An Analytical Key Aspects Study on Multidisciplinary Course Design – an Integrative Approach

DE OLIVEIRA, Clara Amelia

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina – UFSC, Centro Tecnologico / Departamento de Informatica e de Estatistica - CTC / INE, C.P.: 476 CEP: 88.040 – 970 Florianopolis, SC, Brazil, Phone: 55 (48) 331-9498 Fax: 55(48) 331-9770, clara@inf.ufsc.br, http://www.inf.ufsc.br

Abstract: The present paper describes theoretical to application Educational aspects, considering an Integrative Analytical Approach. The proposal is due from experience on design of several disciplines on Computer Science and Engineer Courses. It is presented a perspective, concerning essential aspects on Education. For this, it was selected some relevant topics, named Key-ones, for a definition - discussion. Those Operational Aspects (the ´ What to consider ´ ones) are supposed to generate deep interference on Implementation Proposals (the ´ What to do ´ ones) . Those definitions contributes for a wide discussion of new trends on Engineering Education, causing some changing on nowadays status, through a mobility direction Integrative Educational Environment. Opening this Educational Key Word Analytical Lexicon , it is to be described the Education concept, whose language expression facilitates new possibilities of vision, based on its dynamics aspects. Then, other Key definitions, as Disciplinary Design, and some more specialized employed terms, as Multi-disciplinary, After -Disciplinary, Inter and Trans-disciplinary, are proposed. This focus study emphasize relations between each one of these terms, and the respective Educational Paradigm, present behind. So, some essential design aspects appears, as Generalized Vision, on Course Level. On the other side, appears the Specialized Vision, on Disciplines Level. The necessary synchronicity, between, minimum, those two levels, are pointed out. After this, it can be , aggregated and traduced, a concept of Ecology of the System, exactly the same from nature processes. Additional topics as the deep internal level leading with Human Emotion, or, same way, up- grade level to Social Perspective on Education are also very important but both studies are out of scope here. Finally, it comes the Thematic Selection, as point of convergence on Project Oriented Vision on Engineer Courses. So, the, one or more, elected Thematic , used as reference, contributes to increase Flexibility on Design Patterns, since established several levels of abstraction, as natural consequence on Education Evolutionary Practice. Recommendations are postulated, on Trans-disciplinary Implementation Actions. This Integrated Approach, is certainly in accordance with Engineering hopes on Education.

Keywords: education, integrative, design, process, thematic

1 Introduction

”Raw material is simply the word. But, this material is not less subtle or sophisticated than each other art.” Jacob Bronowski

Society and education are plunged on a crisis. However, it represents just a challenge with opportunities and choices to all of us. There is a frontier to by passing, direction a new order all over the world. The question is : What can be did, where are we going, and, what are we able to reach under nowadays conditions, specially concerning education theme?

A good start point can be to build a Lexicon, applied on Educational Context. This proposition can contribute to perceive, deep way, of what is wrong about present and how can we migrate to the future where lives a more natural educational integrative approach. Consider that each word brings out reactions due to representation subjectivity, that deep contribute, to configure self reality. This can be easy remarked, specially under more abstract words, because the way we express ideas represent always abstractions of complex reality.

Introducing the lexicon purpose, here, it is given a pre example. Please, compare the two following words: problem and proposal. You can say to the students, in your, day by day, classroom activities: solve this problem or solve this proposal. Well, looking on the English - English lexicon, you can find problem as synonymous of difficult matter to decide or understand or calculate. On his side, proposal is synonymous of an offer, a proposed plan [1]. You can immediately perceive that this last word gives another sense to a problem, reaching the idea of invitation. What you feel about? You can conclude that it makes great change between the two manners to speak and its possible effects on educational process results. In addition, under the word proposal it is implicit the natural process that, all begin with hypothesis to arrive to implementations -experiments. The present work analyses educational aspects inspired on what James Rumbaugh [2], pp.15, defines as operational (what to consider) aspects and implementation (what to do) aspects. This can be important to understand what will be the discussed as follows. The lexicon represents a search of a more natural set of concepts on education theme.

2 The lexicon key-words related with educational context

Let´s start movement building the lexicon basic expressions. It is important to remind that each expression, here, represents a deep concept. Because of this pre- supposition, you can observe that some of the proposed expressions are written and rewritten several times, always searching for a significance over an integrated perspective. So, you are invited to read each words block, as an unit of ideas that goes from fragmented towards integrative approach. It is also the moment to remember that the present lexicon is refined to Educational Context, but it tries to be the more essential, global, as possible.

