A Collaborative Model of Teaching and Learning for Undergraduate Innovation Education

Abstract Students' education needs to reflect the progressive and innovative nature of society. While innovation was previously viewed as an economic driver or technological concept in the 20th century, modern times have innovation permeating into all branches of society, intending to seek and develop new knowledge and ideas. With this inclusion of innovation in society, students should be provided educational opportunities to develop innovation skills that can better prepare them for the professional world as well as for making both societal and personal impact. Innovation-focused education has been positioned to develop 1) social responsibility in students, 2) innovative behavior that can benefit the organizations in which they become part of in their future, 3) their own personal ventures, and 4) the general economy. And, using a transdisciplinary approach to teaching innovation, can help to break down the silos that exist within modern higher education—creating a more authentic community of practice to nourish student learning and their innovative ideas. Researchers have found that innovation capabilities are not typically a by-product of traditional comprehensive education and without specific curriculum to cultivate innovation practices among students across majors, many may be missing out on valuable knowledge and skillsets. Addressing this concern, an undergraduate program at Purdue University has been developed to provide students with the time, resources, and opportunities to enhance their innovation capabilities through co-teaching and co-learning from faculty and students from differing academic units. This program brings together the disciplinary lenses from three different colleges, including engineering technology, business, and liberal arts. Engaging students in a transdisciplinary, authentic learning experience across these academic units can allow them to form a community of practice by working on innovation projects over multiple semesters within an engaged network of faculty, peers, and mentors from a variety of disciplines. However, as this model is implemented there is a need to better understand how this collaborative approach to teaching innovation influences undergraduate learning. Therefore, this study examines student perceptions from this innovation education program related to the program's co-teaching and co-learning model, along with an analysis of the influence that the program has on innovation skills such as integrative learning, teamwork, and problem-solving. All this will be positioned to inform future innovation education research, identifying benefits and drawbacks of the collaborative form of teaching and learning, and analyzing students' self-perceptions of the skills they developed. This information will be valuable as more institutions look toward transforming teaching and learning practices to provide more engaging, cross-disciplinary programs that enhance the value of the learning experiences they provide to students on their campuses.