Reflecting on 50 years: The University Without Walls and integrative interdisciplinary learning

Abstract

The University Without Walls experiment on the University of Massachusetts, Amherst campus, began in 1971. The central animating concepts of the original experiment include the value of knowledge that is learned both within and without ‘the walls’ of the university. These various knowledge sources are integrated into the student’s individualized plan of study within an interdisciplinary analytic framework. This approach is described here as integrative interdisciplinary studies and its on-going strength as an approach to adult learning is in the synergy of these approaches. An integrative interdisciplinary approach supports transformative learning within a context-specific understanding of knowledge.