Shaping an Interdisciplinary Curriculum Design Framework

Abstract

Globally, the world has faced with successive waves of disruption from Industry 4.0 to COVID-19 pandemic and more recently, the pervasion of artificial intelligence. These disruptions necessitate higher education institutions to rethink their educational policies and curricula to enhance their students and graduates’ competencies and in preparing them for the world of the future. Higher education institutions have taken the bold step to experiment with interdisciplinary curricula in offering study programs that cut across related and unrelated disciplines. Interdisciplinary curriculum is designed with real-life experiences and actual context where students can gain a deeper understanding of the world as well as to create connection between their learning with a meaningful and higher purpose. This paper attempts to investigate how interdisciplinary programs transform students’ learning and experience through analyzing the critical theories and good practices. It aims to recommend a framework to aid Vietnamese institutions and teachers in their professional development.