The Rise of Interdisciplinarity in Engineering Education in the Era of Industry 4.0: Implications for Management Practice

摘要

With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, emergence of interdisciplinarity across and beyond engineering fields and how it is likely to influence management practice is being studied in this article. During the exploration and progression of knowledge from the 15th to 18th centuries, there was no established boundaries for disciplines, and scholars made simultaneous contributions in many knowledge domains. With the evolution of the first two industrial revolutions, a growth of specialization in engineering field of expertise began emerging in the 19th century. The second half of the 20th century saw the rise of the silos in engineering due to the requirement of disciplinary specializations. Advanced technologies such as personal computers and internet served as a major catalyst in accelerated growth in depth and breadth of knowledge in respective engineering discipline during the third industrial revolution. From a pedagogical perspective, two distinct types of interdisciplinary approaches are identified: 1) evolution of hybrid fields combining two or more existing fields, and 2) bolstering of existing fields with infusion of technological knowledge. Inclusion of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet-of-Things, and robotics will also be discussed. Examples such as smart cities, smart manufacturing, and innovations in the medical and health sectors will be used to demonstrate pedagogical approaches. The implications for management practice and three specific recommendations for managers in implementing interdisciplinarity are finally offered.