At Camosun, we know that the process in which two or more disciplines purposely interact – interdisciplinary education (IDE) – is paramount to student success. This interactive process allows students in each discipline to learn with, learn from, and learn about each other. A multi-perspective approach to addressing complex problems leads to improved effectiveness, collaboration, and better outcomes.
About IDE
What is interdisciplinary education?
Interdisciplinary education (IDE) is an emerging and evolving concept with numerous interpretations of the term. Interdisciplinary education is understanding a topic, issue, or problem from the perspective of different disciplines and integrating this knowledge and learning to gain a different or new perspective.
Interdisciplinary or interprofessional?
It is not uncommon to use Interdisciplinary and interprofessional interchangeably, but there is general agreement that the intent of interdisciplinary education is a process towards a desired outcome.
Why define interdisciplinary education?
Agreeing on widely used definition for interdisciplinary education improves the ability to understand what we mean, assists in our ability to use it consistently, and ensures we know what we want to measure; using a common definition provides language all disciplinary members can work with allowing for good communication and collaboration.
A collaborative partnership
Broadly, any partnership between a team of individuals in a participatory, collaborative and coordinated approach to shared decision-making around issues can be seen as interdisciplinary. These partnerships recognize and value the expertise and perspectives of a variety of different disciplines. It can include learning in health, social, academic, work, and community based settings, and is inclusive of all the participants in the continuum between education and practice.
At Camosun, an interdisciplinary focus is being actively developed at the course, program and college level. With collaboration and teamwork, students and faculty are bringing interdisciplinary elements into their coursework, initiatives, projects, practicum opportunities, events, and workplace practice.
Learning outcomes
Common interdisciplinary educational learning outcomes include:
- Accurately describing (own) professional role, responsibilities, and scope of practice, (as well as that of others).
- Being able to identify behaviours that demonstrate respect, communication, and team building ability with other disciplines.
- Demonstrating collaboration with others to establish common person-centred goals, through shared decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution.
- Being able to contribute to team effectiveness by sharing information, listening attentively, respecting other opinions, demonstrating flexibility, using a common language, proving feedback to others, and responding to feedback from others.
Benefits of interdisciplinary education
Effective interdisciplinary education will:
- ensure client-centred approaches
- enhance team work, collaboration, communication, and problem solving skills
- reduce service duplication and minimize unnecessary interventions
- reduce health care costs
- enhance client and health outcomes
- improve retention and recruitment of health providers
- enhance clinical effectiveness
- provide integrated, seamless care that is perceived as effective by the client in a range of settings
Benefits for students
Through interdisciplinary education opportunities, students will:
- learn new knowledge and develop new abilities
- develop the interpersonal skills needed to work effectively with others
- gain experience working in team settings in which group members share common goals
- learn how to work with others to maximize the performance and output of the group
Key competencies of interdisciplinary education
Interdisciplinary education focuses on the following competencies:
- Relationship-focused care/services: Dynamically collaborate, fostering purposeful relationships among and between care/service partners and persons participating in or receiving care/services. All will coordinate and cooperate in shaping person(s)-driven care/services.
- Team communication: Communicate in a cooperative, responsive, and respectful manner while paying attention to both the content and the relational elements of communication.
- Role clarification and negotiation: Understand and negotiate one’s role and the roles of all, and use their knowledge, skills, expertise, and values appropriately to establish and achieve collaborative relationship-focused care/services.
- Team functioning: While team members work interdependently, they bring their shared perspectives to cooperate, coordinate, and collaborate toward shared goals through shared decision-making. Team functioning requires optimizing the efficiency and effectiveness of all members’ time, expertise, and contributions.
- Team differences/disagreements processing: Actively engage constructively in addressing disagreements.
- Collaborative leadership: Value each other’s knowledge, skills, and expertise, and acknowledge that everyone contributes different strengths and perspectives. Value and support each other and be accountable in sharing decision making and responsibilities to reach common goals and achievable or desirable health outcomes.
