Academic Crossover

The college teacher typically knows what resources
to search to keep up with advances in his or her own
field but often does not know the best resources to
examine to keep abreast of what is happening in
bordering disciplines. We expect our students not only
to be conversant with the major theories and research
findings in our own field, but also to coordinate this
information with what they learn in courses in other
fields. Yet we may not always be able to provide
proper learning support for this demand. The same
terms may be used in several fields but with very
different meanings. So how do instructors find out
about current concepts and trends in adjacent disci-
plines and help students cope with what sometimes
seems like conflicting information?

Informal conversations with colleagues in related
disciplines are typically stimulating and instructive but
prone to interruptions. In addition, their spontaneous
nature creates the likelihood that many important
points or suggested readings will be forgotten. The
Academic Crossover Seminar was designed to resolve
some of these problems.

Preparations

First, a general topic and set of participants from
related academic disciplines were selected. We chose
the title “Cognitive Development: Basic Perspectives
and Intervention Strategies” to summarize the interests
and expertise of the participants. We decided that (1)
three participants would be an excellent number,
preventing the formation of subgroups and assuring
relatively equal participation from all members; (2) the
meeting should be one day in length; and (3) a site
away from campus would reduce interruptions.

One participant volunteered to act as information
coordinator before and during the seminar. In prepara-
tion for the workshop, each participant was asked to
write a philosophy statement, essentially presenting
his/her approach to the seminar topic. These state-
ments, circulated prior to or at the start of the meeting,
ultimately served as a starting point for our discussion.
Also, each prepared a brief bibliography or annotated
bibliography of worthwhile works—a “suggested
reading list” for post-seminar discussion.

 

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The Seminar

Four hours was a reasonable amount of time for
discussion of the seminar topic. The first hours of the
seminar were spent defining concepts included in our
philosophy statements. We often found the different
disciplines in agreement on principles but in disagree-
ment regarding the meaning of certain terms. On the
rare occasions when our attention started to drift off
topic or discussion bogged down, a review of the
minutes brought us back on-line.

A summary of the seminar was prepared and
included the philosophy statements and bibliographics
provided by each group member. (Early on, everyone
was free to review the summary, correcting any misin-
terpretations of seminar discussions.) Each participant
was provided a copy of the complete proceedings,
making review of seminar discussions and coordination
with new information more easily negotiated.

Summary

The original seminar stimulated numerous follow-
up conversations, clarified our thinking with respect to
the views of related disciplines, and gave us a broader
perspective on the issues. Ultimately, we came toa
better understanding of our seminar topic. In addition,
we learned about research in other fields and developed
several new research ideas to be carried out later.
Coming as it did, a few weeks before the beginning of
fall term, our Academic Crossover Seminar also served
to raise enthusiasm for the prospect of the coming
school year and the opportunity to apply what we had
learned to our own classes.

Kathleen K. Biersdorff, Psychology, Red Deer College

Linda J. Butler Dunn, Special Education, University of
Calgary and Horizon School for the Mentally
Handicapped

Karen Whitlie, Early Childhood Consultant, Educational
Policy and Administration, University of Calgary

For further information, contact the first author at Red
Deer College, Box 505, Red Deer, Alberta, CANADA
T4N 5H5.

 

  

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THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STAFF AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (NISOD)
Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austin