The State of the Empirical Evidence for Interdisciplinary Learning Outcomes in Higher Education: A Systematic Review

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Oudenampsen, et al. / The State of the Empirical Evidence 1 The Review of Higher Education Volume xx, No. x, pp. 1–XXX Copyright © 202X Association for the Study of Higher Education All Rights Reserved (ISSN 0162–5748) Jessica Oudenampsen is a PhD candidate at Radboudumc and Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Her research addresses the development and learning outcomes of interdisciplinary education, with a special focus on interdisciplinary learning in healthcare communication . Please send responses to j.oudenampsen@uu.nl https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2722-324X Enny Das is Professor at the Department of Language and Communication at the Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands. She has a chair in communication and persuasion. Her research addresses communication and its effect on behavior, with a special focus on healthcare communication. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0367-6757 Nicole Blijlevens is a Professor at the Department of Hematology at Radboudumc Medical Center Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Her research addresses personalized supportive care to reduce side effects of cancer therapy. She is an MD and PhD in internal medicine and Head of the Department of Hematology (Radboudumc). https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1801-2072 Marjolein H.J. van de Pol is a Professor in well-being and vitality of students with emphasis on education. She is also Director of Medicine Studies (Radboudumc) and general practitioner. Her research addresses training programs aimed at increasing well-being and vitality. She is interested in educational involvement, including projects in interdisciplinary education. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0977-7954 The State of the Empirical Evidence for Interdisciplinary Learning Outcomes in Higher Education: A Systematic Review Jessica Oudenampsen, Enny Das, Nicole Blijlevens & Marjolein H.J. van de Pol 2 The Review of Higher Education 202X Abstract: This review systematically synthesizes empirical evidence on learning outcomes of interdisciplinary learning. A meta-synthesis approach was used to synthesize data in two rounds, based on strict (n = 38) versus more lenient (n = 60) operationalizations of interdisciplinary learning. The results revealed a variety of interdisciplinary learning outcomes that were categorized into three overarching themes: 1) academic and disciplinary engagement, 2) metacognitive skills, and 3) perspective taking skills. Process results revealed that empirical evidence in the field is still in its infancy. The findings of this review can be considered as a starting point for the further operationalization of interdisciplinary learning outcomes, so that robust evidence for various aspects of interdisciplinary learning can be collected, and compared with other forms of learning such as cross or transdisciplinary learning. Keywords: Interdisciplinary education, interdisciplinary collaboration, student outcomes, higher education The complex challenges of the 21st century transcend disciplinary knowledge . To prepare students to respond to interrelated economic, social, scientific , political, and ethical aspects of societal issues in their future careers, an interdisciplinary educational approach in higher education is becoming increasingly important. For example, the current environmental problems require the interconnection of socio-political, socio-economic, and biological aspects. Similarly, problems related to financing healthcare exceed the medical realm and require perspectives from other disciplines (i.e., economics , management, ethics, psychology, and law). Moreover, in order to attain more sustainable states of society, cultural worldviews need to change, and interdisciplinary collaboration is vital to reach that goal (Sterling, 2010). There is a general consensus in the literature that interdisciplinary learning and teaching can support students to respond fully to complex 21st century challenges by developing creative and innovative problem-solving methods (Howlett et al., 2016; Spelt et al., 2009; Warburton, 2003). Interdisciplinary learning has the potential to create perspective changes in students (Howlett et al., 2016; Wals & Jickling, 2002). Although there is converging support for the importance of interdisciplinarity in higher education, empirical evidence on the specific outcomes and impact of interdisciplinary learning lag behind (Falcus et al., 2019; Filipe et al., 2018; Jones, 2010; Newell, 1992; Noy et al., 2017). As mentioned in the literature (Newell, 1992), claims for interdisciplinary education are seldom supported by anything more than anecdotes, impressions, and a priori reasoning. There is an increasing focus on defining and operationalizing interdisciplinary research in the 21st century (Huutoniemi et al., 2010), yet research in the higher education sector has thus far provided little empirical support for interdisciplinary approaches that contribute to the understanding of...