason R.; Wasileski, Sally A.; Peterson, Karin; Mathews, Leah Greden; Lanou, Amy Joy; Clarke, David
Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, v14 n1 p42-58 Feb 2014
In a cluster of courses called Food for Thought, seven faculty from different departments (including Biology, Economics, Sociology, Chemistry, Health and Wellness, and Foreign Language) teach students about food information, food consumerism, nutrition and health. The classes all have a shared learning outcome focused on developing the student as an informed consumer of food. Each semester, faculty teach a food-related course from their respective disciplinary perspective while also incorporating cross-course interactions that allow for both integration of disciplinary knowledge and student-to-student learning opportunities. Previous research demonstrated that this approach leads to student perceptions of learning gains (Authors, 2011). Building on that work, this research directly assesses student learning in the Food for Thought cluster. The results demonstrate that exposure to multiple disciplines covering a shared topic enhances learning through greater student ability to integrate diverse forms of knowledge and to see an issue from multiple perspectives. These findings demonstrate the value of multidisciplinary learning opportunities for students.
Descriptors: College Faculty, Interdisciplinary Approach, Foods Instruction, Consumer Economics, Nutrition Instruction, Health Education, Interaction, Instructional Effectiveness, Statistical Analysis, Student Attitudes, Comparative Analysis, Questionnaires, Critical Thinking
Indiana University. 755 West Michigan Street UL 1180D, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Tel: 317-274-5647; Fax: 317-278-2360; e-mail: josotl@iupui.edu; Web site: http://www.iupui.edu/~josotl
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A