Summary

The following case study describes the use of a number of active learning activities to scaffold the development of students’ skills in collaborative and interdisciplinary ways of working that seek to meet the challenges of the 21st century, with a particular focus on climate change and sustainability. The activities cover:

• The development of group cohesion;
• The scaffolding of multi-disciplinary perspectives;
• The introduction of an interdisciplinary identity.

Suggested alternatives and key takeaways are offered to help educators who might be considering adopting a similar initiative.

Introduction

In the 21st century, universities are increasingly reflecting on their curriculum and its underpinning practices and ideologies, as well as its ability to engage critically with complex societal and planetary challenges which lack simple solutions (McCune, 2020; Wieman, 2019). Within this context there are calls (Loughlin et al., 2020; Misiaszek, 2021; UNESCO, 2017) to disrupt traditional approaches to teaching (didactic, passive, siloed) and to champion instead student-centred active learning (Spelt et al., 2009), interdisciplinarity, and higher-order skills such as analysis, synthesis and critical thinking (Bonwell & Eison, 1991). Through their collaborative engagement with real-world problems, these approaches are more likely to be individually transformative (Mezirow, 1991) and also to equip students to think critically about oppression at a systemic level, thus preparing them for societal-level transformation (Taylor & Cranton, 2012). Active learning is now well established in the literature as one of the most powerful forms of teaching, a key technique that engages students in their own learning and in constructing meaning (Macfarlane, 2009). As a concept, it lends itself to different interpretations and variations in format.

Using an example from classroom experience, this case study illustrates the multifaceted nature of active learning where collaborative and interdisciplinary forms of engagement form a complex learner-centred experience, and where students encounter diverse perspectives, position themselves authentically in relation to real-world problems, and co-construct learning.

Context

The module ‘Climate Change and Social Inequality: Can You be an Agent for Change?’ was designed as part of a suite of online interdisciplinary modules taken by second-year undergraduate students (Anghel & Tait, 2025). 79 students from 41 Humanities and STEM disciplines participated. The learning activities described were introduced in the first year of delivery of both the module and the wider suite of interdisciplinary modules, and therefore reflect our careful approach to building student capacity in a dynamic and innovative context for both students and staff.

Facilitating group cohesion

Prior to the start of the module, my co-module lead and I allocated students to groups, carefully ensuring an appropriate balance of disciplinary perspectives across each group. Private Teams channels were set up, providing students with a space in which to take ownership of their collective work, and share ideas. Throughout the module, students attended synchronous sessions with the module leads, were allocated time to work together synchronously on activities in their groups via private Teams channels, and were set tasks to complete asynchronously as they developed their summative assessment. These measures were adopted to mediate the challenges of working with a large, interdisciplinary cohort, and in recognition of the need to build in flexibility to meet the needs of a diverse range of students (Hockings, 2010).

As module leads, we recognised that groups require time and an appropriate environment to establish (Healey, 2024). Measures were adopted to support good working practices. In the first three weeks of the module, classroom time was allocated to groups to work synchronously in private Teams channels on a series of pre-prepared, self-facilitated activities. These activities foregrounded the interdisciplinary group work students would do later in the module, by introducing active learning activities designed to support cohesion, and enable identification of personal values, passions and strengths, and a greater emphasis on an exploration of students’ own views, a key component of active learning (Bonwell & Eison, 1991). The activities embodied our model of distributed leadership as a pedagogical approach to group work (Anghel & Tait, 2025), and included:

• Asking students to identify their individual strengths, values and passions;
• Completing a Team Charter based on a template provided by the module leads;
• Identifying a team wellbeing liaison member who would reach out to the module leads in case of unresolvable issues.

Scaffolding gains from interdisciplinary diversity

A third of the way through the module, an active learning technique was introduced to scaffold students’ ability to acknowledge, and gain from, their interdisciplinary diversity. In pedagogy, scaffolding is a support structure that enables students to grasp a subject gradually, from basic to increasing complexity. For interdisciplinary learning scaffolding is considered a necessary pre-condition (Hammond, 2001; Spelt et al., 2009). It involves providing students with a grounding in their disciplinary identity before moving on to an integrated approach in which different disciplinary perspectives are synthesised to create a holistic solution that is more than the sum of its parts (Boix Mansilla & Duraisingh, 2007).

The activity took place after students formed a social connection as a group, an important pre-condition (Wals, 2010), but before they had started working on interdisciplinary group projects that contributed to their summative assessment. The active learning activity had two parts, reflecting the transition from multi-disciplinarity towards interdisciplinarity.

Firstly, students were asked to interpret from within their disciplines the image of an advert for a popular fast-food brand. Comments (in the chat or directly) were wide-ranging, from a student who offered a legal interpretation, to a drama student who observed how lighting was used to highlight certain features. Due to the siloed nature of higher education, as co-module lead I was cognisant that for many students this was likely to be the first time they had been exposed to another disciplinary lens. For this reason, and despite group work forming a major part of the module, the activity was set up in a plenary format so that students could benefit from engaging with as wide a range of perspectives as possible.

