| Unit name | Interdisciplinary Research and Practice |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MGRCM0057 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Sotiris Lalaounis |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | University of Bristol Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
Interdisciplinary Research and Practice is a foundation unit that will focus on making connections between the disciplinary parts of our interdisciplinary programmes. The unit will conceptually explore what we mean by disciplines, and the variety of ways in which disciplines can communicate and inform each other. We will draw on current interdisciplinary projects taking place at the University of Bristol, demonstrating how disciplines can work together to solve contemporary societal, economic and environmental challenges. The unit is co-developed and co-taught by academics from across the University (design, engineering, arts, business). You will be encouraged to reflect on your own disciplinary knowledges and develop listening and collaborative learning skills. This unit also incorporates research training in preparation for TB3 projects and includes a summative research proposal. The unit prepares you to work with others from different disciplines, preparing them for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work within and beyond academia.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit will be a fundamental part of your interdisciplinary programme, enhancing and supporting your interdisciplinary skills. This unit establishes key competencies in interdisciplinary work, using real cases to illustrate the rewards and challenges of interdisciplinary research and practice. It will prepare you for your applied project in TB3, including some research training and production of a research proposal. You will reflect on your own learning journey and interdisciplinary practice. The unit will support you in how they integrate and evidence your interdisciplinary skills in your CV.
An overview of content
This unit combines conceptual and practical learning around interdisciplinary research and how it can be used in practice. As it is co-developed and co-taught by a diverse, interdisciplinary team, it brings together expertise and perspectives from across the University of Bristol. The unit begins with understanding disciplines and disciplinary boundaries, to understand conceptually how disciplines are established and create communities of practice. The unit then works with you to deconstruct this, to work on how disciplinary boundaries can be overcome. As the unit progresses you will focus on how interdisciplinarity is practiced within and beyond academia. Current research projects at the University will be used to illustrate how disciplines can come together to solve grand challenges. You will reflect on your own learning and the unit will include content on employability and interdisciplinarity.
How will students, personally, be different as result of the unit
Upon completing this unit, you will have developed an open mindset. You will be self-reflective of your own approach to knowledge, learning and practice and will have deeper awareness of others’ knowledges and practices. They will gain insight into how interdisciplinary work can enhance problem-solving and will be able to critically evaluate the interconnection and communication between different ideas and methodologies. You will apply your conceptual learning in practice, developing understanding of how and why interdisciplinary approaches are of value to business and society.
Learning outcomes
Upon completing this unit, you will be able to:
ILO1 – critically reflect on your own disciplinary background, knowledge, learning and practice
ILO2 – work collaboratively with others from different disciplinary backgrounds
ILO3 – apply interdisciplinary concepts in practice
ILO4 – formulate research questions and design appropriate interdisciplinary data collection strategies, preparing them for roles that require strategic thinking and problem-solving.
The teaching method will be centred around a 3-hour lectorial session each week for ten weeks. The lectorial contains a combination of lectures and seminars.
Lectures will introduce the concepts of disciplines and interdisciplinarity and outline different interdisciplinary approaches to research. These sessions will feature guest speakers from academia and industry who will speak about the benefits and challenges of interdisciplinarity, and how they use interdisciplinary approaches to solve grand challenges.
Seminars will focus on interactive and problem-based learning. During these sessions, you will engage in case studies where you will analyse real research projects and undertake practical exercises in which they work with others to break down disciplinary boundaries.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The reflective diary is an individual submission, and each student will be awarded an individual grade. In addition, each group will be awarded a grade for their presentation and a grade for their research proposal. These grades are group grades and awarded equally to all members of each group.
For the group presentation, each group should provide a work-log of each group member’s contribution to the presentation. For the research proposal, each group member should provide a 200-word reflection on their contribution to the research proposal. Tutors will adjust group marks to reflect the quality of individual performances where there is evidence through extremely uneven performance of a member not contributing appropriately.
When assessment does not go to plan
The re-assessment will take the same form as the original assessment: If you do not pass the reflective diary, the individual should resubmit the new diary (1,000 words). If you do not pass the presentation, you should submit a new slide deck and if you do not pass the research proposal, you should submit a new proposal (1,500 words).
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MGRCM0057).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
