TY - JOUR
T1 - Longitudinal perspectives of faculty and students on benefits and barriers to transdisciplinary graduate education
T2 - Program assessment and institutional recommendations
AU - Keck, Anna Sigrid
AU - Sloane, Stephanie
AU - Liechty, Janet M.
AU - Paceley, Megan S.
AU - Donovan, Sharon M.
AU - Bost, Kelly K.
AU - McBride, Brent A.
AU - Fiese, Barbara H.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture under the under the Illinois Transdisciplinary Obesity Prevention Program (I-TOPP) grant (2011-67001-30101) to the Division of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The authors would like to thank members of the I-TOPP Evaluation and Assessment Committee, and students and faculty for their participation in this ongoing evaluation. A conference abstract based on preliminary findings of this study was published by Donovan et al. (2013) in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 45, S80. DOI:10.1016/j.jneb.2013.04.212.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Author(s).
PY - 2017/12/1
Y1 - 2017/12/1
N2 - Addressing complex societal problems, such as childhood obesity, requires transdisciplinary (TD) approaches to reach effective solutions. However, TD doctoral training programs in academic settings are still relatively new, and little is known about the benefits and barriers of participation. This study sought to longitudinally assess benefits and barriers of a TD approach to doctoral education from the perspectives of students working towards a joint PhD/MPH degree and their faculty advisors. Results show that benefits across 5-years included greater collaboration and networking, enhanced guidance and support, broadened ways of thinking, and expanded opportunities. Barriers included time demands, complicated logistics, and tension between depth versus breadth of knowledge. Similarities and differences among students and faculty are discussed. Findings provide resources for both faculty and students considering involvement with TD doctoral education, as well as for institutions and academic programs seeking to promote TD training and team science.
AB - Addressing complex societal problems, such as childhood obesity, requires transdisciplinary (TD) approaches to reach effective solutions. However, TD doctoral training programs in academic settings are still relatively new, and little is known about the benefits and barriers of participation. This study sought to longitudinally assess benefits and barriers of a TD approach to doctoral education from the perspectives of students working towards a joint PhD/MPH degree and their faculty advisors. Results show that benefits across 5-years included greater collaboration and networking, enhanced guidance and support, broadened ways of thinking, and expanded opportunities. Barriers included time demands, complicated logistics, and tension between depth versus breadth of knowledge. Similarities and differences among students and faculty are discussed. Findings provide resources for both faculty and students considering involvement with TD doctoral education, as well as for institutions and academic programs seeking to promote TD training and team science.
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U2 - 10.1057/s41599-017-0027-y
DO - 10.1057/s41599-017-0027-y
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85038415240
VL - 3
JO - Palgrave Communications
JF - Palgrave Communications
SN - 2055-1045
IS - 1
M1 - 27
ER -