Caroline, this sounds very much like what our Student Ambassador Network does as
part of our CETL work - there's 29 of them, from 26 departments, and they work
in a number of ways - all group discussions are just one, they've also got
special interest groups on a number of topics. We've also just set up a
collaborative research project with mature students in our Institute for
Lifelong Learning, which is part of the School of Education, but encompasses a
wide range of part-time modules (Archaeology, Creative writing, Project
Management), so I guess that would be comparable too.

What we found in our student ambassador network is how quickly disciplinarian
thinking becomes embedded - even first years talking to each other had the
approach that particular types of teaching and learning would 'just not work'
in their discipline - fortunately, what we also found was that that the
students were very quick in breaking down barriers and engage in thinking
potentially previously alien to their discipline. The network exists since
2006, so we've got quite a bit to share, I think - do get in touch if you've
got specific questions, or if your colleague does :o)

HTH,

Sabine

Quoting "Cash, Caroline" <[log in to unmask]>:

> Hello,
> 
> Does anyone have any experience or theoretical underpinning to setting
> up a transdiciplinary discussion forum for students to extend critical
> and analytical thinking and debate? 
> 
> A colleague has been awarded a learning & teaching fellowship to set up
> such a discussion forum, initially face-to-face. The aim is to provide
> space for students to interact with peers who are studying other
> disciplines and facilitate socio-educational opportunities for
> cross-discipline discourse ... breaking down the silo ways of thinking.
> The forum is intended to provide a space for students and staff to share
> thoughts, debate issues, generate and explore ideas which extendes
> academic understand from different disciplinary perspectives, e.g.
> stimulated by a particular work of art, text, music, current issues etc.
> Although this happens within courses, this is not intended to be an
> extension of existing seminars, but to engender lively
> cross-disciplinary debate. 
> 
> The project is called "border crossings" and builds on existing
> instances of students having such discussion e.g. with house-mates etc,
> but we want to extend this and encourage a return to the heady days of
> political/education/social discourse.
> 
> Is this unrealistic?!
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Caroline
> 
> Caroline Cash
> Course Leader PGCHE
> Research Fellow Learning & Teaching
> University College Falmouth
> [log in to unmask]
> 01326 214390
> 
> 


-- 
Dr Sabine Little
Learning Development and Research Associate (Networked Learning)
CILASS: Centre for Inquiry-based Learning in the Arts and Social Sciences
University of Sheffield
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Tel: +44 (0)114 222 5274
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