Coordinating and implementing a graduate course on interdisciplinary modeling for water-related issues

摘要

The science and management of water-related issues is inherentlyinterdisciplinary, involving hydrology, atmospheric science, water quality,geochemistry, sociology, economics, environmental science, and ecology. Althoughthese issues are increasingly being addressed in an interdisciplinary manner,education and training in interdisciplinary approaches in higher education facechallenges that include: engaging faculty from different disciplines to teach a course,attracting students from different disciplines to participate in a course, and findingeffective teaching approaches that work for diverse academic backgrounds. Agraduate-level course on interdisciplinary modeling for water-related issues wasrecently offered by 17 faculty from three institutions with an overall objective ofengaging interdisciplinary discourse in modeling aquatic ecosystems. Students wereintroduced to models available in different disciplines and how such models might beapplied together to address water-related issues, and issues in implementinginterdisciplinary approaches. Students also worked in interdisciplinary teams toapply interdisciplinary modeling approaches. This presentation describes thedevelopment, implementation, and outcomes of the course, including some of thechallenges, rewards, and lessons learned.