In short, transdisciplinarity involves an interaction between science and society. While interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary education looks at a problem from various academic perspectives, the strength of transdisciplinary education lies in bridging the gap beyond science to engage with societal partners.
Dr Luca Consoli describes it as a paradox: "We expect the future generation of researchers to work in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary ways, while most education still predominantly occurs within a single discipline." This is not to say that nothing is happening within the faculty; there are indeed many examples of multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and, yes, transdisciplinary education. However, with the establishment of the new institute, this type of education now has its own administrative and hierarchical position within the faculty. Luca Consoli explains, "The ingredients were already there; we are a multidisciplinary faculty with multiple education institutes with a lot of collaborations. But now, with this new education institute, we have the mandate to systematically implement our vision of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary education."
Inter- & transdisciplinary masters
An excellent example of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary education, and also the first programme within the institute, is the new integrated Master's programme in Science Education. Students learn to approach their science subjects from a didactic perspective and do their internships with a societal partner, namely, a secondary school.
Hopefully, a second transdisciplinary Master’s will follow soon: the newly planned "Science for Sustainability," a collaboration between the Faculty of Science and Nijmegen School of Management, where students will apply a scientific perspective to address societal challenges related to sustainability.
In addition to the two Master's programmes, the institute will also oversee various faculty-wide courses, such as skill-based courses and career orientation.
Goals
As the director, Luca Consoli identifies two key goals for the near future: (1) standardising and re-evaluating faculty-wide courses and (2) better promoting the Educational Master’s, given the significant societal urgency regarding the shortage of science teachers. Consoli emphasises, "When standardising faculty-wide courses, I certainly do not mean creating uniformity. We are initially focused on re-evaluating: How does it currently work? What do we want? What can be improved? The main idea behind it is 'unity in diversity', shaping our education from a shared vision, taking into account the various disciplines and their needs."
Science for the future
"With this institute, we are truly putting interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary education on the map, and particularly at a science faculty, this is unique in the Netherlands. It directly aligns with the overarching societal mission of Radboud University. My dream would be for such a transdisciplinary approach to become a real unique selling point of our education. I hope students from all over the Netherlands see: this is where you need to be to develop into a versatile and boundary-pushing scientist that the world of tomorrow needs."
