Multidisciplinary projects supported by modern educational techniques: the case of "UOB recycles"

Abstract

In the last two decades Multidisciplinary Projects at University level have become an integral part of education across various programmes of study. Their impact on students educational development has proven to be projecting properly on the job market. Our work will highlight the experience of deploying such projects at the University of Balamand in Lebanon. It examines how such projects may be structured, managed and directed in a way to attract faculty members and students from various disciplines. The work details the operational steps followed by the Office of Student Affairs in partnership with the GIS Center in order to manage processes carried by various departments at the University all converging toward a common objective. More specifically, the work will present the "UOB Recycles" projects, a project aimed at spreading environmental awareness in the University and its surroundings. It will detail the way it was designed and carried to attract students, staff and faculty members from various departments (such as Engineering, Education, Mass Communication, Physical Education and English). Additionally, Modern Educational methodologies such as Project Based Learning, Mentorship and Service Learning will be focused on as strong means to serve multidisciplinary projects. Also in this work is an analysis of the challenges and difficulties encountered during the implementation of the project and ways considered to overcome them.