The Power Of Transdisciplinary Education In Higher Learning
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MIT – WPU Goa and Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India join hands to host the National Visioning Conference ‘Envisioning Tomorrow’s University: A Transdisciplinary Dialogue on the Future of Education’
MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU), Goa, a UNESCO Chair Institution and Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad, came together to host the National Visioning Conference on ‘Envisioning Tomorrow’s University: A Transdisciplinary Dialogue on the Future of Education.’ The day-long event, held at EDII, brought together leading academicians, policy experts, and practitioners to deliberate on the evolving landscape of higher education in India. Many distinguished academicians, scholars and practitioners from institutes like EDII, IIT Gandhinagar, MICA, GNLU, NIRMA University, Ahmedabad University, PDEU, Gujarat University, NIFT, Gujarat Technological University, Adani University, Dhirubhai Ambani University, to name a few, from diverse fields such as engineering, technology, law, management, liberal arts, design and more deliberated on the subject.
Transdisciplinary education means combining many fields (like science, arts, and law) so students learn how to connect one field with another. Many universities in India have started such courses. For example, IIT Gandhinagar has courses that mix science, social science, and humanities. This helps students think in new ways.
The conference is part of a national series of dialogues inspired by the Futures of Education initiative, aiming to co-develop resilient, inclusive, and future-oriented models of higher education in response to rapid technological, social, and environmental changes. The eminent panellists brainstormed to identify emerging priorities, pedagogical gaps, and opportunities for innovation in higher education, leading to, in the long run, institutionalisation of a collaborative platform for academic dialogue, policy engagement, and joint research.
The “Futures of Education” is a project under UNESCO that asks how education can adapt to climate change, digitisation, equity, and peace. It urges universities to rethink curriculum, teaching style, and governance so they respond well to fast changes. Many experts believe that future education will need to teach skills like resilience, digital literacy, ethical thinking, and environmental awareness.
The themes of panel discussions were:
Evolving Higher Education Ecosystem and Stakeholder Expectations
Transdisciplinary Curriculum Development and Pedagogy
Institutional Governance for Transdisciplinary Education
Roadmap for a Global Indian University
Stakeholders include students, parents, employers, and the government. Employers now expect graduates to not only have knowledge but also skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and adaptability. So the ecosystem is shifting. Pedagogy means how teaching happens. Transdisciplinary pedagogy uses project-based learning, learning by doing, field work, etc. This is more active than just lectures. Institutional governance refers to how universities are run, how decisions are made, budgets allocated, and who sets policy. For transdisciplinary education, governance may need new structures: more collaboration across departments, more flexibility.
Global Indian University” means an Indian university that competes well globally, attracts international students, research, and partners, has world standards, while still grounded in the Indian context and values. Expressing his opinion on the initiative, Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII, said, “Education needs to empower and ensure that knowledge is being created even beyond academic settings. An inclusive higher education framework, integrating diverse theories and practices, is what we need to promote more. Introducing transdisciplinary learning into the higher education system would bring about noticeable changes in perspectives of the learners, thus promoting critical thinking and adoption of multiple skills.”
Critical thinking is already rated as one of the top skills required in future jobs by many job market studies. Transdisciplinary learning helps students ask better questions, not just memorise facts. Multiple skills mean soft skills (communication, teamwork), digital skills, and ethical reasoning. Some Indian institutes have begun offering mini-projects, internships, and entrepreneurship labs to build these skills. Dr R. M. Chitnis, Vice Chancellor of MIT-WPU, said, “This conference unravelled the potential of academics beyond the segmentation of disciplines. The discussions emphasized the agility of higher education in promoting knowledge and wisdom across diverse domains to promote holistic, well-meaning and time-relevant education. The tangible outcomes of the conference will be reflected in the formulation of policies and pedagogy rooted in ground realities to empower students in the real sense.”
Holistic education” means educating not only the mind but also character, values, physical, and emotional health. Many educational think tanks argue that this is needed to produce well-rounded citizens. Being rooted in ground realities means considering local needs, sustainability, local culture, environment, and jobs. So universities cannot be only global or theoretical; they need to serve the local society too.
Dr. Deependra Sharma, Dean, School of Business, MIT WPU and the convener of the conference, shared his view on Transdisciplinary education and the importance of such an initiative to bring the intellectual brains from the academia and industry on a common platform to envision the future of education. Academic-industry collaboration helps students be better prepared, industry can share what skills are needed, and academics can shape the curriculum accordingly. Many institutes in India have MoUs with companies, industry internships, and labs.
Bringing intellectual brains means experts not just from academia but also from policy, industry, and NGOs. This diversity helps avoid blind spots. The other prominent educationists present for the conference were Dr. Piyush Kumar Sinha, Senior Visiting Professor, EDII, Dr. Praveen Nahar, Discipline Faculty (Product Design), Former Director, National Institute of Design Ahmedabad, Dr. A.K.S Suryavanshi, Director, School of Management, Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Dr. Bhaskar Datta, Professor & Dean Academics, IIT Gandhinagar, Dr. Githa Heggde, Professor, Dean and Principal, MICA and Dr. Rajesh Gupta, Associate Professor, EDII.
National Institute of Design (NID), MICA, etc, are known for design, communication, and liberal arts. Their participation shows that education of the future is not only about STEM or business but also creative fields. This shows that education leadership is diversifying: many kinds of universities (design, energy, law) are part of the conversation. This helps in making a policy that works across many fields.
The conference concluded with a valedictory session, charting a roadmap for continued academic dialogue, collaborative research, and policy engagement in higher education. Roadmap likely will include setting milestones, forming working groups, engaging with government bodies, creating pilot programmes, and measuring impact. Policy engagement means working with regulatory authorities (like UGC in India), state governments, and ministries to ensure that what is discussed can be implemented.
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