Public defence in Water and Environmental Engineering, MA (education) Xiaoqi Feng

Title of the thesis: Bridging disciplines for transformative learning: Educators’ and students’ journeys in interdisciplinary higher education

Thesis defender: Xiaoqi Feng
Opponent: Professor Jan van der Veen, TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Custos: Associate Professor Marko Keskinen, Aalto University School of Engineering, Department of Built Environment

Exploring how interdisciplinarity introduces complexities to higher education—and how these complexities spark transformative learning

As today’s global challenges become more complex, universities are rethinking how they can educate students to create more real-world impact. In engineering education, students are expected not just to drive technological innovation but also to critically engage with the broader consequences these innovations bring. As such, interdisciplinary education, bringing together educators and students from different fields, is on the rise. Its goal is to help students expand their worldviews, confront assumptions, and develop new ways of thinking and working. However, for educators, it remains challenging to implement and evaluate because of various understandings of interdisciplinarity and diverse teaching and learning practices.

This doctoral thesis explores how interdisciplinary education is experienced by both university educators and students. Through qualitative interviews and the lens of transformative learning theory, it uncovers different kinds of disorienting dilemmas that shape the complexities of interdisciplinary education. These dilemmas stem from differing conceptualisations of interdisciplinarity, variations in course design and teaching methods, and differences in how students collaborate. Rather than seeing these dilemmas as barriers, the thesis shows how they can trigger transformative learning when educators and students engage with these dilemmas, cognitively, emotionally, and socially.

Using multidimensional learning theory, the thesis identifies strategies for navigating these complexities, such as connecting knowledge across fields, fostering intrinsic motivation, co-teaching, and peer learning. These strategies highlight how people can grow intellectually, affectively, and socially from dilemmatic experiences in interdisciplinary environments.

A further contribution of the study is the introduction of interdisciplinary pedagogical content knowledge (iPCK), a concept capturing the pedagogical knowledge educators need. By contextualising educator competencies in interdisciplinary education, the thesis provides insights for faculty development, emphasising collaborative teaching and reflective practice.

Ultimately, this thesis reveals how interdisciplinary education can be a transformative experience for both educators and students, when its inherent complexities are recognised, embraced and thoughtfully navigated.
 
Keywords: interdisciplinary education, transformative learning, engineering education, problem-based learning

Thesis available for public display 10 days prior to the defence at Aaltodoc. 

Contact information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiaoqi-feng-75312915a/; xiaoqi.feng@aalto.fi