In contrast with most academic departments, interdisciplinary programs lack automatic identity, clear space, or curricular territory, and motivation is closely linked to program success. This includes motivation of students in class and outside of class, of contributing faculty, of administrators, and of societal peer groups, such as professional…

In one state university, an administrator, working closely with a small group of faculty, established a classroom research group which built on the successes and visibility of an existing campuswide faculty development program. The group won colleague acceptance by fostering interaction and cooperation across disciplines and following a patient…

Use of problem-based learning in a large upper-division general education class at McMaster University (Canada) provides opportunities for students to identify and practice skills for inquiry into societal problems and solutions. Classroom techniques and processes preserve the essence of problem-based learning despite the fact that the class is…

In its use of complex, real-world problems to introduce concepts and motivate learning in an active and cooperative learning environment, problem-based learning is a powerful alternative to the passive lecture in introductory college science. Use of technology and multimedia instruction, focus on large classes, and use of interdisciplinary…