Solutions

Activity 1 Defining multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary learning

Discussion

You might have thought of something along these lines:

Multidisciplinarity is where two or more academic disciplines collaborate for a specific purpose, for instance, when computer scientists, psychologists and sociologists cooperate in the design of human/computer interfaces.

Interdisciplinarity differs from multidisciplinarity because the different disciplines work together to produce new knowledge and understanding.

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Activity 2 Applying interdisciplinary learning to different contexts

Discussion

Here are some of the global issues that you may have listed in your answer. This list is not exhaustive and there are lots of other global issues that you may have considered that aren’t detailed here.

Issue Subjects may include
Withdrawal of the UK from the European Union (Brexit) Politics, history, economics, finance, geography, business, sociology, modern languages
Nuclear armament International relations, history, politics
Natural disasters Physical geography, physics, history, anthropology
Over population Human geography, healthcare, history of medicine, sociology
Poverty Psychology, childhood studies, sociology, economics, history
Sustainable agriculture Biology, chemistry, earth Sciences, technology, economics, politics, geography, business studies
Future pandemics Chemistry, Biology, medicine, politics, economics, logistics, business studies
Refugee crises Politics, economics, geography, history, business studies, logistics, law, education

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Activity 3 Identifying the benefits that are important to you

Discussion

As is often the case when reflecting on our own situation, there isn’t a right or wrong answer but hopefully you have identified what is important to you in terms of the benefits of studying different subjects.

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Activity 4 Explaining skills to an employer

Discussion

You may have included any of the following in your answer:

  1. They can show that they are more flexible and are able to adapt to a variety of different situations with ease. This can be particularly helpful in an organisation where there may be lots of change taking place.
  2. They are used to managing different deadlines and categorising what ideas belong where, and therefore are good at managing themselves and their time.
  3. They are able to bring together a number of ideas and perspectives from across different subjects, and therefore may be able to offer alternative ways of looking at issues or problems. This can help identify new, innovative solutions to particular situations.
  4. They have well-developed communication and literacy skills, having been exposed to different terminology across a number of subjects.
  5. They are able to consider and understand different viewpoints and different approaches to tackling a particular problem.

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Activity 5 How much of a multipotentialite are you?

Discussion

Even if you don’t define yourself as a multipotentialite, studying a variety of subjects can still help you to demonstrate an even wider range of transferable skills than you looked at earlier in this course.

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Activity 6 Choosing which subjects to study

Discussion

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers here. Reflecting on the reasons you might like to study a subject or the reasons for having chosen a subject can help you to identify your motivation for studying particular subjects and/or may help if/when you might seek employment opportunities in the future.

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Activity 7 Which is your preferred work model and why?

Discussion

Remember that these work models simply provide a starting place to help you make sense of your preferences, and to help you develop your personal and/or professional interests.

Back to - Activity 7 Which is your preferred work model and why?