The implementation of interdisciplinary approach to foreign language teaching at the university

Introduction. The article studies the possibilities of using an interdisciplinary approach under the process of professional and general disciplines content integration in the higher education system in the context of foreign language learning. Aim. To develop and to test a professionally-oriented case study using digital tools for teaching a foreign language as one of the ways of implementing an interdisciplinary approach in the educational process of university. Methods. In order to reaffirm the effectiveness of the interdisciplinary case study, a pedagogical experiment was conducted, which included a survey on the methods of classes and their impact on the level of students' motivation to form different blocks of competencies. Results. It was found that the application of the professionally-oriented case study increases students’ motivation, helps to develop linguistic, communicative, and professional competencies, skills of using digital technologies in professional activities when solving problems of interdisciplinary nature. In addition, the authors identified the problems that complicated the development of interdisciplinary educational environment at the university. Among them the lack of opportunities for integrating the content of different disciplines, presence of organisational barriers to the formation of interdisciplinary groups, weak opportunities for implementing individual educational trajectory, lack of teachers possessing the skills required to work with interdisciplinary groups, weak continuity of interdisciplinary programmes at higher education levels. Practical significance. A professionally-oriented case study with the employment of digital tools, developed at the nexus of general and professional disciplines can be used to create an interdisciplinary environment in the context of digitalisation in modern higher education.