“I Learned How to Think, Not What to Think.” Student Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Honours Programme
The Arts and Science Honours Academy (ASHA) is a unique interdisciplinary undergraduate honours programme at a large research-intensive university in Canada. Data were collected in early 2020 from 108 past and present students, representing the first eleven cohorts of the programme. Triangulating r...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education
2024-08-01
|
| Series: | Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/cjsotl_rcacea/article/view/14311 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850268260142940160 |
|---|---|
| author | Jenny Godley Lori Jane Pasaraba Megan Wilson Mabel Teye-Kau Mark Migotti |
| author_facet | Jenny Godley Lori Jane Pasaraba Megan Wilson Mabel Teye-Kau Mark Migotti |
| author_sort | Jenny Godley |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
The Arts and Science Honours Academy (ASHA) is a unique interdisciplinary undergraduate honours programme at a large research-intensive university in Canada. Data were collected in early 2020 from 108 past and present students, representing the first eleven cohorts of the programme. Triangulating results from quantitative and qualitative analyses, we describe the ASHA students’ educational and social experience during their time at university and, for those who have graduated, their post-graduate activities. Situating our investigation within previous literature examining interdisciplinary undergraduate learning communities and high impact practices, we assess whether students from arts and science disciplines experienced the programme differently, and which aspects of the programme were most impactful. We find that academically, students reported benefiting from the exposure to interdisciplinary thought, the opportunity to do research, and the study abroad requirement. Socially, students reported benefiting from the connections they formed with a small cohort of high achieving peers from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. While science students reported benefitting the most from ASHA socially, arts students were more likely to indicate that the programme influenced their careers following graduation. These findings provide evidence to support the creation and design of future interdisciplinary undergraduate programmes.
|
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-890ce8a41b5e4d2b8c4ead12a048b158 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1918-2902 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-08-01 |
| publisher | Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning |
| spelling | doaj-art-890ce8a41b5e4d2b8c4ead12a048b1582025-08-20T01:53:31ZengSociety for Teaching and Learning in Higher EducationCanadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning1918-29022024-08-0115210.5206/cjsotlrcacea.2024.2.14311“I Learned How to Think, Not What to Think.” Student Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Honours ProgrammeJenny Godley0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0421-2559Lori Jane Pasaraba1https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9791-5158Megan Wilson2https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9546-6782Mabel Teye-Kau3Mark Migotti4Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of CalgaryUniversity of CalgaryUniversity of CalgaryUniversity of CalgaryUniversity of Calgary The Arts and Science Honours Academy (ASHA) is a unique interdisciplinary undergraduate honours programme at a large research-intensive university in Canada. Data were collected in early 2020 from 108 past and present students, representing the first eleven cohorts of the programme. Triangulating results from quantitative and qualitative analyses, we describe the ASHA students’ educational and social experience during their time at university and, for those who have graduated, their post-graduate activities. Situating our investigation within previous literature examining interdisciplinary undergraduate learning communities and high impact practices, we assess whether students from arts and science disciplines experienced the programme differently, and which aspects of the programme were most impactful. We find that academically, students reported benefiting from the exposure to interdisciplinary thought, the opportunity to do research, and the study abroad requirement. Socially, students reported benefiting from the connections they formed with a small cohort of high achieving peers from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds. While science students reported benefitting the most from ASHA socially, arts students were more likely to indicate that the programme influenced their careers following graduation. These findings provide evidence to support the creation and design of future interdisciplinary undergraduate programmes. https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/cjsotl_rcacea/article/view/14311honoursinterdisciplinaryhigh impact practiceslearning communitymixed methods |
| spellingShingle | Jenny Godley Lori Jane Pasaraba Megan Wilson Mabel Teye-Kau Mark Migotti “I Learned How to Think, Not What to Think.” Student Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Honours Programme Canadian Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning honours interdisciplinary high impact practices learning community mixed methods |
| title | “I Learned How to Think, Not What to Think.” Student Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Honours Programme |
| title_full | “I Learned How to Think, Not What to Think.” Student Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Honours Programme |
| title_fullStr | “I Learned How to Think, Not What to Think.” Student Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Honours Programme |
| title_full_unstemmed | “I Learned How to Think, Not What to Think.” Student Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Honours Programme |
| title_short | “I Learned How to Think, Not What to Think.” Student Perspectives on an Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Honours Programme |
| title_sort | i learned how to think not what to think student perspectives on an interdisciplinary undergraduate honours programme |
| topic | honours interdisciplinary high impact practices learning community mixed methods |
| url | https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/cjsotl_rcacea/article/view/14311 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jennygodley ilearnedhowtothinknotwhattothinkstudentperspectivesonaninterdisciplinaryundergraduatehonoursprogramme AT lorijanepasaraba ilearnedhowtothinknotwhattothinkstudentperspectivesonaninterdisciplinaryundergraduatehonoursprogramme AT meganwilson ilearnedhowtothinknotwhattothinkstudentperspectivesonaninterdisciplinaryundergraduatehonoursprogramme AT mabelteyekau ilearnedhowtothinknotwhattothinkstudentperspectivesonaninterdisciplinaryundergraduatehonoursprogramme AT markmigotti ilearnedhowtothinknotwhattothinkstudentperspectivesonaninterdisciplinaryundergraduatehonoursprogramme |