The Impact of Integrated Student Experiences on Learning

Main Article Content

Jason R Wingert
Sally A Wasileski
Karin Peterson
Leah Greden Mathews
Amy Joy Lanou
David Clarke

Abstract

In a cluster of courses called Food for Thought, seven faculty from different departments (including Biology, Economics, Sociology, Chemistry, Health and Wellness, and Foreign Language) teach students about food information, food consumerism, nutrition and health. The classes all have a shared learning outcome focused on developing the student as an informed consumer of food.  Each semester, faculty teach a food-related course from their respective disciplinary perspective while also incorporating cross-course interactions that allow for both integration of disciplinary knowledge and student-to-student learning opportunities. Previous research demonstrated that this approach leads to student perceptions of learning gains (Authors, 2011). Building on that work, this research directly assesses student learning in the Food for Thought cluster. The results demonstrate that exposure to multiple disciplines covering a shared topic enhances learning through greater student ability to integrate diverse forms of knowledge and to see an issue from multiple perspectives. These findings demonstrate the value of multidisciplinary learning opportunities for students.

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How to Cite
Wingert, J. R., Wasileski, S. A., Peterson, K., Greden Mathews, L., Lanou, A. J., & Clarke, D. (2014). The Impact of Integrated Student Experiences on Learning. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 14(1), 42–58. https://doi.org/10.14434/josotl.v14i1.3938
Section
Articles
Author Biographies

Jason R Wingert, University of North Carolina Asheville

Assistant Professor

Health and Wellness

Sally A Wasileski, University of North Carolina Asheville

Associate Professor

Chemistry

Karin Peterson, University of North Carolina Asheville

Professor

Sociology

 

Leah Greden Mathews, University of North Carolina Asheville

Distinguished Professor

Economics

Amy Joy Lanou, University of North Carolina Asheville

Associate Professor

Health and Wellness

David Clarke, University of North Carolina Asheville

Associate Professor

Biology

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Enhancing integrative experiences: Evidence of student perceptions of learning gains from crosscourse interactions. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 11(3), 34-57.