An interview with the Leibniz PostDoc Network: Katharina Düsing on interdisciplinary collaboration in the VideT project

As part of a series of interviews on interdisciplinarity in research, IPN scientist Dr. Katharina Düsing talks about the VideT joint project and, with three other project colleagues, reflects on the added value of interdisciplinary collaboration and the potential risks involved.

"Collaboration and communication with each other and achieving results that researchers from just one discipline could not achieve." With her answer to the question "What does interdisciplinarity mean to you?", Dr. Katharina Düsing, a member of staff in the Department of Biology Education at the IPN, kicks off the interview, which has now been published on the Leibniz PostDoc Network blog. Dr. Düsing is joined in the interview by Dr. Daniel Lewanzik (Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin), Vanessa van den Bogaert (Ruhr University Bochum) and Dr. Hannah Greving (Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien in Tübingen).

Together, they are conducting research in the joint project VideT, which aims to develop a video-based transfer tool that, combined with the research results, provides insights into the scientific knowledge process. Students should gain insights into authentic scientific research processes and thus be enabled to interpret and classify scientific results.

All four researchers agree that interdisciplinarity is essential in the joint project. The development and evaluation of a video-based transfer tool, Dr. Düsing explains later in the interview, requires authentic researchers to provide insights into their research processes and results. On the other hand, however, expertise from biology education, psychology and teaching-learning research is just as indispensable for writing video scripts and developing and evaluating teaching materials. The results achieved so far would not have been possible in this form without the interdisciplinary exchange, Dr. Daniel Lewanzik confirms.

Apart from the advantages of interdisciplinarity, the interview also addresses possible obstacles and risks. On the one hand, the ongoing exchange that is absolutely necessary for interdisciplinary collaboration is extremely time-consuming. On the other hand, the researchers also emphasize that the German research landscape currently still lacks some of the necessary structures to facilitate interdisciplinary work.

Why interdisciplinarity is nevertheless crucial for the VideT project and to what extent interdisciplinary work can enrich the careers of scientists is explained (in German) in the full interview here.