Fostering Cross-Disciplinary Collaborations in Engineering Education

Fostering Cross-Disciplinary Collaborations in Engineering Education

What is this Research About?

Cross-disciplinary collaborations are essential in engineering education, as they integrate perspectives from engineering and social sciences to improve teaching and research. Traditional engineering research is often positivist, valuing quantitative data, whereas social sciences rely on diverse epistemologies. Previous studies suggest that engineering education benefits from interdisciplinary approaches, yet challenges such as communication barriers and discipline-specific norms persist. In this study, the researchers examined the characteristics of successful cross-disciplinary collaborations between engineers and non-engineers to understand how these partnerships form and what contributes to their success. 

What did the Researchers Do?

The researchers conducted interviews with 24 authors who had successfully collaborated on engineering education research published in the Journal of Engineering Education. The sample included engineers and non-engineers from diverse fields such as psychology, education, and public policy. Participants were asked about their experiences, including how they found collaborators, divided workload, and integrated disciplinary perspectives. The study used qualitative analysis to categorize collaboration approaches as either multidisciplinary (each discipline working separately) or interdisciplinary (actively integrating perspectives).  

What did the Researchers Find?

The study found that successful collaborations were based on shared respect for different disciplines and an openness to learning. Engineers often initiated collaborations, seeking expertise from social scientists to address educational challenges. The most effective partnerships were interdisciplinary, involving meaningful integration rather than simply dividing work. These collaborations resulted in higher satisfaction and higher-quality research outputs. However, institutional barriers such as tenure requirements and differing publication standards sometimes discourage interdisciplinary work. Despite these challenges, many researchers found that cross-disciplinary work broadened their perspectives and improved their teaching and research.  

→ How to Implement this Research in Your Classroom

Instructors can foster interdisciplinary learning by encouraging engineering students to engage with diverse perspectives. One way to implement this research is by integrating interdisciplinary teamwork into coursework, allowing students to collaborate with peers from education or social sciences. Additionally, faculty should seek out partnerships with colleagues from different disciplines to enhance teaching strategies and develop research projects. Institutions can support these efforts by recognizing interdisciplinary work in promotion and tenure decisions. Encouraging openness to multiple epistemologies can lead to richer learning experiences and better problem-solving skills for students.  

→  Citation

Citation: Borrego, M., & Newswander, L. K. (2008). Characteristics of successful cross-disciplinary engineering education collaborations. Journal of Engineering Education, 97(2), 123-134. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2008.tb00962.x 

→  Keywords

  • Interdisciplinary collaboration
  • Engineering education
  • Epistemology
  • Teaching strategies
  • Faculty development  

Creative Commons by logo This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Canada License

Snapshot Writer: Julia Billings

Snapshot Publication Date: 2025

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