Education – it can be reed, simply, as synonymous of human development process and human grown process.

Knowledge – it is the education patrimony-value, under increasing process. It is always partial and temporary reached, because of its natural dynamics towards infinite grow.

Teaching / Learning – this is a double-word expression that just invokes separativity. Here, focus is given to the actions, losing perspective of the whole process related to knowledge. There is an actor that performs teach and another that perform learn. Actually, this is not true, because of the process implicit temporality. You can see that the specific roles, said, teaching / learning, are absolutely temporary. Those pre – fixed roles can be identified, the most part of time, but not always.

It is convenient to make more wide references, looking to process and not only to actions. It is recommendable, also, to avoid verbs as explaining/ hearing that leads also with fixed and separated roles. Knowledge Acquisition Process- it is a little more interesting idea because it looks to the process and not to the roles, but, it, implicit, pre – supposes that knowledge is ready to acquisition. So, again, it is create the roles of an customer and of a supplier. It is a way that promotes disconnection of natural educational process. Education don ´ t occurs from out to inner as a decision to buy/ sell on a supermarket, but, it occurs under a deep personal decision of the members that make the flux from inner to out direction. It is to say the term acquisition has the right idea with the wrong direction, speaking about educational process. Process of Knowledge Bind – this expression has the same principle of the previous one, but, now, it is invoked the process unicity. There is no permanent role practiced by the members. This way, context perspective is amplified. It appears also the intrinsic decision aspect. The new coming information is composed, in several ways, according to each person, and integrated in a form that makes sense for the knowledge involved person.

Teacher /Student- invokes , fragmented process because of its feeling of fixed- permanent role. The true is that roles are temporary. Member – it is a more adequate word to refers to persons involved on process of knowledge development. This term aggregate a new liberty grade from each one permitting that, can a teacher, also, learn during the process conducted by him and that student, sometimes, teach, as a natural possibility. This concept could be refined aggregating some essential human aspects, specially, on the communication psychology field [3].

Innovation- this is a important, however, dubious and dangerous expression, because it brings together a deep conceptualization of discard things mentality. On, nowadays, generalized thinking, innovation, that is normally associate with change, bind with discard value, breaking the natural aspect of innovation, submitted to evolution process. Transcribing Françoise Cros [4], ‘ Le changement devient valeur.’, change itself is converted in a value. The aggregation of value, this way, causes reductionism that is powerful dangerous for all the people. Migration – is a proposed expression that indicates the evolutionary process . It is preferable than others expressions, as transformation, new trends, innovation, new paradigm, because it brings the rescue idea, of reorganizing old values in another, not necessary new, but creative, way.

Thematic –The concept of thematic, here, is associate with a long duration time process on knowledge development, where problem or proposal are put to be solved. This central word refers, wide way, to the object of study, in a, as high as possible, abstract form. On Engineering or Computer Science Courses, it just refers to development of one or more projects or systems.

Life Cycle – Each pedagogical proposal need some amount of time to be solved. What is to remark is that a proposal, itself, is applied on a flexible sense. It can be, both, event, or set of events, related to contents under course curriculum design. Naturally, each problem or proposal to be solved, on classroom activities, has a life cycle. So, it is suggested, for the discussion, to define, more accurate, something about the duration time over a proposal.

Chronological Life Cycle – it is the time needed to solve some classroom proposal or project, related with number of hours, of one or somehow, few classroom activities under a thematic. It could, also, be said, short life cycle proposal. In addition, the short life cycle proposal can be defined as an event, that is, itself a process of short duration life cycle. Event Perspective – it emphasizes the fragmented or short life cycle proposals.

Existential Life Cycle –it is the time needed to solve a proposal or project, related with the number of hours under a whole discipline or even a whole course duration, over an unique, high abstract level, thematic. It can involve a set of events, that, can itself be defined as an event of amplified life cycle or, even, process. Process Perspective – It emphasizes the Integrative View. Here, it is considered the perspective of thematic with long life cycle, as central point on educational process, to permit its intrinsic dynamics to arise. Process, can be defined, also, as synonymous of existential process. Event of long life cycle, or existential process, is a meta-event or the event that contents the essential aspects of each event. But it don ´t represents each one, separated, or even its sum. Some aspects, that can only be perceived over a long time duration process, can appear modifying results. Of course, a proposal like this, influences form to aggregation persons and activities in a integrative way. What is important is no lack of global process conscience during the, day by day, classroom activities of technical contents.

