Interdisciplinary Researches in Higher Education: Need of the Era Kumar Shashwat, Chauhan Sangeeta* Department of Education, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar Central University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India *Corresponding author: c.sangita27@gmail.com
Online Published on 29 July, 2023. Abstract Interdisciplinary methods are typically utilized when removing disciplinary barriers is essential, or when reaching a shared consensus across disciplines is required to handle a difficult or multi-faceted subject. The goal of interdisciplinary methods is to get academics to think differently and identify new ways to solve issues that were previously thought to be insurmountable. The increasing need for interdisciplinary research may present both possibilities and challenges to higher education institutions with a new or emerging research culture. In higher education, interdisciplinary studies are those that allow students to experience “other ways of knowing” from their main or favoured areas. To satisfy this apparent demand, several universities have begun to create interdisciplinary programmes or disciplines. Interdisciplinary research is a synthesis of various disciplines that is very dynamic and adaptable to a fast changing market environment. Interdisciplinary studies can help students develop their creativity, flexibility, adaptability, critical thinking, teamwork, and other skills. Students can gain a better understanding of the complex interconnectivity that exists in real world by exposing them to two or more interrelated fields. Complex challenges transcend traditional disciplines, necessitating interdisciplinary investigation and collaboration among scholars and research groups in higher education in order to develop knowledge that is more than the sum of its parts. Interdisciplinary research opens up new avenues for counterbalancing specialization and addressing complicated social challenges that are too wide for a single solution. Interdisciplinary higher education institutions face issues owing to disciplinary variations in creating knowledge (epistemological approaches), integrating knowledge (the environments that allow it), and assessing knowledge (standards for research quality). Interdisciplinary research necessitates complex intellectual and social processes that allow for the exchange of information, the development of knowledge, its integration, and assessment. In general, the degree of synthesis, or the level of integration of each group member’s experience, enhances the need for cooperation and communication. The understanding that breakthrough research often occurs at the crossroads of disciplines has led the change from largely single principle investigator, single-discipline work to collaborative, problem-based, interdisciplinary teams that bridge institutional boundaries. Establishing and maintaining an interdisciplinary culture for successful interdisciplinary research activity and management, on the other hand, takes time and effort. Commitment to a shared vision, strong leadership, cognitive ground rules, reciprocal inter-cultural learning, and institutional support in the face of increased administrative burdens associated with interdisciplinary efforts are critical for promoting successful interdisciplinary research cooperation in higher education institutions. Top Keywords Interdisciplinary Research and Higher Education. Top |