The Integration of the Humanities and Arts with Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education Branches from the Same Tree (2018) / Chapter Skim
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8 Findings and Recommendations
8 Findings and Recommendations
Pages 169-180
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From page 169... ...
That said, as the academic disciplines have specialized, and higher education institutions have developed administrative structures that are fragmented along disciplinary lines, some faculty and leaders in higher education are now questioning whether the education we are offering students today allows them to appreciate the connections between the disciplines. Many are now calling for a return to a more integrative approach to education.
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From page 170... ...
After considering multiple forms of evidence, the committee found that certain approaches to the integration of the arts and humanities with science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) are associated with positive student learning outcomes, including, but not limited to, written and oral communication skills, teamwork skills, ethical decision making, critical thinking and deeper learning, content mastery, general engagement and enjoyment of learning, empathy, resilience, the ability to apply knowledge in real-world settings, and indicators of improved science literacy (Ebert-May et al., 2010; Gurnon et al., 2013; Ifenthaler et al., 2015; Jarvinen and Jarvinen, 2012; Krupczak, 2004; Krupczak and Ollis, 2006; Malavé and Watson, 2000; Naghshineh et al., 2008; Olds and Miller, 2004; Ousager and Johannessen, 2010; Pollack and Korol, 2013; Sands et al., 2008; Stolk and Martello 2015; Thigpen et al., 2004; Willson et al., 1995)
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From page 171... ...
The gravitational pull of the disciplines shapes curricula, pedagogical approaches, scholarly practices, and allocations of institutional resources. At the same time, modest institutional commitments to create space for integrative approaches and scholars have the potential for farreaching effects.
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From page 172... ...
4. Surveys show that employers value graduates who have both tech nical depth in a given discipline and cross-cutting "twenty-first century" skills and knowledge, such as critical thinking, communi cations skills, the ability to work well in teams, ethical reasoning, and creativity.
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From page 173... ...
Understanding the impact of integrative educational approaches is challenging for several reasons, including the following: a. Each discipline approaches evidence and value differently when evaluating the impact of integrative courses and programs.
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From page 174... ...
4. Higher education research has developed reliable, verifiable tools that provide valuable evidence on the impact of educational experi ences on students, and these should continue to be used to elucidate the impact of integrative educational models.
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From page 175... ...
2. Graduate programs described in the published literature that inte grate the humanities, arts, and STEM disciplines report positive
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We observed that insti tutions with significant undergraduate integrative education also demonstrated institutional support for graduate training programs and faculty hiring and research support in integrative interdisciplin ary fields.
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It is our consensus opinion that integrative approaches in higher education have the potential to benefit graduates in work, life, and civic engagement. While it is true that the current evidence base limits our ability to draw causal links between integrative curricula in higher education and student learning and career outcomes, given how difficult and time consuming it is to carry out controlled, longitudinal studies in higher education, we do not believe it is practical for institutions with an interest in pursuing more integrative approaches to wait for more robust causal evidence before adopting, supporting, and evaluating integrative programs.
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From page 178... ...
Recommendation 5: Professional artistic, humanistic, scientific, and engineering societies should work together to build, document, and study integrative pilot programs and models to support student learn ing and innovative scholarship at the intersection of disciplines. Recommendation 6: Proponents of disciplinary integration in higher education, including faculty and administrators, should work with scholars of higher education and experts in the humanities, arts, natu ral sciences, social sciences, engineering, technology, mathematics, and medicine to establish agreement on the expected learning outcomes of an integrative educational experience and work to design scalable, integrative approaches to assessment.
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From page 179... ...
Recommendation 9: Institutions should perform a cultural audit of courses, programs, and spaces on campus where integration is already taking place, partnering with student affairs professionals to evaluate programs and initiatives intended to integrate learning between class room and nonclassroom environments, and working with teaching and learning centers to develop curricula for faculty charged with teaching for or within an integrative experience. Recommendation 10: Further research should focus on how integra tive educational models can promote the representation of women and underrepresented minorities in specific areas of the natural sciences, social sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine, arts, and humanities, and all research efforts should account for whether the benefits of an integrative approach are realized equitably.
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From page 180... ...
Recommendation 14: Academic thought leaders working to facilitate integrative curricular models should initiate conversations with the key accrediting organizations for STEMM, the arts, and higher education to ensure that the disciplinary structures and mandates imposed by the accreditation process do not thwart efforts to move toward more integrative program offerings. Recommendation 15: Both federal and private funders should rec ognize the significant role they can and do play in driving integrative teaching, learning, and research.
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