AC 2011-994: WORKING AS A TEAM: ENHANCING INTERDISCIPLINAR- ITY FOR THE ENGINEER OF 2020 Lisa R. Lattuca, Pennsylvania State University, University Park Lois Calian Trautvetter, Northwestern University Lois Calian Trautvetter Assistant Professor of Education and Director, Higher Education Administration and Policy Program, Northwestern University,
[email protected] Dr. Trautvetter studies faculty development and productivity issues, including those that enhance teaching and research, motivation, and new and junior faculty development. She also studies gender issues in the STEM disciplines. David B Knight, Pennsylvania State University, University Park David Knight is a PhD candidate in the Higher Education Program at Pennsylvania State University and is a graduate research assistant on two NSF-funded engineering education projects. His research interests include STEM education, interdisciplinary teaching and research, organizational issues in higher education, and leadership and administration in higher education. Email:
[email protected] Carla M. Cortes, Northwestern University Carla Cortes serves as an instructor and research associate in the Higher Education Administration & Policy program at Northwestern University. She also conducts analysis and manages projects for DePaul University’s Division of Enrollment Management and Marketing. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Promoting Interdisciplinary Competence in the Engineers of 2020 Introduction A review of recent policy documents from the federal government reveals a consistent call for greater investments in interdisciplinary education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels (National Academy of Sciences, 20041; National Institutes of Health, 20062; Ramaley, 20013). These calls for greater interdisciplinarity in postsecondary and graduate education are based on the belief that interdisciplinary educational approaches are needed to foster innovation and may be more effective in doing so than discipline-based educational programs (National Academy of Engineering, 20044; U.S.