3 The lexicon key-words related with knowledge representational paradigm

There are intrinsic relations between the way we represent knowledge and the way we propose design, in all domains, and, of course, also on courses curriculum design.

Complexity -It is the essence of nature, or even, nature state. This essential definition of complexity leads with the acceptation of chaos state as a natural one. This is interesting, specially on educational context. From this point of view, it arrives the transitory state due to process dynamics. This is well traduced by the sentence, usually employed on neuro linguistics programming domain: ‘Disorder is the unknown order.’ This short sentence shows exactly what is the process of knowledge bind that begins with a perturbation – confusion and brings to a information systematization.

Abstraction- the human natural way to lead with the complex reality. Man filter what is essential, in accordance with interest for the moment, and abstract the excess of information.

Classification – the human natural way to lead with complexity. By classifying operations, reality can be organized and understood permitting, always temporary way, development of human knowledge.

Classification Paradox- To classify is necessary and absolutely natural to understand reality. Human people has survived due to this fundamental practice. But, due to excess, classification can causes reductionism by lack of essential comprehensiveness. Well, it is already clear that the crisis is caused from the excessive importance given to decomposition, in terms of classification. Even more complicated when those class hierarchies are treated under wrong values, as the well known, power and money. The author Grady Booch, from Computer Science Object Oriented Design, defines classification, decomposition, and, hierarchy, as the three processes that bring order to chaos[5]. This is a enough strongly justification to propose the present analytical key aspects study, on educational domain. It is the right moment to reflect about some traditional concepts that influences our educational reality. A short example, on the key word lexicon, is the definition of educational process, as human development process. Under this perspective, things can be rearranged reaching a new, and positive state. A natural consequence is a simplification, due to conversion, of the usually employed, students and teachers categories, to an unique class, called, yet, members class.

4 Evolutionary approach on course curriculum design related with educational paradigm

It is presented, briefly the evolution of the several educational paradigm of knowledge representation, over the last tree decades. They direct affects Course Curriculum Design. This reflection takes, as reference, the history of Representational Knowledge Paradigms from Computer Science Designs. This privileged point of view aids to arrive to integrative approach, as a consequence of evolution, and not as, an innovation factor. Each term refers deep to an specific educational approach, as you can see, as follows.

Disciplinary Design- It is a reference, for a kind of course curriculum, that prioritized disciplines in a fragmented way. It concerns to the event perspective. The integration will occur on the future, and might be when member is already a professional. The educational priority was implementations of contents, to give the more complete, as possible, study domain, to students. Multidisciplinary Design- It is a reference, for a kind of course curriculum, that prioritized disciplines with, somewhere, a bind. It appears the disciplines treated as disciplines blocks. It concerns to the set of events perspective. This is, certainly, a more advanced approach. The increasing complexity due to globalization, specially towards specification, points out necessity of organization of the contents implementations. The educational priority is, then, organization of contents implementations, to give the more complete, as possible, study domain, yet more complex, to students. After Disciplinary Process – Attention please for this expression. This is, somewhere, a employed term but it is dangerous because its deep signification, accepts, traditional, fragmented point of view and abort possibilities of arise to new status of understanding. This is very important to avoid, as a practical and objective argument, embedded on course curriculum fragmented proposals. After integration process, is an obvious human nature status, but, a curriculum design can provide a little more than this. Inter- Trans Disciplinary Design- It is a reference, of a kind of course curriculum design, that prioritizes high abstract global thematic, as bind of contents, in an harmonic integrative form. It concerns to the process perspective. It involves, naturally the two precedents paradigms, but, emphasizing, yet, processes with more long duration life cycle, also said projects. This is also defined [6], as a kind of internalization of experiences in a deep integrated bind by the members of the process.

After this briefly description of the evolution of educational paradigms, where, natural way, it arises to the integrated vision, it comes the next question. What kind of implementation is convenient to support such integrated educational environment?

5 The two levels perspective on course design patterns

Looking towards an integrative view for course design, it is to consider that both hierarchies, vertical (global- specialized) and horizontal (whole- parts), are necessary to reach the interdisciplinary spirit, over a course design. Synchrony between course design level and discipline design level, facilitate integration on educational environment.

