A marriage of convenience? Engaging students with a second discipline

As the higher education system in the UK evolves it is increasingly focused on the creation of an integrated curriculum which commodifies the student experience and emphasises the need for embedding employability. This has lead to many institutions providing programmes that incorporate modules that are delivered by different departments. Such secondary disciplines present a unique challenge to obtaining student engagement. Moreover, the bureaucratic nature of higher education institutions presents challenges for introducing innovative teaching methods of these modules. Nevertheless, this paper argues that student engagement hinges on conveying the relevance of the second discipline to the real world. The paper begins by delineating the Scottish higher education context. It then moves on to focuses on the experience of the law division. Finally, it proposes that the use of employer podcasts and the embedding of experiential learning can assist in making the connection between a second discipline and the real world.