Interdisciplinary collaboration in higher education: Improving end-user experience in children's programs

Marg Rogers
University of New England and Manna Institute, Australia
Anwaar Ul-Haq, Cassy Dittman, Michelle Gossner
Central Queensland University and Manna Institute, Australia
Govind Krishnamoorthy
University of Southern Queensland and Manna Institute, Australia
Emily Small, Tegan Kanard
Small Hands Early Learning, Australia
Amy Johnson
Central Queensland University and Manna Institute, Australia
Michèle L. Hébert
Buds In Bloom and Autism Alliance of Canada, Canada
Yumiko Coffey and Einar B. Thorsteinsson
University of New England and Manna Institute, Australia

While higher educational institutions prize interdisciplinary research collaboration, how it is supported is key to its success. In this discussion paper, we explore the evidence base to support interdisciplinary research collaboration in relation to our team's experiences with our project, output and impact. Project end-users are those who educate and support children from defence, veteran and first responder families (service families), who encounter unique stresses. Our team co-designed and co-created free, online, research-based resources to address these issues. Initially, the accessibility of these online web-based educational resources was found to be inadequate. To improve on the web-based resources housed on a digital learning platform, the team connected with a machine vision digital health researcher to co-create a free, anonymous, personalised program for users. Here, interdisciplinary approaches were essential to help solve problems with end-user experience identified in the initial evaluative feedback about the digital learning platform. To address these, a data retrieval system was generated to create personalised programs. Participants were affected communities and partners, including educators, partner providers, parents and support workers. Preliminary results showed an improvement in program engagement. Additionally, the team has received positive qualitative feedback about the end-user experience showcasing the importance of interdisciplinary approaches in elevating online educational support. These outcomes will be of interest to researchers, management and policymakers.
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Authors: Dr Marg Rogers is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at the University of New England, Australia, and a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Manna Institute. Her research interests are in families, military families, professionalism and wellbeing. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8407-7256 Email: marg.rogers@une.edu.au Dr Anwaar Ul-Haq is a Senior Lecturer in Artificial Intelligence at Central Queensland University, Australia, and a Research Fellow with the Manna Institute. He is an artificial intelligence enthusiast, and his research interests include the use of AI to solve mental health problems. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5145-7276 Email: a.anwaarulhaq@cqu.edu.au Dr Cassy Dittman is the Head of Course (Undergraduate Psychology) and a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Central Queensland University, Australia, and a Research Fellow with the Manna Institute. Her research focuses on the impact of parenting and parent-child relationships on child and adolescent development and wellbeing. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0203-8785 Email: c.dittman@cqu.edu.au Ms Michelle Gossner is a schoolteacher and PhD candidate at Central Queensland University, Australia, and the Manna Institute. Her research interests include understanding and addressing the various factors that impact child and adolescent development and wellbeing. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1922-7729 Email: m.gossner@cqu.edu.au Dr Govind Krishnamoorthy is a clinical psychologist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia, and a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Manna Institute. His research focuses on improving equity and access to mental healthcare for children, youth, and their families. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1515-1103 Email: govind.krishnamoorthy@unisq.edu.au Ms Emily Small is an Australian early childhood teacher who specialises in, and advocates for, the inclusion of military families in early childhood programs. She is the daughter of a veteran and is company director and consultant for Small Hands Early Learning Pty Ltd, Australia. [https://www.smallhandsearlylearning.com/] ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2002-8230 Email: smallhandsearlylearning@gmail.com Ms Tegan Kanard, Small Hands Early Learning, Australia, is an arts-based and play based therapist who supports a range of children and families. She previously worked as a family worker, leading a team who supported the families of veterans who had passed away or given their health in service. Email: tegan.kanard@gmail.com Dr Amy Johnson, Central Queensland University, Australia, is a military family sociologist and researches the impacts of military service on communities, including veterans and families. She has personal experience as a Royal Australian Navy Reserve officer and the partner of an ADF veteran. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4228-6265 Email: a.johnson2@cqu.edu.au Michèle L. Hébert is a Canadian paediatric Occupational Therapist with a PhD in Rehabilitation Science and over 29 years in child disability expertise. Her current roles are as a researcher with the Autism Alliance of Canada and the University of Alberta, and as volunteer Chair with Buds in Bloom [https://budsinbloom.org/]. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6771-6781 Email: info@budsinbloom.org Ms Yumiko Coffey is a PhD candidate in psychology and education at the University of New England, Australia, and the Manna Institute. She researches ecological emotions in young people. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5595-1469 Email: yumiko.coffey@une.edu.au Professor Einar B. Thorsteinsson is a Professor in Psychology, at the University of New England, Australia, and a Senior Researcher with the Manna Institute. His research focus is in the area of health psychology including adolescent mental health and coping. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2065-1989 Email: ethorste@une.edu.au Please cite as: Rogers, M., Ul-Haq, A., Dittman, C., Gossner, M., Krishnamoorthy, G., Small, E., Kanard, T., Johnson, A., Hébert, M. L., Coffey, Y. & Thorsteinsson, E. B. (2024). Interdisciplinary collaboration in higher education: Improving end-user experience in children's programs. Issues in Educational Research, 34(4), 1548-1572. http://www.iier.org.au/iier34/rogers3.pdf