This activity was part of a larger class session focused on preparing students for their interdisciplinary research projects. At this point in the semester students did not yet have their own research topics. It also took place outside of a computer classroom where not all students had laptops. Students break up into groups of 3-4 students. You can make as many topics as you want. For a class of 25 I created 4 topic options. Each group receives 5-10 minutes to complete each segment. When the timer is up they switch with a group. No one should receive the paper they start with until the very end. At the end of the activity we come back as a class and discuss how it went and what strategies they might implement in their own research processes. (I first heard about the idea of passing a problem in an interactive way from Sarah Lucchesi and Jenn Sams from Michigan Tech at Lake Superior Libraries Symposium, this is inspired by their idea.)

This assignment is part of a suite of resource,s including tutorials and library instruction, for the General Education seminar, a course for first-year students meant to introduce them to modes of disciplinary inquiry.

Variations: 1. The writing instructor interviews the content faculty member in front of the class. 2. Interview two of your professors from different disciplines. Compare and contrast their answers. How are the disciplines similar and how are they different? Discuss the differences in the role of publication and scholarly communication across disciplines. Assessment: Students are asked to listen critically and carefully to their professor’s interview and then write a brief reflective essay/journal entry/writing response. Writing prompt: How are questions and new ideas formulated, introduced, and disseminated your professor’s field? Describe the “typical” research process.