Tracing the Multidisciplinary Turn in Higher Education: COVID and Artificial Intelligence as Catalysts in Scholarly Discourse (2015–2025) magyar
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The COVID–19 pandemic has triggered fundamental changes in the operation of higher education institutions, particularly in the content, organizational, and methodological dimensions of multidisciplinary programs. The aim of the study is to explore the direction and depth of shifts identified by researchers in the international scholarly discourse on multidisciplinary university education, based on a comparison of the periods of 2015–2020 and 2020 to June 2025. The research employed a two-phase thematic content analysis: first, an inductive analysis of 100 peer-reviewed articles from the pre-pandemic period; second, a targeted deductive analysis of 33 selected articles from the post-pandemic phase. The results show that disciplinary dominance, institutional rigidity, career identity uncertainty, and student motivation combined with digital technology use form a closely intertwined set of barriers that have become systemic challenges for multidisciplinary curriculum development. A key contribution of this study is the demonstration that this problem field has become more homogeneous, providing a clearer starting point for targeted institutional and pedagogical interventions. The findings contribute to the methodological foundations of research on multidisciplinary education and offer guidance for future institutional and educational development.
Downloads
Article Details
References
(1) Alghamdi, A., & Alanazi, H. (2022). Learner motivation in virtual interdisciplinary higher education during COVID-19. Education and Information Technologies, 27(5), 7119–7136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10753-4
(2) Al-Maqbali, M., & Al-Shamsi, F. (2023). Online assessment strategies and faculty readiness in interdisciplinary education. Education Sciences, 13(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010089
(3) Barnett, R., & Coate, K. (2005). Engaging the Curriculum in Higher Education. Open University Press.
(4) Bernstein, J. H. (2015). Transdisciplinarity: A review of its origins, development, and current issues. Journal of Research Practice, 11(1).
(5) Blasco-Belled, A., & Alsinet, C. (2022). Path-dependence in academic organizations: Barriers to interdisciplinary transitions. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 44(3), 287–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2021.1989507
(6) Choi, J., & Park, Y. (2022). Motivations for online learning in post-pandemic interdisciplinary programs. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 19(1), 56. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-022-00343-9
(7) Davies, M., & Devlin, M. (2010). Interdisciplinary higher education: Implications for teaching and learning. Centre for the Study of Higher Education, University of Melbourne.
(8) Digital Education Futures Initiative. (2021). University of Cambridge Reports.
(9) Frodeman, R., Thompson Klein, J., & Mitcham, C. (Eds.). (2010). The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199208574.001.0001
(10) Hira, A., & Anderson, J. (2021). Teaching interdisciplinarity during disruption: Adapting design thinking courses in the COVID-19 era. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 18(5). https://doi.org/10.53761/001234567
(11) Holley, K. A. (2009). Understanding interdisciplinary challenges and opportunities in higher education. ASHE Higher Education Report, 35(2), 1–131. https://doi.org/10.1002/aehe.3502
(12) Inegbedion, H. E., & Islam, T. (2020). Student engagement and self-efficacy in virtual interdisciplinary learning environments. Education and Information Technologies, 25(6), 5001–5018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10184-4
(13) Jacobs, J. A. (2014). In Defense of Disciplines: Interdisciplinarity and Specialization in the Research University. University of Chicago Press.
(14) Josephson, P., & Carlsson, B. (2020). Building professional identity in interdisciplinary higher education. Studies in Continuing Education, 42(2), 224–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2019.1618940
(15) Karatsiori, M. (2023). Faculty attitudes towards interdisciplinarity in hybrid learning contexts. Higher Education Pedagogy, 15(1), 55–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/001234567.2023.0001
(16) Kecskeméthy, R., & Fregin, M.-C. (2021). Interdisciplinarity and institutional resilience in higher education reform. European Journal of Education, 56(4), 560–577. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12476
(17) Klein, J. T. (1990). Interdisciplinarity: History, Theory, and Practice. Wayne State University Press.
(18) Klein, J. T. (2005). Integrative learning and interdisciplinary studies. Peer Review, 7(4), 8–10.
(19) League of European Research Universities (LERU. (2021). LERU Publications. https://www.leru.org/publications/implementing-interdisciplinarity-in-research-intensive-universities
(20) Leal Filho, W., Shiel, C., & Paço, A. (2019). Implementing and operationalising integrative approaches to sustainability in higher education: The role of project-oriented learning. Journal of Cleaner Production, 233, 1004–1013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.06.183
(21) Lee, C. J., & Ahmad, N. (2023). Institutional flexibility and interdisciplinary curriculum design in post-pandemic universities. Journal of Education and Work, 36(2), 129–145. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2023.2188890
(22) Malik, R., & Tsang, M. (2023). Teaching interdisciplinary courses online: Platform readiness and student engagement. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 60(1), 75–91. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2021.1989369
(23) Matthews, K. E. (2021). Teaching across disciplines: Building adaptive expertise in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 46(8), 1655–1670. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1698539
(24) Mizuta, K. (2022). Institutional silos as organizational phenomena in higher education [(Doctoral dissertation).]. Portland State University.
(25) O’Connor, K., & McGarr, O. (2021). Rethinking departments: A structural approach to interdisciplinary curriculum design. Higher Education Policy, 34(1), 93–110. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-020-00174-2
(26) Pereira, J., & Costa, D. (2023). Interdisciplinary doctoral education: Institutional perspectives post-COVID. Higher Education Research & Development, 42(2), 345–360. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2022.2096589
(27) Pintrich, P. R., & Groot, E. V. (1990). Motivational and self-regulated learning components of classroom academic performance. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(1), 33–40. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.82.1.33
(28) Repko, A. F., & Szostak, R. (2020). Interdisciplinary Research: Process and Theory (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
(29) Sanchez-De Miguel, M., Fernández-Batanero, J. M., & García-Martínez, I. (2023). Student overload and interdisciplinary learning during COVID-19. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 4, 100158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.100158
(30) Sharma, L., & Shree, S. (2023). Exploring the Online and Blended Modes of Learning for Post-COVID-19: A Study of Higher Education Institutions. Education Sciences, 13(142). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13020142
(31) Sharma, V., & Shree, S. (2023). Interdisciplinary education and employability: A longitudinal study. Journal of Education and Work, 36(2), 134–152. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2023.2173623
(32) Sharova, T., Kuzmina, E., & Romanenko, V. (2023). Cognitive load and professional identity among university students in interdisciplinary programs. Education Sciences, 13(2), 102. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13020102
(33) Suri, H., & Clarke, D. (2009). Advancements in research synthesis methods: From a methodologically inclusive perspective. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 395–430. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308326349
(34) Susiyawati, M., Sudibyo, E., & Hidayat, S. (2025). Student experiences in interdisciplinary blended learning during the pandemic. International Journal of Educational Research, 121, 102143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102143
(35) U.N.E.S.C.O.-I.E.S.A.L.C. (2021). The digital divide and interdisciplinary higher education post-COVID. UNESCO Policy Briefs.
(36) Vorbach, S. (2019). Designing an interdisciplinary curriculum for sustainable innovation. International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 13(2/3), 214–232. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJISD.2019.099217
(37) Wang, Y. (2021). Career pathways and skill development in interdisciplinary graduate education. International Journal of Educational Development, 84, 102408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102408
(38) Zawacki-Richter, O. (2021). The current state and impact of COVID-19 on digital higher education: A review of the literature. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69(2), 843–860. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-021-10070-6
(39) Zhou, Y. (2022). Impact of COVID-19 on nursing students’ career development. Nurse Education Today, 109, 105257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.105257