Evaluation of undergraduate curriculum reform for interdisciplinary learning

In this study, science faculty and educators collaboratively developed a plan to evaluate an interdisciplinary science curriculum and its administration policy. The science faculty were engaged in determining criteria for evaluation and interpreting data. The collaborative evaluation stressed graduate attributes in the affective domain and provided a dynamic for curriculum revision. Four cohorts of students voluntarily completed scales that measured their attitudes toward interdisciplinary study, course-taking patterns, and career choice. The results suggested that students' involvement and learning loadings were crucial to the effectiveness of the reform. Moreover, the traditional policy at Asian universities that requires entrants to declare a major should be changed, as most university entrants are not certain enough about their interests and abilities to make an appropriate decision about their major at such an early stage.