Innovative interdisciplinary education platform sprouting at University College Utrecht

A consortium led by University College Utrecht teacher Jocelyn Ballantyne receives a grant from the Utrecht Incentive Fund (USO) for a new interfaculty platform for interdisciplinary education.

The Utrecht Interdisciplinary Education Platform is one of the six selected teacher-driven innovation projects that USO is making possible so as to give an extra impulse for innovation in Academic Education.

In order to continue innovating and improving its education, Utrecht University annually makes money available for innovative projects that help boost the development of academic education. The further five projects focus on education for professionals, laboratory education, learning analytics, intercultural competencies and selection.

Bringing together Utrecht University teachers working on interdisciplinary education is the focus of this project. A virtual knowledge platform will be developed where interdisciplinary initiatives at the university are perpetuated and endorsed.

The proposed activities of this platform are:

• A toolkit for teachers, including space to share interdisciplinary practices and outcomes, and e-learning modules for developing and evaluating interdisciplinary education
• A network that supports interdisciplinary and interfaculty teaching and co-tutoring
• Resources for students and their advisors to help students explore opportunities for interdisciplinary learning.

The past three years, project leader Jocelyn Ballantyne joined the forces with the Faculty of Humanities in the project Community-Based Research for the Humanities, also financed by USO. She is excited about the opportunity the new project brings to continue to work together with others in Utrecht University’s wider teaching community: “It is really rewarding for to work with engaged teachers in creating something new for teachers and students.”