Avoiding pitfalls in interdisciplinary education

R. E. Holt; P. J. Woods; A. S. A. Ferreira; H. Bardarson; S. Bonanomi; W. J. Boonstra; W. E. Butler; F. K. Diekert; N. Fouzai; M. Holma; A. Kokkalis; K. Ø. Kvile; J. I. Macdonald; E. Malanski; E. Nieminen; K. M. Ottosen; M. W. Pedersen; A. Richter; L. Rogers; G. Romagnoni; M. Snickars; A. Törnroos; B. Weigel; J. D. Whittington; J. Yletyinen

doi:10.3354/cr01491

Climate Research

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CR 74:121-129 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01491

OPINION PIECE
Avoiding pitfalls in interdisciplinary education

R. E. Holt^1,11,*, P. J. Woods^2,12, A. S. A. Ferreira^3,13, H. Bardarson^2,12, S. Bonanomi^4,14, W. J. Boonstra⁵, W. E. Butler², F. K. Diekert^6,15, N. Fouzai¹, M. Holma⁷, A. Kokkalis³, K. Ø. Kvile^6,16, J. I. Macdonald², E. Malanski^3,17, E. Nieminen^7,18, K. M. Ottosen⁸, M. W. Pedersen³, A. Richter^6,9, L. Rogers⁶, G. Romagnoni⁶, M. Snickars¹⁰, A. Törnroos¹⁰, B. Weigel¹⁰, J. D. Whittington⁶, J. Yletyinen⁵

¹Department of Biology, University of Bergen, PO Box 7803, 5020 Bergen, Norway
²Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Askja, Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland
³DTU Aqua, Kemitorvet Building 201, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
⁴DTU Aqua, Vejlsøvej 39, 8600 Silkeborg, Denmark
⁵Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Kräftriket 2B, 11419 Stockholm, Sweden
⁶Centre for Ecological & Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Postboks 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
⁷Department of Economics and Management, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
⁸Faculty of Science & Technology, The University of the Faroe Islands, Faculty of Science and Technology, Nóatún 3, 100 Tórshavn, Faroe Islands
⁹Environmental Economics and Natural Resources Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 8130, 6700 EW Wageningen, The Netherlands
¹⁰Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, Artillerigatan 6, Biocity, 20520 Turku/Åbo, Finland
¹¹Present address: Centre for Ecological & Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Postboks 1066, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
¹²Present address: Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Skulagata 4, 121 Reykjavik, Iceland
¹³Present address: School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
¹⁴Present address: National Research Council (CNR), Institute of Marine Science (ISMAR), Largo Fiera della Pesca 1, 60125 Ancona, Italy
¹⁵Present address: Department of Economics, Heidelberg University, Bergheimer Str. 20, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany
¹⁶Present address: Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
¹⁷Present address: Instituto Nacional da Mata Atlântica - INMA, Av. José Ruschi 4, PO Box 29650-000, Santa Teresa, ES, Brazil
¹⁸Present address: Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), PO Box 140, 00251 Helsinki, Finland

*Corresponding author: r.e.holt@ibv.uio.no

ABSTRACT: As the world’s social-environmental problems increasingly extend across boundaries, both disciplinary and political, there is a growing need for interdisciplinarity, not only in research per se, but also in doctoral education. We present the common pitfalls of interdisciplinary research in doctoral education, illustrating approaches towards solutions using the Nordic Centre for Research on Marine Ecosystems and Resources under Climate Change (NorMER) research network as a case study. We provide insights and detailed examples of how to overcome some of the challenges of conducting interdisciplinary research within doctoral studies that can be applied within any doctoral/postdoctoral education programme, and beyond. Results from a self-evaluation survey indicate that early-career workshops, annual meetings and research visits to other institutions were the most effective learning mechanisms, whereas single discipline-focused courses and coursework were among the least effective learning mechanisms. By identifying the strengths and weaknesses of components of NorMER, this case study can inform the design of future programmes to enhance interdisciplinarity in doctoral education, as well as be applied to science collaboration and academic research in general.

KEY WORDS: Climate change · Interdisciplinarity · Education · Learning mechanisms · Research network

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Cite this article as: Holt RE, Woods PJ, Ferreira ASA, Bardarson H and others (2017) Avoiding pitfalls in interdisciplinary education. Clim Res 74:121-129. https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01491

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CR 74:121-129 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/cr01491

OPINION PIECE Avoiding pitfalls in interdisciplinary education

OPINION PIECE
Avoiding pitfalls in interdisciplinary education