Resumen de Potential for Chemistry in Multidisciplinary, Interdisciplinary, and Transdisciplinary Teaching Activities in Higher Education
John G. Hardy, Stephanie Sdepanian, Alison F. Stowell, Amal D. Aljohani, Michael J. Allen, Ayaz Anwar, Dik Barton, John V. Baum, David Bird, Adam Blaney, Liz Brewster, David Cheneler, Olga Efremova, Michael Entwistle, Reza N. Esfahani, Melike Firlak, Alex Foito, Leandro Forciniti, Sydney A. Geissler, Feng Guo, Rania M. Hathout, Richard Jiang, Punarja Kevin, David Leese, Wan Li Low, Sarah Mayes, Masoud Mozafari, Samuel T. Murphy, Hieu Nguyen, Chifundo N. M. Ntola, George Okafo, Adam Partington, Thomas A.K. Prescott, Stephen P. Price, Sherif Soliman, Papri Sutar, David Townend, Patrick Trotter, Karen L. Wright
For some professionally, vocationally, or technically oriented careers, curricula delivered in higher education establishments may focus on teaching material related to a single discipline. By contrast, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary teaching (MITT) results in improved affective and cognitive learning and critical thinking, offering learners/students the opportunity to obtain a broad general knowledge base. Chemistry is a discipline that sits at the interface of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) subjects (and those aligned with or informed by STEMM subjects). This article discusses the significant potential of inclusion of chemistry in MITT activities in higher education and the real-world importance in personal, organizational, national, and global contexts. It outlines the development and implementation challenges attributed to legacy higher education infrastructures (that call for creative visionary leadership with strong and supportive management and administrative functions), and curriculum design that ensures inclusivity and collaboration and is pitched and balanced appropriately. It concludes with future possibilities, notably highlighting that chemistry, as a discipline, underpins industries that have multibillion dollar turnovers and employ millions of people across the world.
