Designing an interdisciplinary course

The Interdisciplinary Higher Education Program (PorESI) initiative is a cornerstone of pedagogical development opportunities for university professors participating in the Interdisciplinary Space of the University of the Republic (Udelar). The program operates within a conceptual framework of six fundamental pillars: interdisciplinarity, problem-based learning, knowledge of teams, academic motivation, team building, and stress management. The program offers a unique platform for faculty across diverse fields to explore methodologies fostering student-centered learning and interdisciplinary teamwork skills. This chapter elucidates the theoretical framework underpinning the ProESI Program, the Winter School for faculty, and the m3i courses for undergraduate students. It describes the work undertaken by the Interdisciplinary Space in training university faculty to acquire pedagogical tools that enable them to transform their courses into interdisciplinary experiences. The Winter School is a pedagogical teacher training course that takes an immersive approach from both a conceptual and practical standpoint in interdisciplinarity. Based on a series of strategies, teachers create a course that applies an intensive, interdisciplinary and integrated problem-based learning methodology.