Experimenting with Un-Classes:
Campus Interdisciplinary Problem Solving Teams through
UA’s EXL Center for Entrepreneurship and Civic Engagement
Submitted by the EXL Center Faculty Advisory Council
“Breakthrough innovation occurs when we bring down boundaries and encourage disciplines to learn
from each other” Gyan Nagpal, Talent Economics: The Fine Line Between Winning and Losing the Global
War for Talent
Goal:
Design and test new teaching and learning frameworks (classes; the “un”class) that bring together the
core elements of UA’s central educational mission with the tripartite drive for innovation, engagement,
and distinction. Our strategy: disciplines without borders, theory connected to application, experiential
learning, community engagement, career preparedness and economic development.
Background:
Many people inside and outside the academy believe that universities and university education must
change. To be sure, this has been an ongoing process. For example, consider the way digital
technologies have impacted teaching and learning since the emergence of the personal computer and
the internet. On the other hand, consider how much is the same: our faculty and students focus on and
are often separated by disciplines, our classes are often dichotomized as either theoretical (not real
world) or applied (real world), and lecture is still a dominant pedagogy.
The Problem
We are motivated by a simple question. If universities can and must change, what can we do differently,
and not because the traditional approaches are necessarily bad, but because we want to ask what else is
possible and valuable?
The Opportunities
If we embrace core characteristics of a polytechnic (transdisciplinary, applied learning with firm
theoretical foundations, engaged with the community it serves in all of its dimensions – K-12,
neighborhoods, business and government) and imagine new kinds of teaching and learning
opportunities, how could we answer the call and opportunity for change? Our answer does not come in
the form of a particular device of pedagogy although it has much in common with the service learning
and community-based research (SLCBR or CBRSL) approach that has evolved in many applied disciplines.
We propose first an innovation on CBRSL approach with cross-disciplinary student teams focused on
community generated problems working outside a single faculty member’s curricular/traditional coursebased agenda. Second, we propose to use these teams “un-classes” to test hypotheses about teaching
and learning frameworks, especially those that engage students, faculty, and the community in ways
that are unfettered by traditional constraints of the university.
Objectives
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Embed participants in a context of problem solving through dynamic interdisciplinary
collaboration
Bring together faculty, students and community members to identify, understand and develop
solutions in a service/experiential learning, community of practice approach to UA challenges
such as (but not limited to):
o HVAC, green campus, climate change
o Storm water management
o Organizational behavior, dynamics and institutional performance
o Structure/function/utility/value and meaning of a polytechnic education
Leverage and enhance existing faculty student work/activities
o Student coops and internships
o Capstone courses/honors projects
Methods
Experiment I (spring 2016): Launch an open ‘design challenge’ request for identifying top issues that can
be framed as research questions so that research teams can address to find new solutions for change on
the UA campus. This could be similar to a Knight Challenge request for proposals, and borrow heavily
from a crowdsourcing approach.
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Gauge interest and diversity (ideas and people)
Evaluate how teams might be assembled
Rough out a structure for engagement and connect to “bean counting" structures
Plan and propose ‘course’ for Fall 2016
Experiment II:
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Run pilot course(s) Fall 2016 with teams of faculty, community members, students, etc.
Evaluate for success and develop concepts for sustainability if effective
o Develop course proposals for 2017 if appropriate
How Can the EXL Center Support This Project?
EXL Center leadership and support makes this possible by launching the design competition and
supporting the proposal evaluation process.
EXL Center leadership and support makes this possible through staff and funding support that sustains
Experiment I and II.
EXL Center leadership and support makes this possible by working with upper administration to break
down bureaucratic barriers, such as those that make team teaching nearly impossible.
EXL Center leadership and support makes this possible by becoming a platform for sharing and
mentoring in best practices related to experiential learning.
EXL Center leadership and support makes this possible by providing a place and platform for the
building of effective cross-disciplinary problem solving teams.