Interdisciplinarity as a path to inclusivity in the engineering classroom : a design-based research approach

Engineering as a professional practice frequently involves multifaceted, interdisciplinary teams addressing complex problems. Consequently there is increasing demand on engineering education, which is often constrained by strict discipline boundaries, to equip students with the necessary competencies to contribute effectively inmultidisciplinary contexts. This paper introduces one approach to reducing these boundaries and describes the theoretical basis for, and the design of, an interdisciplinary project-based subject presented at third year level, where students from a range ofdisciplines worked together on a real-world project. It addresses some of the challenges and issues experienced and discusses possible ways forward in introducing interdisciplinarity into an engineering curriculum.