Beyond Disciplinary Boundaries: How Interdisciplinary Teaching Relates to Faculty Pedagogical Practices across Disciplinary Contexts

• In Event: Faculty as Teacher-Scholars

Abstract

While interdisciplinary teaching is widely advocated for improving student outcomes, little empirical research examines its relationship to effective teaching practices or how these relationships vary across disciplinary contexts. Using data from 925 faculty across 90 disciplines in the 2025 Faculty Survey of Student Engagement, this study investigates how interdisciplinary teaching relates to pedagogical practices. Findings suggest that faculty engage in interdisciplinary teaching similarly across most disciplinary contexts and that disciplinary contexts moderate the significant positive relationship between interdisciplinary teaching and effective teaching practices in only limited ways. Implications for faculty development focused on supporting specific disciplinary contexts while leveraging universal benefits of interdisciplinary approaches.

Authors

• Stephen Craig Hiller, Indiana University

• Thomas F. Nelson Laird, Indiana University

• Emily Braught, Indiana University

• Kyle Beyersdorf, Indiana University Bloomington