Faculty for Interdisciplinary Research and Training

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IFF - Faculty for Interdisciplinary Research and Training
founding 1979
place Klagenfurt, Vienna and Graz
dean Konrad Krainer
Website www.aau.at/iff

The Faculty for Interdisciplinary Research and Training (IFF) is one of four faculties at the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt with locations in Klagenfurt , Graz and Vienna .

The basic idea of ​​the IFF is to relate science to current social problems. The faculty is therefore not built along scientific disciplines, but around social problems. The scientific work therefore focuses on questions about the handling of public goods such as health, the environment, space, technology, education, science, politics and culture.

Research , teaching and further education at the IFF are based on a double mandate: a social and a scientific one. The theory and practice of this IFF research concept are based on interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity . This means that in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary projects and work areas, which, among other things, deal with the social, historical and scientific systematic contexts of the respective societal problems, scientists from different disciplines, experts and actors from different professional groups work together. The projects are intervention-oriented and focus on learning from systems and organizations. The focus of the work at the faculty lies in the promotion of reflected decisions by individuals and collectives with regard to specific social problems and issues.

The IFF contributes to dealing with social problems on the one hand through research and teaching, on the other hand through advice, intervention and non-university training.

history

The IFF was founded in 1979 as the “Inter-University Research Institute for Distance Learning” (“the IFF”). Since then, the IFF has gone through several transformations. On the one hand, the character of the IFF changed over time due to the continuous growth and, on the other hand, it repeatedly reacted to changed university policy developments and adjusted their orientation accordingly.

The IFF was founded as an inter-university institute with the idea of ​​creating interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary relationships. In the founding years, the focus was on the idea of “making science and education effective even ´from traditional universities´” . The establishment of the “Inter-University Research Institute for Distance Learning (IFF)” was supported by a total of eight universities. In 1988 the IFF had locations in Klagenfurt, Bregenz, Graz, St. Pölten, Stadtschlainig and Vienna. After ten years, the IFF looked after more than 1,000 distance students in their study centers in Klagenfurt, Bregenz and Vienna. In addition, the IFF developed new courses for Austria-wide teacher training and began to develop its own focus areas, which were dedicated to topics such as the environment, peace research, social learning, regional development or technology and science research.

In 1989 there was a conflict with the Ministry of Science over the question of how the IFF should develop. The crisis ended in 1992 with the re-establishment of the IFF, now as an “Inter-University Institute for Interdisciplinary Research and Training”.

In the course of the Austrian university reform in 2002 it was planned to dissolve all existing inter-university institutes in Austria. At that time, the IFF was faced with the choice of dissolving and dividing the existing locations with their departments among the local sponsoring universities, or maintaining the unit and integrating itself as a whole - with all locations - into a university. After internal discussions and negotiations with the rectors of the universities, the decision was made to keep the overall context. In 2004 the IFF was incorporated into the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt as the “Faculty for Interdisciplinary Research and Training (Klagenfurt-Graz-Vienna)” (“the IFF”). The inter-university cooperation will be continued in the form of contracts between the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt and other universities.

Portrait and self-image of the IFF

The IFF claims for scientific work to develop, test and evaluate new forms of science in research, teaching and organization and to work on selected current social problem areas by designing suitable research and learning processes.
Based on this conceptual approach, guiding concepts, core competencies and specific organizational forms have developed in the course of IFF's history. A summary can be found in the self-description of the IFF:

