Call for Papers
The relationship between disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity in teaching and learning is complex and often marked by tension. Disciplines continue to shape curricula, learning outcomes, assessment practices, organizational structures, and academic identities, while interdisciplinary and interprofessional approaches are increasingly promoted as essential for addressing complex problems, fostering transferable skills, and preparing students for uncertain futures. This conference seeks to explore how disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity intersect, conflict, complement, and co-evolve within the context of higher education teaching and learning.
We invite paper proposals that engage with this theme through one of the following three focal areas:
- Theoretical insights
Papers may offer conceptual, empirical, philosophical, or historical perspectives on disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity as pedagogical frameworks. Topics might include theories of learning across disciplines, epistemological assumptions embedded in (inter-)disciplinary curricula, or (critical) reflections on interdisciplinarity as an educational ideal. - Pedagogical interventions
We welcome contributions that examine concrete teaching and learning practices that bridge disciplinary boundaries. Possible topics include interdisciplinary course design, curriculum innovation, team-teaching, problem- or project-based learning, assessment strategies, and students’ experiences of navigating disciplinary and interdisciplinary learning environments. Reflections on how disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches are related or combined are particularly invited. - Institutional dynamics and agency
Submissions may address how institutional structures shape pedagogical possibilities and play a decisive role in enabling or constraining interdisciplinary teaching. Relevant issues include networks of learning, program organization, accreditation requirements, quality assurance, workload models, professional development, top-down and bottum-up support and the alignment (or misalignment) between institutional policies and interdisciplinary teaching ambitions.
The conference welcomes contributions from educators, educational developers, and scholars across disciplines and career stages. Our aim is to generate critical dialogue and actionable insights on how disciplinarity and interdisciplinarity can be productively balanced and combined to enhance educational practices in higher education.
Types of presentations:
- Oral Presentations (10 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A)
- Workshops (1 hour)
- Round table discussions (30 minutes)
- Posters
Call for papers is now open!
Make sure to submit your paper proposal before the deadline of Wednesday 15 April 2026, 12h.
Key information
When?
29 October 2026, 10.00-16.30
Where?
Radboud University, Nijmegen (The Netherlands)
Topic
Disciplinarity and Interdisciplinarity in Higher Education: Challenges, Practices, and Institutional aspects
Plenary keynote: prof. dr. Iris van der Tuin (Utrecht University), TBA
For whom?
- Students
- Teachers/ lecturers at higher education institutions
- Early career researchers (including PhD candidates and junior researchers)
- Senior career researchers and academics
- Policy makers and administrators
- Educational innovators
Language
English
Deadline for abstract submission: 15 April 2026
Organizing committee
Dr. Luca Consoli (Radboud University)
Dr. Annemarie Horn (Utrecht University)
Jochem Zuijderwijk (Radboud University)
Drs. Lucy Wenting (University of Amsterdam)
Drs. Linda de Greef (University of Amsterdam)