Crossing the Line was a research project that ran from 2022-24 at the University of Edinburgh, directed by David Overend. Team members included Seongsook Choi, Andy Cross, Clare Cullen, David Jay (Anglia Ruskin University), Jenny Scoles and M Winter. The research was funded by the Principal’s Teaching Award Scheme at the University of Edinburgh.

The project observed, documented and critically reflected on the inaugural delivery of a new undergraduate programme at Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI). The MA (Hons) Interdisciplinary Futures launched in September 2023, preceded by a suite of pre-honours elective courses. A mixed method approach was employed to understand the holistic experience of learners and educators on a wide range of courses, as they came together to develop skills in interdisciplinary collaboration.

The project resulted in the Toolkit for Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching, along with the following presentations, workshops and publications:

Publications:

Cullen, C., Jay, D., Overend, D. and Winter, M. (2024) Creating Edinburgh: Diffracting Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching in the Contemporary City. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 11. 1151.

Overend, D., Ewing, S. and Swanton, D. (2024). ‘Loose Ends and Missing Links’: Learning Journeys in the Postdigital City. In: Postdigital Learning Spaces: Towards Convivial, Equitable, and Sustainable Spaces for Learning (eds. Lamb, J. and Carvalho, L.). Springer pp. 99-118.

Winter, M. and Overend, D. (2024). Troubling Leadership in the Interdisciplinary Challenge-Based Classroom. Issues in Interdisciplinary Studies, 41(2), pp. 77-100.

Overend, D., Choi, S., Cross, A. & Winter, M. (in press). Future change agents: Emotional interactions in the challenge-based classroom. In: Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching: Practice and Pedagogies. eds. Kemp, I. & Scott, S. Ethics Press.

Blogs:

Cullen, C., Overend, D., Scoles, J. and Winter, M. ‘Introducing the Toolkit for Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching (TILT)’, Teaching Matters. December 2024. https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters/introducing-the-toolkit-for-interdisciplinary-learning-and-teaching-tilt/

Cullen, C., Scoles, J. and Winter, M. ‘An Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching Manifesto’, Teaching Matters. December 2024. https://blogs.ed.ac.uk/teaching-matters/an-interdisciplinary-learning-and-teaching-manifesto/

Winter, M. and J. Scoles. ‘Doing Curriculum Transformation: Embedding Well-being and Belonging in Course Design and Curriculum’, Teaching Matters. November 2023. https://www.teaching-matters-blog.ed.ac.uk/doing-curriculum-transformation-embedding-wellbeing-belonging-in-curriculum-and-course-design/

Chua, Z.K., ‘Wading through the weeds: The necessity of mentorship in an interdisciplinary environment’, Teaching Matters. August 2023. https://www.teaching-matters-blog.ed.ac.uk/wading-through-the-weeds-the-necessity-of-mentorship-in-an-interdisciplinary-environment/

Winter, M. and D. Overend, ‘Crossing disciplinary lines: What is interdisciplinary learning really like?’, Teaching Matters, August 2022. https://www.teaching-matters-blog.ed.ac.uk/crossing-disciplinary-lines-what-is-interdisciplinary-learning-really-like/

Presentations, talks and workshops:

Cross, A., Cullen, C., Overend, D., Rolle, S., Scoles, J. and Winter, M. ‘Toolkit for Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching Launch event, Edinburgh Futures Institute, University of Edinburgh, Nov 2024.

Cullen, C., Jay, D., Overend, D. and Winter, M. ‘Creating Edinburgh: Diffracting interdisciplinary learning and teaching in the contemporary city’, Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching Conference, University of Manchester, Mar 2024.

Cullen, C., Jay, D., Overend, D. and Winter, M. ‘The contemporary city as a postdigital learning space’, The Postdigital Classroom, University of Edinburgh, Mar 2024.

Overend, D. ‘Creating Edinburgh’, Mobilising place as the context for developing students’ skills, Education Espresso: A shot of pedagogical inspiration, WONKHE/Adobe, Feb 2024.

Winter, M. ‘Encouraging Reflection and Transformation in the Interdisciplinary Challenge Based Classroom: A Group Dynamic Intervention’, Association for Interdisciplinary Studies Conference, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Oct 2023.

Overend, D. and Winter, M. ‘Facilitating Groupwork: Teaching Assistant Induction’, Edinburgh Futures Institute, Sep 2023.

Overend, D. and Lewis-Cole, A. (Academic Policy and Governance, University of Glasgow), ‘Challenging Futures: Transformational curricula for interdisciplinary learning at Scottish Higher Education Institutions’, Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching UK Conference, Anglia Ruskin University, April 2023; and Advance HE, Keele University, Jul 2023.

Overend, D., Ewing, S., Swanton, D., Macleod, D., and Chua, Z.K., ‘Developing a field-based methodology for learning and teaching in the contemporary city: A conversation across disciplines’, University of Edinburgh Learning and Teaching Conference, Jun 2023.

Winter, M. (presenter) and Choi, S (contributor). ‘Structure and support vs. freedom and creativity: Interdisciplinary learning on a Students as Change Agents course at Edinburgh University (UK)’, Association for Interdisciplinary Studies Conference, Sonoma State University, California, Nov 2022.

Overend, D. and A. Cross, ‘Future Change Agents: Mapping interdisciplinary learning at Edinburgh Futures Institute’, University of Edinburgh Learning and Teaching Conference, Jun 2022.

Overend, D. (presenter) and Choi, S. (contributor). ‘Students as Change Agents: Mapping interdisciplinary learning at Edinburgh Futures Institute’, Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching UK Conference, University of Birmingham, Apr 2022.

A full list of references for the TILT site is available here.