Designing Effective Interdisciplinary Courses
Interdisciplinary teaching has become an important part of undergraduate education, offering students opportunities to explore complex real-world issues from multiple perspectives. This interactive workshop provides a space for colleagues to come together to share experiences, exchange ideas, and explore practical ways of developing interdisciplinary courses.
The session will combine brief conceptual input with hands-on, collaborative activities. Participants will work in small groups to brainstorm and develop ideas for a new interdisciplinary course, considering learning outcomes, connections across disciplines, and possible teaching approaches. Groups will then share their ideas with one another for discussion, reflection, and mutual feedback.
The workshop is intended to be a supportive and collegial environment for academic exchange, idea generation, and building confidence in interdisciplinary course design.
Key Topics
- Principles of Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Course Design
Understanding how to integrate perspectives across disciplines to create coherent and meaningful learning experiences. - From Ideas to Course Concepts: Collaborative Course Development
Handson group activities to generate, structure, and refine ideas for new interdisciplinary courses. - Pedagogical Strategies for Teaching Interdisciplinary Learners
Exploring practical approaches to engaging students with diverse academic backgrounds and learning experiences.
Honourable Speaker
Prof. A. Reza Hoshmand
Prof. Hoshmand is an international consultant on higher education. He is currently the Senior Advisor to the Global Institute of Service Leadership Education. He was the Director of General Education at Hong Kong Baptist University from 2011 to 2019. Prior to coming to Hong Kong as a Fulbright Scholar in 2008, he was the Chair/Dean of the Division of Business Management at Daniel Webster College. He has taught at numerous universities including Harvard, Tufts, University of Hawaii, and California State Polytechnic in Pomona.
His teaching and research interests are in international economic development and higher education. He has published 8 books on statistics and economic forecasting, and numerous articles on the role of General Education in undergraduate curriculum. His publications have appeared in scholarly journals. His latest co-authored book titled Service Leadership: Leading with Competence, Character and Care in the Service Economy was published by Routledge in 2022.
