Interdisciplinary Connections Across the Curriculum: Fostering Collaborations between Freshman and Capstone Students Through Peer-Review Assignments

Abstract

Cultivating interdisciplinary connections between freshman and capstone students epitomizes a novel pedagogical approach to deepen student understanding of the learning process in a Community College environment. Within such a context, this article focuses on the outcomes of a two-semester collaborative effort that aims to establish and strengthen interactions between students at opposite ends of the academic spectrum. The work discussed focuses on an initiative in which capstone students in their culminating college class are supported in using their educational experiences to guide their first-year peers as they make the transition to college life. After discussing the creation and implementation of scaffolded collaborative assignments in which capstone students peer-reviewed freshman students work, the paper analyzes the impact of the research on student understanding of the learning process, the outcomes of self-reflection activities, student integration of knowledge and skills from diverse sources and the quality of their work in the peer-review endeavor.