A Design Sprint towards a Four-Year Curriculum in Transdisciplinary Studies

Abstract

In this design case, we describe our design process that resulted in recommendations for a four-year undergraduate
curriculum in transdisciplinary studies. The case is centered on a fast-paced, two-week design “sprint” undertaken by the
two authors, which involved consolidating and synthesizing program evaluation data and course designs from the three
previous years of a novel undergraduate transdisciplinary degree program, creating design blueprints that outlined
program-level objectives, and identifying recommendations for future course-level design. In the process of completing
these hand-off materials for the incoming team of instructors, we had to work through substantial ambiguity, balancing the needs of identified learner personas, the capabilities of existing instructional team members, and the end goal
of producing students that had a flexible, personal transdisciplinary identity. This case describes the design activities
we used, the instances of failure that precipitated our design sprint, the instructional and institutional constraints
we faced, the blueprints for future instructional design we created on the course and program level, and the ultimate
failure of the degree program we sought to support.