Skills

There is increased recognition that university education involves the transmission of skills as well as understandings. Yet there is not as yet widespread appreciation of the role that interdisciplinary education can play in fostering general skill acquisition nor of the particular skills that interdisciplinary education is particularly good at encouraging.

· The DQP focuses only on intellectual skills developed within disciplines. Many if not all of these skills are also fostered by an interdisciplinary education. There are other essential intellectual skills, such as comparative and integrative skills involving both/and as well as either/or thinking, developed through interdisciplinary studies. Since interdisciplinary studies is grounded in insights generated by disciplines, students learn how to evaluate, compare, and integrate these.

· The DQP stresses communication and quantitative skills. We would note that qualitative evaluation is also important. DQP also recommends being able to appreciate different perspectives. As we have noted under Interdisciplinary Habits of Mind, this is a key component of interdisciplinary studies; students will be frustrated if they are not also guided to transcend different perspectives.

· The CM report stresses getting students to recognize conflicts. This is an important first step. But students will be frustrated if they recognize conflicts but have no idea how to resolve them. Indeed, as the CM report appreciates at times, the whole problem in civics rests on a widespread perception that conflicts are unresolvable. It is thus absolutely critical that students be given tools for achieving common ground. The literature on the interdisciplinary research process outlines precisely such tools [see Interdisciplinary Research]. It is worth stressing here that techniques for transcending disciplinary conflicts can be applied to any sort of conflict.

[Repko, Interdisciplinary Research, 2011 argues (with references to the cognitive science literature) that we are natural seekers of common ground, but this is beaten out of us in a disciplinary education where we are generally taught both silos and one right answer. That is, an interdisciplinary education ignites our natural capacities for complex problem solving and integration.]

Repko, 2011, 56-7 lists a handful of cognitive abilities associated with interdisciplinarity:

· Develop and apply the ability to see questions from other perspectives

· Develop the ability to see the relationships between different phenomena and insights (On416 he adds learning about problems appropriate to interdisciplinary inquiry)

· Create common ground

· Integrate conflicting insights

· Produce a more comprehensive understanding

· Develop reflective capabilities

He then lists several personality traits associated with interdisciplinarity (which it might be argued can be learned, at least to some extent):

· Enterprise

· Love of learning

· Reflection

· Tolerance of ambiguity

· Openmindedness

· Willingness to achieve adequacy in disciplines

· Appreciation of diversity

· Willingness to collaborate

· Humility

Augsburg, Tanya, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies (2009) provides a somewhat different list:

· Reliability

· Flexibility

· Initiative

· Patience

· Resilience

· Risk-taking

· Sense of adventure

· Having a thick skin

· Being self-secure

· Sensitivity to others

· Preference for diversity

· Preference for new social roles.

These lists overlap (and both list tolerance of ambiguity)

Repko then lists several skills associated with interdisciplinarity:

· Communication

· Abstract thinking

· Dialectical thinking

· Creativity

· Holistic thinking]

Augsburg provides a longer list from Newell of skills employers look for, some of which are also generated by disciplinary education.