Interdisciplinary Toolkit

(*Requires about 1 hr)

Why?

This exercise is about learning about your colleagues and the differences and similarities between the disciplines you all come from. It is aimed at getting partners within a project familiar with what another discipline does and its values, expectations and possibly methods.

It will not give them a comprehensive overview but will allow communication lines to be opened within a project to understanding that not everyone approaches research, or particular research problems, in the same way.

Often this exercise is one which people are uncomfortable with, but it has great potential for highlighting key differences and mis/preconceptions about other disciplinary areas.

So….

Within your team partner up with one person from a different discipline to your own.

Spend the next 20 minutes taking it turn (10mins per person) to ask the following questions and recording the answers:

Questions (you can add/ask more if you like)

The discipline you are based in and how you construct that discipline:
• Which discipline are you based in?
• What does it study?
• What is constituted as evidence?
• What kind of methods do you use?
• Do you work alone or in a team?
• What kind of applications are made from your research? What is its ‘impact’?

Your disciplinarity & expertise:
• Would you call the discipline you are based in your disciplinary home?
• If not, why not?
• Aside from the discipline you are based in, who/what else do you represent through your work?
• What would you say are your areas of expertise?
• How does this expertise fit with the discipline you are based in?

Once the time is up each person must report back to the rest of the team about their disciplinary partner and what they do!

Others can ask questions and for more information to encourage a discussion amongst the group.