In recent years, cross-disciplinary lab practices have become increasingly popular in fields such as Contemporary Art, Literature and Engineering for the development of professional skills. However, there has been little research focused on studying how pre-service teachers, family educators and designers in scientific lab practice could work in a cross-disciplinary way. The ability to engage in cross-disciplinary work practice and develop lab communication skills is essential for our graduates to gain a thorough understanding of their future careers in diverse working environment. In this project, we will initiate a cross-disciplinary collaborative teaching method in lab practice sessions for students in Architecture and Child Development and Family Education (CDFE). We aim to (1) improve CDFE students’ understandings of scientific design concepts in preschool management and community program design; (2) enhance architecture students’ understandings of their end users (e.g. young children and family educators) in the design process; (3) make contribution to the improvement of cross-disciplinary programs at XJTLU.

This project is underpinned by the “Mode 2” in The New Production of Knowledge. Gibbons et al (1994) explored changes in the mode of knowledge production in contemporary society, concerned with the social sciences, humanities, as well as science and technology. They claimed that both scientific and non-scientific actors could be engaged in the trans-disciplinary collaborations. Similarly, Hurni and Wiesmann (2014) emphasized that trans-disciplinary collaboration might not only require scholars to engage with researchers from other disciplines but also to strengthen ties between researchers and non-academics to solve practical problems. In modern societies, researchers believe that trans-disciplinary collaboration becomes more important as “significant problems of tomorrow will be systemic problems, which cannot be addressed by any one specialty” (Domik & Fischer, 2011, p.129). To address these problems, trans-disciplinary collaborations are needed to emphasize experts working in a broad community and in organizations that encompass multiple ways of collaborating. Schneidewind believes that “Real-World Labs are built on a trans-disciplinary process understanding of the involved scientific and non-scientific actors, methods facilitating collaboration and knowledge integration as well as suitable project designs” (2016, p.10). To achieve this aim, students need to extend boundaries by conducting projects in places other than restricted research labs. In this context, various actors (e.g. designers, pre-service teachers, and family educators) could be involved in the innovative research process instead of limiting the involvement to scientific researchers in the knowledge production process.  

 

Participatory design, a democratic process involving user participation in system design for work practice, will be applied in this project. With arguments that participants have raised in designs process, all stakeholders, particularly end users, have equal input into interaction design (Muller & Kuhn, 1993). The approach gives the users full power to share in the responsibility for the final outcome, while providing our students with a user-centered design innovation as it nurtures a more creative development atmosphere.

It will consist of the following steps and techniques:

Stage 1: Participants will be divided into ten groups (five in Architecture and five in CDFE programs), each consisting of 5-6 students.

Stage 2: Four workshops will be conducted by Dr Lu and Sandro jointly in lab practice sessions for students from both programs. Basic theoretical concepts and design skills will be implemented for students in CDFE programs, and child development cognitive concepts will be delivered to students from the Department of Architecture.

Stage 3: Students from both programs will share ideas and communication in lab sessions or via LM in the following four tutorial sessions. 

Stage 4: Collaborative projects (loose materials) will be completed by the end of the academic semester. Evaluation reports will be provided by academics, industrial designers and family educators. 

Stage 5: Students will complete reflective writing reports, and the textual data will be analyzed by Nvivo 12.

 

The students showed a strong interest in the design process and enjoyed the learning process. The samples for the CDFE students in the workshops are presented below:

 

The Architecture students gained valuable experience working with early childhood educators and children to co-design the city, which was showcased on the open day:

 

This project has significantly improved students’ design and cognitive skills in lab practices, and as a consequence to fully prepare for their careers and beyond through the enhancement of a cross-disciplinary teaching method. Hence, it is not only an evaluation of current practice, but also designed to provide practical suggestions for the improvement of cross-disciplinary participatory approaches, acting as an innovative approach to university learning, teaching, and assessment. Future development include partnering with more domestic preschools, industries and universities overseas, such as Preschools in Hong Kong, Early Start UOW in Australia, and design studios, to create a network of stakeholders. Additionally, connections could be strengthened between industrial partners (e.g. functional materials cooperation & design studios), preschools, and academics.   

 

 

1. Domik, G., & Fischer, G. (2011). Transdisciplinary Collaboration and Lifelong Learning: Fostering and Supporting New Learning Opportunities. Springer. 
2. Frost, J. L. (1992). Play and playscapes. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers.
3. Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartzman, S., Scott, P., & Trow, M. (1994). The new production of knowledge: The dynamics of science and research in contemporary societies. SAGE. 
4. Hurni, H, & Wiesmann, U (2014) Transdisciplinarity in practice. Experience from a concept-based research programme addressing global change and sustainable development. GAIA Ecol Perspect Sci Soc, 23(3), 275–277.
5. Maxwell, L. E., Mitchell, M. R., & Evans, G. W. (2008). Effects of play equipment and loose parts on preschool children’s outdoor play behavior: An observational study and design intervention. Children Youth and Environments, 18(2), 36–63.
6. Muller, M.J., & Kuhn, S. (Eds.) (1993). Communications of the ACM special issue on participatory design, 36(6), 24–28. https://doi.org/10.1145/153571.255960
7. Nicholson, S. (1972). The theory of loose parts: An Important Principle for Design Methodology. Studies in Design Education Craft & Technology, 4(2), 5–14.
8. Schneidewind, U., Singer-Brodowski, M., Augenstein, K., & Stelzer, F. (2016). Pledge for a transformative science: A conceptual framework. Wuppertal Papers 191. [Discussion paper].