Proposal: Creating Cross-Disciplinary Collaborative Teaching/learning Praxis with Design Thinking, Communication, and Composition

Sweta Baniya

Dr. Michael Salvo

Engl 605

03/25/2019

Proposal: Creating Cross-Disciplinary Collaborative Teaching/learning Praxis with Design Thinking, Communication, and Composition

This paper will discuss the process of implementing an integrated cross-disciplinary pedagogy with collaboration among various disciplines at Purdue University. Three departments at Purdue University have been implementing an integrated class for incoming Freshmen with a combination of Design Thinking, Communication, and Composition for past five years. Over the past five years, we have evaluated and assessed student growth within the integrated classroom which combines technology and writing together. Looking back at the past five years of implementation and success of the integration program, in this paper, we look back at the story of creating and implementing a cross-disciplinary collaborative of teaching and learning praxis.

Within this ongoing integrated first-year program, technology students have opportunities to design and develop written and multimodal compositions geared towards solving global issues via multidisciplinary interactions and social justice framework. However, implementing a collaborative classroom with three different departments, with three different instructors, and 45 students is a difficult task. There are a lot of logistical and administrative challenges that are needed to be done before the actual implementation. On top of everything, there requires instructor motivation, devotion, and calibration for the success of the integrated pedagogy

With these three questions, in this paper, I argue that based on the current job market scenario and demand of the employers, universities should think about a collaborative cross-disciplinary pedagogy to prepare students for more global challenges. Additionally, the integrated program believes that student learns more about actual world problems and learn how to critically think about them, write about them, and effectively communicate the innovative solutions via an integrated pedagogy. In this interview-based study, I present a detailed guideline for the development and implementation of an integrated pedagogy in any university and in a variety of different contexts. I also focus on how instructors from varied discipline can work together effectively to help students be aware of local and global context and prepare them for the challenges in the industry and prepare them to meet those challenges.  

( This is a paper that I am presenting and writing an article for SigDoc's proceedings. I think if I can get  feedback on this paper, it will be great)