Complex Systems, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, and Institutional Renewal

Autor/inn/en	Plank, Jeffrey; Feldon, David; Sherman, William; Elliot, Jennifer
Titel	Complex Systems, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, and Institutional Renewal
Quelle	In: Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 43 (2011) 3, S.35-43 (9 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0009-1383
Schlagwörter	Research Universities; Cooperation; College Faculty; Higher Education; Evaluation; Case Studies; Models; Virginia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Forschungseinrichtung; Co-operation; Kooperation; Fakultät; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Evaluierung; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Analogiemodell
Abstract	Research-intensive universities enjoy--or suffer--a paradoxical reputation: They are thought to be dedicated to both cutting-edge research and to the preservation of the canon. They are seen as broad and diverse communities of scholars with a vibrant collective intellectual life, yet also as silos of disciplinary entrenchment. Most significantly, they are thought of as places where the complex problems of the society are studied intensely but from which solutions are rarely forthcoming. And those contradictions do indeed exist inside most research universities. They typically have formal infrastructures to promote collaboration and innovation, as well as external sources of research funding to encourage interdisciplinary efforts that have the potential for major breakthroughs. However, the incentive structures that are in place for individual faculty members are firmly grounded in the assessment of their reputations within and their impact on established fields of study, as reflected chiefly through publication in disciplinary journals. There is no consensus regarding the most fair or effective means of evaluating faculty work that does not fall within a traditional scholarly paradigm. Interdisciplinary scholarship also is hard to do. The boundaries of a problem and the appropriate tools for investigating it are undetermined. Collaborators from different disciplines may lack a common conceptual framework or a common vocabulary for grappling with a problem of shared interest. Indeed, the larger and more diverse an interdisciplinary group is, the less likely they are to come together or endure as a cohesive and productive entity. Even if these gaps are bridged, a successful outcome to an intrinsically challenging, real-life problem is far from certain. In light of the number and diversity of factors that hinder successful interdisciplinary collaboration, it is remarkable when they succeed. But the UVA Bay Game--an ongoing collaboration at the University of Virginia among faculty members from nine schools--has bucked the odds. In this article, the authors examine the history and evolution of this project as an emerging success story to highlight the components that have been instrumental to its durability and productivity, in the hope that it can provide a model for similar efforts elsewhere. (ERIC).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10