Recently, Lansiquot’s Interdisciplinary Pedagogy for STEM : A Collaborative Case Study with faculty from New York City College of Technology (City Tech) concluded with the section, “Place-Based Learning in Virtual Worlds .” ¹ This book extends the ideas from that conclusion, promoting interdisciplinary place-based learning while exploring urban spaces and virtual worlds . Broadly, this book examines how the resources of urban settings have been integrated into student research projects and activities, illustrating how these resources are employed in the context of interdisciplinary courses. Highlighting both the methods of interdisciplinary place-based learning and the resources that have enhanced project-based learning demonstrate how this model can be applied in diverse urban settings elsewhere.

A second focus examines how virtual place-based learning in urban higher education settings can facilitate and enhance the process of engaging under-represented groups. A virtual location is used to realize the concept of place where access to the geographic location is not possible. In such cases, the virtual becomes innovative and creative, making the place real and transcending the limitations of, or access to, the physical space. How has this technique successfully brought the real world to students in urban settings while at the same time integrating an interdisciplinary perspective of that world?

Contributing authors highlight how urban spaces have been used to enhance experiential interdisciplinary learning . How do we use these spaces to connect the interdisciplinary theme of a course to real-world experience ? How have urban spaces been used? How has virtual space been used when it is not possible to connect to the concept of place that relates to an interdisciplinary course? And thus, how have the limitations posed by geography (i.e., access) and socioeconomic reality been successfully transcended through the application of virtual place-based learning ? This book examines the resources faculty teams have used in interdisciplinary place-based learning in response to the following questions: How have these pedagogical strategies been applied in their teaching and/or student projects? What activities have been undertaken? What were the processes? What were the outcomes? How were these outcomes measured?

In addition to examining methods, goals, and outcomes, this book focuses on interdisciplinary place-based learning that is related to, but not limited to, project-based learning . As a result of interdisciplinary experiences, students learn to distinguish among perspectives of different disciplines to purposefully connect and integrate knowledge and skills from across disciplines to solve problems, synthesize and transfer knowledge across disciplinary boundaries, become flexible thinkers who are comfortable with complexity and uncertainty, understand other factors inherent in complex problems, grasp the universal nature and deep structure of science, prepare for their future as lifelong learners, and apply their capacity as integrative thinkers to solve problems in ethically and socially responsible ways. Interdisciplinary studies uniquely challenge learners to think critically, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively with others. ²

Given the breadth of expectations concerning interdisciplinary learning , we connect place-based learning in both urban spaces and virtual worlds to successful collaborative interdisciplinary studies at the college level. The focus on place-based learning complements interdisciplinary studies as place-based learning encompasses active project-based education.

The model of place-based as a teaching methodology has been well established. ³ Kemp conducts a review of the literature on place-based education , placing these into the categories of “empirical studies, curriculum and school environment, defining place-based education , nature and education and finally, case studies showing the effectiveness of the principles” and concludes that place-based education is an essential component in creating a meaningful learning experience for students. ⁴ Kudryavtsev, Stedman, and Krasny discuss the literature on the concept of place in environmental education through the perspective of environmental psychology. In their review of the literature from this perspective, the concept of “place attachment” is essentially a “bond between people and places,” and “place meaning” is the symbolic meanings people ascribe to places. ⁵ This sense of identification with place is frequently cited in studies focusing on the nurturing behavior vested in environmental protection, and empirical research that demonstrates such behavioral changes. Their further discussion of the combination of experience of place and traditional instruction lends support to the notion that the behavioral influence of experience can have a meaningful impact on learning.

The significance of interdisciplinary approaches is stressed in the work of Bain, who emphasizes the importance of active student engagement in meaningful learning, identifying the inherent value of incorporating interdisciplinary approaches to studying questions and solving problems through collaborative work that integrates different disciplines and moves beyond students’ immediate areas of study and expertise. ⁶

Zhao and Kuh, employing data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), examine the benefits of learning communities in increasing student educational outcomes and overall engagement. ⁷ Learning communities, a form of interdisciplinary learning , involve the same group of students attending two different classes and applying the concepts they learn to other areas of study. The results of their study provide support for the notion that “participation in some form of learning community is positively related to student success, broadly defined to include enhanced academic performance, integration of academic and social experiences, [and] positive perceptions of the college environment.” ⁸

At this time, the connection between interdisciplinary approaches and place-based learning as an innovative approach to student engagement is still largely unexplored. Ludick’s The Pedagogy of Place is unique in this respect with its emphasis on the inherent interdisciplinary approaches of place-based study. Ludick emphasized the range of skills that are potentially cultivated and strengthened, including those of observation , decision making, writing, research , problem solving, critical thinking, and participation. ⁹

A small number of inquiries have investigated the juxtaposition of place-based learning and interdisciplinary approaches in the context of experimental case studies. ¹⁰ Borgelt et al. designed a project in which final-year students were engaged in a place-based experience in an urban ecological setting‚ the aim of which was to combine community service and science knowle...