Faculty for Interdisciplinary Research and Continuing Education

IFF was founded in 1979 as the ‘Interuniversity Research Institute for Distance Education’ (in German: ‘Interuniversitäres Forschungsinstitut für Fernstudien’ or ‘IFF’). Since that time, the IFF has undergone several transformations. On one hand, the institute’s character has been altered by its growth during that period, and on the other hand, changes have taken account of evolving developments in higher education policy and the need for the Faculty to adapt to these.

IFF was founded as an inter-university institute with the aim of creating connections both between and across disciplines. During the founding years, the guiding vision involved “allowing research and education to have an impact ‘beyond’ the traditional universities”.[4] The ‘Interuniversity Research Institute for Distance Education (IFF)’ was founded jointly by eight universities. In 1988, the IFF had premises in Klagenfurt, Bregenz, Graz, St.Pölten, Stadtschlaining and Vienna. Ten years later, the IFF was serving more than 1,000 distance learning students via study centres in Klagenfurt, Bregenz and Vienna. In addition, the IFF developed new courses for Austria-wide teacher training programmes and began to establish its own research foci, centred on themes such as the environment, peace studies, social learning, regional development or technology and scientific research.[5]

In 1989 a conflict arose between the institute and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, concerning the direction taken by the IFF and its future development. The crisis was brought to an end with the re-establishment of the IFF in 1992 as the "Interuniversity Institute for Interdisciplinary Research and Continuing Education".[6]

In the context of Austria’s university reform programme in 2002, the closure of all existing inter-university institutes in Austria was planned. This confronted the IFF with a choice between dissolution, with its existing regional facilities and their departments joining the nearest of the founding universities, or to remain a unitary institution and attach itself as a whole – with all regional centres – to one university. After internal discussions and negotiations with the rectors of the universities concerned, it was decided that the institute should remain intact. In 2004, the IFF was incorporated within the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt as the ‘Faculty for Interdisciplinary Research and Continuing Education (Klagenfurt-Graz-Vienna)’ - in German the ‘Fakultät für Interdisziplinäre Forschung und Fortbildung’ and therefore the ‘IFF’.[7] Interuniversity cooperation continues via contracts undertaken between the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt and other universities.[8]

Faculty staff are not only drawn from different academic disciplines but also work at the IFF in very different contexts such as palliative care, organisational ethics, social ecology and environmental history, organisational development, science and technology studies, group dynamics, school development, higher education research, agricultural and regional development, continuing education, and intervention research.

The Faculty’s inter- and transdisciplinary working approach ensures that academic personnel represent a broad spectrum of specialist expertise in scientific research, from the arts, humanities and cultural studies to natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and economics. Experts from a very wide range of professional fields who undertake research with the Faculty further strengthen the inter- and transdisciplinary profile of the IFF.

There are currently c. 80 university positions held at the IFF in some cases these posts are shared between two persons. In addition, there are c. 60 independently funded individuals working at the IFF. A large number of external teaching staff are also involved in teaching and continuing education programmes of the Faculty.[9]

At the IFF, the Dean or Vice-Dean is responsible for the management of the Faculty sites in Klagenfurt-Graz and in Vienna, respectively. They are supported in their managerial function by conferences involving the heads of the individual organisational units. Faculty and staff are actively involved in developing Institute policies.[10] To that end, twice-yearly Faculty meetings, involving all scientific and administrative staff members are held. These meetings focus on strategic discussion and the evaluation of units or projects as well as on internal networking.[11]

The following institutes and departments are established at the Klagenfurt, Graz and Vienna sites:

• Department of Research on Science and Technology (Klagenfurt)
• Institute of Instructional and School Development (Klagenfurt and Vienna)
• Conjoined Department of Intervention Research and Cultural Sustainability (Klagenfurt) and Department of City, Region, and Spatial Development (Vienna)
• Institute of Mathematics Education (Klagenfurt)
• Department of Organizational Development and Group Dynamics (Vienna and Klagenfurt)
• Institute of Social Ecology (Vienna)
• Department of Palliative Care und Organisational Ethics (Vienna)
• Institute of Science Communication and Higher Education Research (Vienna)
• Working Group of Intercultural Social Competence (Vienna)

• Jutta Menschik-Bendele (Ed.): Wissen schaffen. Die Forschung an der Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt., facultas.wuv Universitätsverlag, Vienna, 2010 ISBN 978-3-7089-0550-1
• Markus Arnold (Ed.): iff. Interdisziplinäre Wissenschaft im Wandel., LIT Verlag, Vienna, 2009 ISBN 9783643501202

• Homepage of the Faculty for Interdisciplinary Research and Continuing Education