Institutionalisation of an undergraduate transdisciplinary curriculum
By Jack Tsao, Gray Kochhar-Lindgren, Adrian Man Ho Lam
About
This paper explores the implementation and institutionalisation of transdisciplinary education (TDE) in higher education, focusing on the Common Core (CC) curriculum at The University of Hong Kong as a case study.
Key findings and contributions
- Provides an empirical analysis of how the CC has actively engaged faculty, students, and administrators and takes advantage of disciplines, enrolling over 200,000 students and engaging hundreds of faculty members, since its implementation in 2012 to 2024.
- Highlights the importance of thematic integration within curriculum design, central funding commitments to incentivise faculties engagement, the allocation of space and timetables, and responsive policies and processes to capture the desires of students and faculty that support and sustain TDE initiatives.
- Theoretical contributions by drawing on Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s assemblage theory (deterritorialisation, coding, and refrains) to conceptualise the dynamic process of TDE institutionalisation.
Implications for practice or policy
- For higher education policymakers, leaders, and administrators, the model offers a framework for designing, implementing, and sustaining transdisciplinary curricula in research-intensive universities.
- It emphasises how TDE initiatives complement and thrive alongside disciplinary specialisations.
- Moreover, it demonstrates how TDE can be a sandbox platform for teaching and learning experimentation and creative innovation for teachers.
Publications:
Tsao, J., Kochhar-Lindgren, G. & Lam, A.M.H. (2024) Institutionalising a transdisciplinary curriculum: assemblages, territories, and refrains. Higher Education.