The Promise and Challenge of Integrating Multidisciplinary and Civically Engaged Learning

Abstract

Today’s students need to become specialists in their profession while also recognizing the blinders that specialization brings—they need both disciplinary and meta-disciplinary learning. Today’s universities need to innovate by providing an education responsive to contemporary demands. They also need to show their relevance to the broader publics they serve. This article critically assesses a teaching initiative that brings together existing courses from multiple disciplines working for public-oriented clients to collaborate on closely related problems. The Michigan Engaging Community through the Classroom initiative was designed to enhance students’ learning by making them smarter, more pragmatic, and wiser while simultaneously enhancing the university’s public service. This article assesses the promise and the challenges of such a complex initiative and summarizes preliminary findings from student and community partner evaluations. The initiative has been challenging to implement because of the faculty dedication it requires. Developing robust evaluations of student learning has proven difficult as well. We have found that when student, faculty, and partner expectations are raised but not fulfilled, frustrations run high. When coordination and collaboration align, however, student learning can be enriched and public service enhanced. The article concludes by discussing lessons learned and presenting models of collaboration developed in turn.