_{Can diversity in university classrooms be the key to solving real-world challenges? Weiwei, a recent PhD graduate from Campus Fryslân, explores how interdisciplinary and intercultural group work can unlock creativity and innovation, when guided effectively. With a focus on teaching strategies and a case study from Spain, this digest highlights how intentional programme design turns diversity into a powerful driver of meaningful learning and collaboration.}

Imagine a Dutch university classroom where a group of students is tasked with solving a challenge close to the heart of the Netherlands: how to make agriculture more sustainable while maintaining its global leadership in food production. In this group, there’s an agricultural science student from Italy, an environmental policy student from China, an engineer specializing in renewable energy from the Netherlands, and a business student from the US.

At first, their discussions are full of misunderstandings. Their ideas seem to pull in different directions, and progress is slow. But as they continue working together and get guidance, something remarkable happens. They start combining their expertise, learning from each other’s perspectives, and finding creative solutions. By the end, they’ve developed a strategy that balances environmental sustainability with economic viability—a solution that no single discipline could have created alone. This example highlights the double-edged effects of diversity in group work (Van Der Zee & Otten, 2014) and simply putting diverse students in groups is not enough (Burdett, 2014).

This blog explores current students’ perceptions, teaching methods, and program designs, doing enough to turn diversity into a strength?

A. Students’ Perspective: Balancing Costs and Benefits

Working in diverse groups isn’t easy. Interdisciplinary and intercultural group work often comes with significant challenges for students—what I term "costs" in my research. These costs include communication difficulties, the time required to bridge disciplinary gaps, and the effort to navigate uncertainties about their group performance (Eccles & Wigfield, 2020; Poort et al., 2023).

Despite the costs, students recognized the short-term and long-term value of participating in diverse groups. They noted that working in such settings helped them (Li et al., 2023) :

• Learn to tackle complex problems more effectively by combining diverse ideas.

• Build essential teamwork skills for their future careers.

• Develop open-mindedness and empathy for different perspectives.

The research also showed that the influences of students' perceived benefits outweighed the costs that motivated them to interact more with members (Li, 2024, Chapter 4). As one student shared:

"At first, we couldn’t agree on anything. Everyone had a different opinion, and it felt like we were wasting time just talking. But slowly, we learned how to listen to each other and use our differences to create something better. By the end, I realized that working with diverse teammates made me more confident and prepared for future projects."

These findings raise an important question: Are teachers doing enough to help students see the long-term benefits of diversity before frustration turns them away from diverse group work?

B. Teachers’ Perspective: The Role of Guidance

Teachers are critical in ensuring diverse group work succeeds (Dimitrov & Haque, 2016). One educator from my interviews described it as:

"Group work with diverse students is never straightforward—it’s a bumpy road with lots of detours. But as teachers, we can help students find their way by guiding them when they get stuck and encouraging them to face challenges head-on. It’s not about giving them all the answers but showing them how to find their own solutions."

From interviews with 20 educators, four strategies teachers identified to empower students (Li, 2024, Chapter 3):

·       Creating a positive diversity climate where students feel respected and valued.

·       Designing tasks that connect to students’ backgrounds and leverage their diverse perspectives.

·       Providing guidance without overstepping, allowing students to solve problems independently.

·       Improving assessment methods to value how students collaborate and integrate ideas.

Meanwhile, facilitating diverse group work requires significant time, effort, and expertise. One teacher emphasized:

"Facilitating diversity is rewarding, but it’s also challenging. We need more resources and recognition for the work we do."

So, are we doing enough to support teachers in this critical role?

C. Case study on an Innovative Program Design for Interdisciplinary Learning

An inspiring example of how diversity can be intentionally utilized comes from a bachelor program in Spain. The program aimed to prepare student teachers for inclusive education in schools. Although housed in a monodisciplinary faculty of education, the program was transformed into an interdisciplinary learning environment, bringing together students from psychology, social work, and social education. The program coordinator reflected:

"Supported by university innovation funding, our teacher team collaborated closely to design and implement the program’s activities. Our approach embraced design-based education research principles, incorporating urgent challenges in schools, involving community practitioners, and preparing students for their future careers."

For program impacts evaluation, pre and post-program surveys (Li, 2024, Chapter 5) and student interviews (Li et al., 2024, under review) revealed significant student growth in three areas:

·       Disciplinary learning: Expanded students' theoretical understanding while enhancing their ability to apply knowledge effectively in inclusive education settings.

·       Intercultural competencies: Students developed greater empathy and appreciation for diverse perspectives.

·       Motivation for professional collaboration: Students expressed strong interest in working with professionals from other fields, recognizing the importance of collaboration for inclusion.

Implications for Higher Education

Student diversity in higher education is an opportunity to redefine how we learn and collaborate. But it requires intentional effort from everyone.

For students: Consider the opportunities diverse group work provides. Yes, it can be challenging, but it also teaches teamwork and problem-solving skills invaluable for your future.

For educators: Are your group projects designed to leverage diversity, or do they simply divide tasks? Reflect on how your teaching strategies shape students’ collaboration experiences and consider adapting these findings to empower diverse teams.

For program coordinators and policymakers: Are your programs preparing students for real-world challenges, or reinforcing silos between disciplines? What steps can you take to design programs that reflect societal needs and equip teachers with the resources to support learning effectively? The case study in Chapter 5 offers some insights.

By reflecting on these questions and taking action, we are able to turn diversity into a driver of innovation, growth, and meaningful learning experiences.

References

• _{Burdett, J. (2014). Students achieving intercultural competence through group work: Realised or idealised? Journal of International Education in Business, 7(1), 14–30. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIEB-05-2013-0017}

• _{Dimitrov, N., & Haque, A. (2016). Intercultural teaching competence: A multi-disciplinary model for instructor reflection. Intercultural Education, 27(5), 437–456. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2016.1240502}

• _{Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2020). From expectancy-value theory to situated expectancy-value theory: A developmental, social cognitive, and sociocultural perspective on motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 61(April), 101859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2020.101859}

• _{Li, W. (2024). Mixing cultures, boosting learning: How diversity can improve the value of student group work in higher education: [University of Groningen]. https://doi.org/10.33612/diss.1144474735}

• _{Li, W., Otten, S., Van Der Zande, I. S. E., & Coelen, R. (2023). Do students value intercultural group work? The effects of perceived value in diversity on intercultural interactions. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 60(3), 412–425. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2023.2179521}

• _{Poort, I., Jansen, E., & Hofman, A. (2023). Promoting University Students’ Engagement in Intercultural Group Work: The Importance of Expectancy, Value, and Cost. Research in Higher Education, 64(2), 331–348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-022-09705-8}

• _{Van Der Zee, K., & Otten, S. (2014). Organizational perspectives on diversity. In Towards inclusive organizations: Determinants of successful diversity management at work (1st ed., p. 20). Psychology Press.}

• _{Tags: Interdisciplinarity; PhD; Research; Centre for Transformative Education (CTE)}