| dc.description.abstract | The complexity of today’s knowledge society today require professionals to collaborate, also across disciplines, to solve complex or ill-structured problems. As a result, interdisciplinary collaboration has become a salient topic in higher education, where academics are increasingly encouraged to undertake interdisciplinary projects in various constellations. While extensive research work has been conducted on interdisciplinary scientific research work, there is limited knowledge about the way such work is conducted in connection with education. There is a need for research knowledge about the strategies used and implemented in interdisciplinary collaboration projects to share, negotiate and integrate knowledge when academics undertake pedagogical design work. This study examined the experiences of an interdisciplinary team of academics and professional experts that engaged in collaborative pedagogical design work to develop an e-course in intercultural competence. Specifically, this study explored the strategies that an interdisciplinary project team employed to facilitate and manage knowledge integration, their reported experiences and challenges during their participation in the collaborative pedagogical design work. The dataset consisted of a combination of individual face-to-face and online interviews with academics and professional experts from the Nordic and Baltic countries, who were partners in a European development project. Discussions from the project meeting represented secondary data. The data obtained were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis method; through a combined process of inductive and deductive analysis. An analytical framework was built by drawing on socio-constructivist perspectives, the notions of academic hospitality by Phipps and Barnett (2007) and the modes of interdisciplinarity by Barry and Born (2013). The study’s findings revealed that academics engaged in various knowledge and design-related activities as a part of the collaborative design process. Academics reported that they engaged in knowledge sharing but also questioned and critically reflected on each other’s perspectives; thus, they enacted reciprocity between being ‘hosts’ and ‘guests’ in the collaboration. Knowledge negotiations were seen as a crucial aspect of the collaborative design process. It helped the team members in working together, build on each other’s insights to reach a shared consensus and provided new perspectives to the course design. Furthermore, it benefitted the team as it enhanced their professional knowledge, skills and practices due to their project participation. To manage the teamwork, the team divided roles and responsibilities in line with their expertise, which appeared vital for achieving the project outcomes. Barriers in linguistic proficiency led to some extent to obstacles in team discussions. Challenges faced in the project were academics inconsistency in complying with the assigned responsibilities, which led to additional efforts from other members to ensure timely project completion. The power dynamics between the team members also shaped their discussions. However, through effective knowledge negotiations, they finalised the course design in the project. As a result, knowledge integration was achieved in the interdisciplinary collaboration. These findings generate a set of implications for both research and practice. For academics and researchers, it is recommended to consider forbearance, openness and flexibility when working or organising collaboration in interdisciplinary teams. It is essential to engage in mutual feedback to critically analyse and reflect on each other’s perspectives throughout the collaboration process to augment team learning and expertise. Organising workshops and training that induct the team into other forms of disciplinary knowledge and expertise can support systematically achieving knowledge integration. Project leaders and administrators are advised to select the right mix of team members that caters to the interdisciplinary project needs. It is suggested that they create enough time and space for ensuring team interactions and effective communication among the team. In addition, it is recommended to use a democratic approach during team interactions, to ensure that all knowledge inputs are adapted in the collaboration. This study also indicates areas of further research, which may include: follow-up research on the use of the learning benefits obtained through participation into the academics professional practices; a comparative analysis of the strategies used by universities and HEIs to manage their interdisciplinary projects; and evaluation of the designed products to ascertain if it has achieved the project goals. | eng |