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Promoting Interdisciplinary Collaboration among University Faculty

Last registered on May 27, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Promoting Interdisciplinary Collaboration among University Faculty
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0018659
Initial registration date
May 17, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
May 27, 2026, 9:39 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
FEI YANG
Affiliation
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2026-05-19
End date
2027-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Education, Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study intends to explore strategies that can encourage university faculty members to participate in interdisciplinary research collaboration, especially collaboration with scholars in artificial intelligence and data science. The study uses a survey experiment to examine whether evaluation recognition and process support can promote faculty members’ willingness to participate in such collaboration.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
YANG, FEI. 2026. "Promoting Interdisciplinary Collaboration among University Faculty." AEA RCT Registry. May 27. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18659-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Eligible respondents will read a baseline vignette describing a potential interdisciplinary collaboration with a scholar in artificial intelligence or data science. They will then be randomly assigned with equal probability to one of four groups:
1. Control group: respondents read the baseline vignette only and receive no additional institutional evaluation information.
2. Evaluation recognition group: respondents read the baseline vignette plus information that interdisciplinary collaborative outputs and substantive individual contributions can be recognized in faculty evaluation, promotion, appointment review, or career development assessment.
3. Process support group: respondents read the baseline vignette plus information that the evaluation process can recognize collaboration initiation, process input, stage progress, and uncertainty involved in starting and developing interdisciplinary collaboration.
4. Combined group: respondents read the baseline vignette plus both the evaluation recognition information and the process support information.
Intervention Start Date
2026-05-19
Intervention End Date
2026-12-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcomes measure faculty members’ willingness to engage in the described interdisciplinary collaboration.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
The secondary outcomes measure behavioral proxies of interest in interdisciplinary collaboration.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This project intends to use a survey experiment for the exploration. The potential faculty sample will be organized to take an online survey so that (1) specific messages can be delivered to each respondent independently; (2) respondents' reactions to the intervention can be immediately captured; and (3) the effects of different strategies on faculty members’ willingness to participate in interdisciplinary collaboration can be compared.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will be done by computer through the online survey platform.
Randomization Unit
The unit of randomization is at the individual faculty respondent level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
No cluster.
Sample size: planned number of observations
The study plans to collect approximately 1,200 eligible faculty respondents.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Approximately 300 eligible respondents per treatment arm.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Research Ethics Review Committee of the Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University
IRB Approval Date
2026-05-06
IRB Approval Number
BNU202604100047
Analysis Plan