Hierarchy of Values on Course Design- It is important to consider the organization of a set of values in a course design. It can be define two kinds of hierarchies. Global(whole course organization) and local (semester organization or even set of disciplines organization).

Vertical Hierarchy- Global, or course hierarchy permits the knowledge bind between contents towards integration of whole course knowledge. This give process view, or existential event, long duration event, or even, global, external view.

Horizontal Hierarchy- Local, specific decomposition, also called, parts hierarchy, permits the knowledge bind between contents toward topics (disciplines) or, someway, topics sets integration. This give event view, short duration event, or even, detail, inner view.

Ecology – It emphasizes the wide integration towards vertical hierarchy of values. This is facilitated by thematic orientation. The project ecology, or somehow, project coherence, leads with autonomy of each system part, and level, however, recognizing its intrinsic hierarchy of values on the sense of vertical hierarchy, as you see on figure1.

Figure 1. Vertical Integration on Educational System

6 Implementation proposal on course design: thematic selection as reference to integrative approachs

The implementation of integrative patterns on Engineering Courses Design is, someway, already began under the name of Project Oriented Curriculum.

Project Oriented – it is really an adequate name to pre – suppose the integrative point of view. However, rename Project Oriented to Thematic Oriented is interesting, because it clear separates the concepts from the implementation itself. A project can be considered as an implementation of a broad thematic. This way, can the course collegiate, decide under a wide range of possibilities, because it is not defined the size of the one or more projects. This proposal is coincident with the Object Oriented design, proposed on Computer Science Curriculum Design [7].From this, it emerges some practical questions about thematic oriented proposal.

Thematic approach gives flexibility, extrapolating project approach vision, because each course can decide, in accordance with its specific reality, the range domain and how many projects are necessary to implement.

It involves aspects as training teachers collective program and provision of instruments, right on this order. Migration for this new vision affect all, from human and material resources till members evaluation.

Remembering that migration is more important than transformation, teachers can begin today. Just amplify the thematic life cycle up-grading abstraction level on its chosen. However, it is important to say, once more, that course survey is ideal, for effectiveness reasons under this approach. By its side, the traditional short life cycle approach needs much more inversion in instrumentation, or even, in pedagogical activities than the long life cycle approach, or thematic. Thematic orientation don ´t work against those other aspects, but shows that they are, somehow secondary, considering values hierarchy, on a educational environment. Figure2 shows just an example of integrative proposal with amplified life cycle approach, on the sanitary engineering.

Figure 2. An Example of Increasing Complexity Proposals Under Thematic Approach

7 Conclusions

The question is, then, what is to consider as modern educational environment? A short way to answer can be traduced by a sentence transcription from Courtois-Jonno. It looks to attitudes and not necessary to instruments or material results, as alternative to the educational crisis towards new times. ´ Because you don’t need me, or even, you don’ t need me more, I propose to follow you, if it is your desire, anteceding a journey .Under what will be proposed to you, you can, on each moment, take what is convenient to you and leave the rest’[8]. Courtois-Jonno call this as attenuation of dependence towards salutary transactions. This is really great on nowadays educational purposes. The proposed lexicon contributes, this way, to a necessary reflection towards open educational environments.

Finally, some practical actions are suggested.

Consider human development as a higher value in education is better than prioritizing performance or engines development as maximum goal. Following this principle, it is somehow magic that all, under this high value, is rearranged, harmonic way, including performances goals, as research, production, instrumentation, technologies and money.

It is strongly recommended to synchronize course and disciplines level. It is, also, very important to consider, however, out of scope and space here, the deep internal Human Emotion and Educational Social – Cultural Aspects. Consistent Educational Politics towards new World Order Foundation can be built under such wide study domain. Some practical actions have already been discussed, as on the Evolution of World Order Conference promoted by Ryerson Polithecnic University, Toronto-Canada [9].

Rewriting usual words is a possibility to amplify comprehensiveness. But it is important to consider the permanent link between the past to arrive to the present building a bridge to future. Reconnect with essential values is the proposal of the present work. The possibility of learning with the past experiences gives a link, where the innovation is built. It favors to appears the integration feelings, against lost and frustration, from nowadays. To built a lexicon, can be, also, a quite interesting joke to be tested with students. From this, certainly, some positive surprises can appear. This analytical study prepare field to integration (synthesis). Analyzing is important to make clear nowadays context, and, generate seeds for the synthesis field. Each one is invited to amplify the discussion, opening possibilities of thinking about education, in accordance with specific, cultural educational, context.

References