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Full-Text Articles in Education

A Rough Guide To Interdisciplinarity: Graduate Student Perspectives, Jessica K. Graybill, Sarah Dooling, Vivek Shandas, John Withey, Adrienne I. Greve, Gregory L. Simon Sep 2006

A Rough Guide To Interdisciplinarity: Graduate Student Perspectives, Jessica K. Graybill, Sarah Dooling, Vivek Shandas, John Withey, Adrienne I. Greve, Gregory L. Simon

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

A widely held belief is that only through interdisciplinarity can academics effectively address today's complex ecological problems, because these problems demand cross-disciplinary efforts and specialized knowledge from natural and social scientists. Innovative interdisciplinary research and curricula have been created to train a new generation of scientists to engage with complex issues. It seems critical that those most affected by interdisciplinary education—doctoral students—provide feedback about such innovations. Without understanding students' experiences in interdisciplinary programs, faculty will not know whether they are "getting it right" for future generations of interdisciplinarians. From our experiences as doctoral students, we provide reflections and perspectives on …


The Impact Of Research Centers On Faculty Work Life, Sarah A. Bunton, William T. Mallon Sep 2006

The Impact Of Research Centers On Faculty Work Life, Sarah A. Bunton, William T. Mallon

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research centers are a common mechanism for facilitating scientific work in medical schools, but little is known about how faculty operate in these milieux. Given that centers and institutes span the boundaries of traditional departments, center-affiliated faculty members can find themselves with two ties to the medical school— one through their academic department and one through the research center. Some commentators have asserted that this fluidity of faculty roles and allegiances produces positive benefits while others have argued the opposite. This Analysis in Brief examines the impact of organized research centers on faculty productivity and work life. We administered the …


Recent Trends In Basic Science Department Reorganizations, Sarah A. Bunton Jun 2006

Recent Trends In Basic Science Department Reorganizations, Sarah A. Bunton

Educational Leadership and Policy Faculty Publications and Presentations

The past several decades have seen a rapid and profound expansion of knowledge within the biomedical sciences. Achievements in molecular biology, human genetics, and neuroscience, among others, have contributed to the realization that the complexity of science now lends itself to interdisciplinary and collaborative efforts. This transformation of biomedical science has led to questions regarding the organization of academic departments in U.S. medical schools around traditional basic science disciplines. Some have proposed that the discipline-based department impedes scientific progress and a new structure that breaks down boundaries is needed. Others believe that traditional basic science departments continue to foster valuable …


Engineering Education Through Service-Learning In Developing Communities: Two Case Studies, Evan A. Thomas, Andrew Azman Jan 2006

Engineering Education Through Service-Learning In Developing Communities: Two Case Studies, Evan A. Thomas, Andrew Azman

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper provides case studies of two service learning projects that University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder) students are integrating into their academic experience. The projects focus on developing communities and are managed under the auspices of Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA), a group founded by Dr. Bernard Amadei, Professor of Civil Engineering at CU-Boulder. These projects expand students? understanding of the social value of their chosen profession, and expose them to a type of engineering significantly different than what is presented in most of their classes. Specifically, focusing on developing communities provides students with the opportunity to design solutions to …