Supporting interdisciplinary identity

In the second part, the students were asked to reflect on whether the fast-food product could be made sustainable. This was inspired by an exercise conducted by Wals (2010) with small groups of students. Whilst these students were not always multi-disciplinary, Wals observed that ‘when the groups consist of members coming from different backgrounds, the solutions found appear more creative and more complete’ (p. 385). This reflection showed that the activity was suitable to an interdisciplinary context. Our students were provided with facts about the brand that covered a range of interdisciplinary topics: workers’ rights; farming; plastic pollution and waste. They were asked to comment (in the chat or directly) on these aspects from their disciplinary perspective and to listen to other students’ ideas. This activity aimed to begin to move students towards synthesis, and a holistic solution that would be greater than that offered by any one discipline alone. An example was used to aid their thinking: to solve issues of land erosion due to agricultural expansion, Zoology, Agriculture, Business Management, and Marketing and Product Design graduates would need to work together to understand the impact of what we produce and consume, and to generate new ideas for changes in corporate behaviour and consumer demand, and for ecological health. Recognising the complex and abstract nature of the task, a range of visuals were provided alongside the examples to aid students in their conceptualisation. The visuals included examples of different types of land degradation and a range of corporate brands.

Benefits of the approach and how others might adapt it

To extend the active learning opportunities in this activity and given the range of factors involved in deciding whether a brand could be made sustainable, interested educators could consider giving students time to conduct their own research before discussing with peers. This would extend the activity beyond an individual session, but it is similar to Wals’ approach, who first asked students to research different aspects of the fast-food brand before analysing its potential for becoming sustainable. Providing students with space to conduct this research for themselves before entering into dialogue with peers would likely also support neurodiverse students through the provision of an extended period of reflection. Outputs could then be shared amongst group members to enhance opportunities for exposure to interdisciplinary skill development.

This activity was designed to give students the opportunity to consider themselves as knowers able to share a unique disciplinary perspective, an identity that was still emerging in their second year of study. Using a simple image of a fast-food brand familiar via popular culture, provided an accessible starting point for students with an array of disciplinary lenses, and resulted in an engaging activity that sparked their observational skills. Whilst not the first time students were engaged in a form of active learning on the module, the exercise was unique in providing all students with a rich diversity of interpretations and distinctive ways of seeing that began to illustrate the enhanced value of an interdisciplinary meeting of minds. It was an activity inclusive of all perspectives, in the knowledge that all responses were equally valid, and that the purpose of the exercise was to embrace difference and to open themselves up to having their understanding enhanced through it. Indeed, one student commented in their final assignment that it was the first time they had really understood the concept of interdisciplinarity.

This activity can be easily replicated and does not require an interdisciplinary group. Students could share from their intercultural perspectives, thereby embracing the diversity of the group and ensuring that international students feel included. The activity does not require a specific skill-set and can be adapted to other topics and focus of analysis.

Moving beyond multi-disciplinarity to achieve interdisciplinarity is a complex and time-consuming endeavour (Spelt, 2009). Whilst educators can achieve interdisciplinary teaching without working in a cross-boundary way themselves, it nonetheless provides a useful insight into the types of challenges students will face when working across disciplinary boundaries, and is likely to better prepare educators for these challenges. For this reason, it is advised that, where possible, educators engage with colleagues from different disciplinary backgrounds during the module design phase when embarking upon interdisciplinary teaching. At a practical level, careful consideration should be given to group sizes when setting up interdisciplinary groups, with a maximum of 5-6 students recommended depending on the nature of the activity being undertaken.

Conclusion

In the early 21st century the world is facing an unprecedented number of grand challenges of existential significance. We are dealing with post-truth, climate change, economic uncertainties in conditions of political fragility, and deep social inequalities. Universities are recognising that the curriculum needs to prepare students to become critical thinkers, able to collaborate beyond disciplinary silos, to understand society and its complex problems in depth, to produce innovative problem solving, and to take action for societal transformation. To achieve such learning outcomes the pedagogical approach also needs to change.

This case study has offered an example of activities that can operationalise the process of acquiring such skills and knowledge through active learning that respects and utilises the students’ position as knowers and as contributors to each other’s learning.

Key takeaways

To support interested colleagues, we would like to offer three takeaway points:

• Active learning exercises multiple concurrent skills thus facilitating a more holistic development.
• Interdisciplinary learning is helped by a scaffolding approach that illustrates first the distinctiveness of one’s discipline and then how understanding expands in interaction with other viewpoints. As this can challenge novice identities, care is needed to address feelings of vulnerability.
• Careful consideration of appropriate pedagogical models for group work and active learning is required for interdisciplinary working to be successful.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr Anghel, who co-designed the module with me and whose rich contributions have helped to shape this case study.

References

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About the author

Victoria is an Academic Developer at the University of Edinburgh (UoE), with expertise in sustainability education. Prior to joining the UoE, she worked as a Lecturer Practitioner (Education for Sustainability) at Anglia Ruskin University, and led on the development of staff and student sustainability initiatives.