Interdisciplinary interactions within a small scale research initiative investigating animation creation as a means of teaching and learning

This paper reports an interdisciplinary research initiative conducted by two lecturers from different university faculties who found they shared an interest in using animations to support teaching and learning. The research comprised an exploratory pilot to test the feasibility, and to explore the impact on learning, of having undergraduates create stop-motion animations of the anatomy of the developing embryo. Whilst this challenge meets definitions of interdisciplinary research, in that there was a problem of mutual concern and a systematic investigation into that problem, it may be argued that such small team could evidence only narrow interdisciplinarity. However, the two researchers’ views, informed by their different disciplinary experience of research, were very different. This impacted on decisions about how to conduct educational research were very different. This impacted on decisions about how to conduct educational research and their feelings about the authenticity of the different methods proposed. The two researchers’ reflections on this initiative show how their perspectives changed over time. It is questionable though whether true interdisciplinary integration was achieved and we conclude that a more helpful approach is to focus on the notion of ‘researcher as bricoleur’, with each research team member selecting, contributing and repurposing relevant knowledge and experience.