Using interdisciplinary integration in the engineering/technology classroom to broaden student learning

Abstract

This paper focuses on an innovative program for undergraduate engineering and technology students. The Sun Devil Bridge Program (SDBP), which was developed by Arizona State University (ASU) and South Mountain Community College in 1993, has served as an important model of integration. Interdisciplinary integration is another important way to help broaden student learning. Unlike the "traditional" method of teaching individual subjects, this method expands the range of learning and forces students to question compartmentalized, bold divisions between subject matter areas. Further, interdisciplinary education shows students, by example, that integration of material is a natural process. This is particularly important for students since industry leaders have already stressed that graduates need to be more versatile and better able to integrate topics if they are to succeed in the workplace.