Public Goods: The IFF participates in dealing with social challenges through research, development, advice, teaching and further training. The associated problems are understood as questions about how to deal with "public goods" such as health, the environment, space, technology, education or science.
Problem orientation: The topics of the IFF are widely spread. In principle, the faculty is open to any task in which inter- and transdisciplinary scientific work promises to make a significant contribution. The faculty is organized along selected social problem areas and is committed to a balance between established and new research priorities. The tension between theory development and application is used productively.
Reflexivity: The IFF's research focuses on the concrete, often directly pressing aspects of a problem as well as on the reflection of the social, historical, anthropological, cultural, organizational or spatial contexts. The problem orientation requires constant reflection and further development of one's own academic forms of organization.
Interdisciplinarity: A primary working principle of the IFF is methodical and disciplinary diversity. This is made possible by the interdisciplinary composition of the teams and can be sustained through mutual irritation and cooperation between the work areas within the faculty. An intensive and reflective culture of communication is therefore particularly important for the IFF.
Transdisciplinarity: According to the mandate of the IFF ("public goods"), IFF projects are very often carried out in cooperation with people and organizations that are concerned with the respective problem area. These non-academic partners bring crucial skills to such processes.
Intervention with organizational relevance: It is a special concern of the IFF to make science effective in society. That is why research is often associated with intervention. With the actors in a problem area, diagnoses are worked out from a multiple perspective, alternatives are thought, strategies are designed and often implemented in scientifically supported and evaluated pilot projects. In most cases, interventions require learning from individuals and organizations. Therefore, complex educational processes, organizational research and organizational development are very important to the IFF.
Social education: The IFF develops strategies to deal with social problems. As a rule, there are no ready-made procedures that, once implemented, work behind the backs of those involved. Rather, such processes require conscious decisions and the participation of those affected. The IFF's educational mission is to enable collectives and individuals to make informed decisions.
University continuing education: A large part of the IFF's teaching activities is devoted to continuing education. The faculty offers a range of university courses with a variety of degrees. Most of the training activities establish relationships with the participants' practical fields and are coupled with research and intervention.
Doctoral and Master’s degrees: The IFF’s study programs are research-oriented. The interdisciplinary teaching is based on the master’s bachelor’s degree from other faculties and universities. The doctoral study programs are organized as interdisciplinary doctoral colleges.
Contributions to studies: The IFF also makes contributions to many studies at other faculties and universities based on its areas of work. The offers are aimed primarily at advanced students and consist, among other things, of supervising external diploma theses and dissertations.
Science management: In addition to the technical qualifications of the employees, a common competence is to relate science to non-scientific demands and to manage it in this sense. The employees in the administration are crucial for the success. You provide complex management services and are therefore a constitutive partner in interdisciplinary work.

The IFF staff

The faculty's employees not only come from different disciplines, but also work at the IFF in very different contexts: social ecology and environmental history , organizational development , palliative care , organizational ethics, technology and science research , group dynamics , school development , university reform and science organization , scientific training, Intervention research etc.

Through the inter- and transdisciplinary approach to work a wide range of activity areas of scientific fields represented staff at the Faculty: Humanities , human and cultural sciences , natural sciences , engineering , social and economic sciences . Experts from various fields of practice who work scientifically strengthen the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary faculty orientation.

At the IFF there are currently around 80 university posts, some of which are occupied by 2 people. In addition, around 60 freelance and third-party funded employees are employed at the IFF. A large number of external lecturers are involved in teaching and continuing education.

Management and participation

The faculty is headed by a dean and two vice deans. The collegial co-determination takes place within the framework of the faculty conference.

At the IFF, the dean or vice dean is responsible for managing the Klagenfurt-Graz location and the Vienna location. In their management function they are supported by conferences of the heads of the individual organizational units (ILK).

The form and content of work at the IFF are mutually dependent: Social problems are dealt with in teams and not by individuals. Communication skills are important for fulfilling the tasks. For example, faculty retreats take place twice a year, in which all scientific and administrative employees are involved and which are dedicated to strategic discussion, the evaluation of units or projects, but also to internal networking. The administrative employees are also included in the communications on an equal footing.

Deans

Institutes

The following institutes are currently set up in Klagenfurt, Graz and Vienna:

  • Peace Research and Peace Education (Klagenfurt)
  • Organizational development, group dynamics and intervention research (Klagenfurt)
  • Palliative Care and Organizational Ethics (Vienna)
  • Teaching and school development (Klagenfurt)
  • Social Ecology (Vienna)
  • Technology and science research (Klagenfurt and Graz)
  • Science communication and university research (Vienna)

literature

  • Jutta Menschik-Bendele (Ed.): Creating knowledge. Research at the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt. , facultas.wuv Universitätsverlag, Vienna, 2010 ISBN 978-3-7089-0550-1
  • Markus Arnold (Ed.): Iff. Interdisciplinary science in transition. , LIT Verlag, Vienna, 2009 ISBN 9783643501202

