inventio: a journal of creative thinking about learning and teaching invites articles for a special issue (Spring 2001) on the theme of interdisciplinarity in teaching and learning.

Interdisciplinarity has featured in thinking about pedagogy and education for some time. Recently, the discussion of disciplinary vs. interdisciplinary teaching and learning has once again grown heated, with newer terms such as crossdisciplinary, integrated, etc. entering the debate. At the heart of the discussion lies the claim that knowledge does not proceed smoothly from disciplinary bases which are themselves inherently artificial but instead springs from varied perspectives which cross academic disciplinary lines.

inventio invites scholars from all disciplines to contribute to this debate. Areas of interest include (but are not limited to):

the general theoretical aspects of interdisciplinary teaching and its concrete implications

the results of classroom research into the experiences of faculty and students teaching and learning in the full range of interdisciplinary courses

the quality of learning students perceive at different stages in their careers from disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to knowing

the structural and institutional implications of a serious commitment to interdisciplinary teaching the assessment of different models, such as learning communities or linked courses, used to infuse interdisciplinarity into the curriculum

the routes faculty choose to successful interdisciplinary teaching and an assessment of its effectiveness at various levels of undergraduate learning

the pedagogical complexities of integrating different methodological 'ways of knowing' and creating from them a coherent teaching and learning framework accessible to students

the creating of assignment structures and grading criteria that integrate fairly expectations from different disciplines

the problems associated with effective interdisciplinary teaching (for example, the time faculty require to understand the principles underlying another/other disciplines, the complexities of interdisciplinary collaboration, such as the negotiation of authority within the classroom and the differing perceptions of methodological rigor, especially across the arts and sciences)

The current issue of inventio is available at http://www.doiiit.gmu.edu/inventio. Interested potential contributors will find comprehensive publication guidelines at http://www.doiiit.gmu.edu/inventio/pubguide.htm.

For further information, please contact the Editorial Board at inventio@irc.gmu.edu. All contributions should reach inventio by 30 September 2000.