Learning through diversity in a multidisciplinary innovation project

What happens when you bring together students from different fields to tackle real-world problems? 

In today’s landscape, higher education faces increasing pressure to facilitate collaboration in innovation projects, not only to develop the students’ innovation competence but also to solve complex problems benefitting from diverse perspectives (Hero & Lindfors, 2019; Iqbal, 2021; Laursen & Salter, 2004). This blog post draws on autoethnographic observations and a student-teacher co-writing exercise. The observations stem from the student being a team member in a diverse team of students and graduates from different HEIs coming together to tackle a problem and create something innovative that could truly make a difference. From a student perspective, such collaborations can be very meaningful, as Gulikers et al. (2017) observe: “Authentic tasks, involving real clients or realistic scenarios, were much more meaningful and motivating for students (p. 215)”

In the paper, Students’ learning experience in a multidisciplinary innovation project, Laura-Maija Hero and Eila Lindfors (2019) study the collaboration between HEIs and industries, examining multidisciplinary projects based on real-world problems. The research explores students' perspectives on their learning experience, with the primary objective of enabling teachers and curriculum designers to support the development of student competencies.

Moving from theory to practice, co-author 1 (student) of this blog post had the opportunity to experience an open innovation project first-hand.  The author was part of a multidisciplinary team of students and graduates from different study fields and HEIs. The author explains: “Jointly, I and the rest of the team had competence in, for example, media, behavioral science, and business administration. Together, we aimed to develop an innovative approach to address the growing social polarisation fuelled by misinformation and disinformation”.

Innovation means navigating uncertainty.

Hero and Lindfors's study is fruitful as a tool for reflection as it mirrors many of the teams’ experiences. In their research, Hero and Lindfors examine the Minno® Innovation project, which challenged students to develop innovative solutions, products, services, or processes in response to real-world problems posed by companies and organisations. The data was acquired using the students’ learning diaries, which reflected their project's progress and learning experiences. The study adopted a phenomenographic approach and was conducted during three project course implementations. As expressed in the article, phenomenography explores the qualitatively different ways people potentially experience certain phenomena they meet in their worlds (Marton, 1986; Marton and Pong, 2005, as cited in Hero & Lindors, 2019, p. 506).

In the study, Hero & Lindfors found that the students' perspectives on learning fall into three distinct categories: solvable conflicts and unusual situations (SCUS), becoming aware of and claiming collaborative agency (CCA), and internalising phases of the innovation process. Co-author 1’s experience aligns with the study: "As we delved deeper into each category and its specifics, I found many aspects remarkably familiar from my experience in the multidisciplinary innovation project”.

For example, the students in the study reported contradictions related to the responsibility of setting their own goals. Additionally, navigating the multitude of possible directions proved to be a struggle. 
In co-author 1’s experience, this is the essence of an innovation project: “It is about navigating the inherent uncertainty of designing something entirely new and unprecedented. Our group had a topic for innovation, but there was no company for cooperation nor specific requirements for the end product. At first, the boundless possibilities overwhelmed us, causing us to drift aimlessly before focusing on our project. What we also missed was a clear structure in the team. When leadership is not clearly defined, someone inevitably steps up—but it is a thankless role that comes with significant challenges.”

According to Hero and Lindfors (2019, p. 511), the most meaningful factor in the project seemed to be the multidisciplinarity of the team. Students highlighted the value of skills beyond their expertise, noting how working outside their comfort zone allowed them to learn from others and see how different competencies complemented each other in practical work. It is easy to agree with this finding. In their innovation team, co-author 1 most appreciated when team members leveraged their unique capabilities and specialties. Students and professionals from different fields can offer insights and perspectives one could never consider on their own.

Key takeaways: agency and growth

Firstly, when students participate in creative processes within networked communities, they become active contributors, bringing their unique personal experiences and skills to the table (Eteläpelto et al., 2013, as cited in Hero & Lindors, 2019, p. 502). The students practice agency using their professional knowledge. From co-author 1’s perspective, agency is the key takeaway from the experience in an innovation project. Teams can only succeed if enough talented people take responsibility and ownership of the project.

This poses both opportunities and challenges for a teacher (co-author 2) and a HEI. On a positive note, HEI and industry collaboration foster agency among participants, enabling them to take ownership of complex problems and drive innovative solutions. At the same time, HEIs must carefully interrogate power dynamics between students, intermediaries, teachers, and industry. Some studies (Johnston & Huggins, 2018) have, for example, discussed such power dynamics and examined whether students are truly treated as equal collaborators or if their roles are relegated to cheap labor or unpaid consultants.

Secondly, from a student's perspective, the list of competencies and skills one can acquire in innovation projects is long and impressive. Combining different research, Hero & Lindfors (2019, p. 502) state that the competencies often include personal characteristics such as flexibility, engagement, self-esteem, self-management, and skills and abilities such as future thinking skills, creativity, and social skills. Moreover, team members expand their professional knowledge while gaining insights into their colleagues' specialised areas of expertise. Personally, co-author 1 discovered some newfound flexibility and self-confidence and developed a transformative perspective on innovations and the future that showed that ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things when they come together in diverse teams, united by shared visions and innovative ideas.

For HEIs, the challenge is balancing structure and flexibility. Bissola et al. argue that HEI-Industry projects require flexible, open-ended frameworks for emergent learning: “educational programs must embrace unpredictability and foster emergent, non-linear pathways to innovation,” (2016, p. 217). Nevertheless, while ambiguity is a natural aspect of innovation, providing minimal structure can hinder progress (Iqbal, 2021). Unstructured environments, while fostering innovation and adaptability, can lead to feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, and frustration, especially for students unfamiliar with navigating ambiguity. Building resilience does not mean throwing students into the deep end. Instead, HEIs should, together with industry and intermediaries, create environments where students can fail safely.

Authors: Miia Vähähyppä & Tomas Träskman

The blog post represents a co-writing exercise between a master's student (co-author 1) and a teacher/researcher (co-author 2). The exercise aimed to test new forms of collecting and co-reflecting data from student experiences in the light of theory. The work is part of the Lindstedt-funded project For-Mer.

References

Bissola, R., Imperatori, B., & Biffi, A. (2017). A rhizomatic learning process to create collective knowledge in entrepreneurship education: Open innovation and collaboration beyond boundaries. External link Management Learning, 48(2), 206-226. 

Hero, L.-M. and Lindfors, E. (2019) ‘Students’ learning experience in a multidisciplinary innovation project’, Education + Training, 61(4), pp. 500–514. External link(Accessed: 20.11.2024).

Gulikers, J. T. M., Runhaar, P., & Mulder, M. (2017). An assessment innovation as flywheel for changing teaching and learning. External link Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 70(2), 212–231. 

Iqbal, A., 2021. Innovation speed and quality in higher education institutions: the role of knowledge management enablers and knowledge sharing process. Journal of Knowledge Management, 25(9), pp. 2334–2360.

Johnston, A. & Huggins, R., 2018. Partner selection and university-industry linkages: Assessing small firms' initial perceptions of the credibility of their partners. Technovation, Volume 78, pp. 15–26.

Laursen, K. & Salter, A., 2004. Searching high and low: what types of firms use universities as a source of innovation?. Research Policy, 33(8), pp. 1201–1215.