IFF publication series

iff texts

  • Volume 1: Ralph Grossmann (Ed.): How is knowledge effective? , Springer Verlag, Vienna, 1997 ISBN 3-211-82981-4
  • Volume 2: Ralph Grossmann (Ed.): Besser Cheaper More. On the reform of the expert organization, hospital, school, university , Springer Verlag, Vienna, 1997 ISBN 3-211-83042-1
  • Volume 3: Helmut Haberl, Ernst Kotzmann, Helga Weisz (eds.): Technological civilization and colonization of nature , Springer Verlag, Vienna, 1998 ISBN 3-211-83130-4
  • Volume 4: Erich Kitzmüller, Ina Paul-Horn (Eds.): Alternative Ökonomie , Springer Verlag, Vienna, 1998 ISBN 3-211-83253-X
  • Volume 5: Helmut Haberl, Gerhard Strohmeier (eds.): Cultural landscape research , Springer Verlag, Vienna, 1999 ISBN 3-211-83369-2
  • Volume 6: Markus Arnold, Roland Fischer (eds.): Studium Integrale , Springer Verlag, Vienna, 2000 ISBN 3-211-83429-X
  • Volume 7: Peter Heintel, Larissa Krainer (eds.): Further education? Contributions to scientific further education from theory and practice , Springer Verlag, Vienna, 2000 ISBN 3-211-83475-3
  • Volume 8: Ralph Grossmann, Klaus Scala (eds.): Organizing the public , Springer Verlag, Vienna, 2004 ISBN 3-211-83897-X

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ralph Grossmann (Ed.): How does knowledge become effective? Iff Texte, Volume 1, Springer Verlag: Wien, 1997, p. 1f. ISBN 3-211-82981-4
  2. ↑ see Verena Winiwarter: The Faculty for Interdisciplinary Research and Training (IFF) , Presentation of the Faculty, Klagenfurt, unpublished lecture from April 1, 2011
  3. ↑ What does the IFF do? In: Unisono, special edition "30 years IFF", issue 2, year 2009, p. 2
  4. ^ Markus Arnold: A checkered history. In: Unisono, special edition "30 years IFF", issue 2, year 2009, p. 6
  5. ^ Markus Arnold, Gert Dressel: iff - history of an interdisciplinary institution. In: Markus Arnold (Ed.): Iff. Interdisciplinary science in transition. , LIT Verlag, Vienna, 2009, 19ff. ISBN 9783643501202
  6. ^ Markus Arnold, Gert Dressel: iff - history of an interdisciplinary institution. In: Markus Arnold (Ed.): Iff. Interdisciplinary science in transition. , LIT Verlag, Vienna, 2009, 35ff. ISBN 9783643501202
  7. ^ Markus Arnold, Gert Dressel: iff - history of an interdisciplinary institution. In: Markus Arnold (Ed.): Iff. Interdisciplinary science in transition. , LIT Verlag, Vienna, 2009, 50ff. ISBN 9783643501202
  8. ↑ Verena Winiwarter: The Faculty for Interdisciplinary Research and Training (IFF) , presentation of the Faculty, Klagenfurt, unpublished lecture from April 1, 2011
  9. ^ Markus Arnold: Introduction. In: Markus Arnold (Ed.): Iff. Interdisciplinary science in transition. , LIT Verlag, Vienna, 2009, p. 9. ISBN 9783643501202
  10. ↑ See [1] May 10, 2011
  11. ↑ See [2] May 10, 2011
  12. ↑ See also the statutes of the University of Klagenfurt, Part A: Organizational regulations [3]
  13. ↑ Abbreviation for institute director conference
  14. ↑ see Verena Winiwarter: The Faculty for Interdisciplinary Research and Training (IFF) , Presentation of the Faculty, Klagenfurt, unpublished lecture from April 1, 2011
  15. ↑ Silvia Hellmer: Concepts and their organization at iff. In: Markus Arnold (Ed.): Iff. Interdisciplinary science in transition. , LIT Verlag, Vienna, 2009, p. 159f. ISBN 9783643501202

Web links

Coordinates: 46 ° 37 ′ 35.2 ″  N , 14 ° 18 ′ 0.1 ″  E