“Stepping in and stepping out”: Enabling creative third spaces through transdisciplinary partnerships

Authors

  • Giedre Kligyte University of Technology Sydney https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1422-2504
  • Alex Baumber University of Technology Sydney
  • Mieke van der Bijl-Brouwer University of Technology Sydney
  • Cameron Dowd University of Technology Sydney
  • Nick Hazell University of Technology Sydney
  • Bem Le Hunte University of Technology Sydney
  • Marcus Newton University of Technology Sydney
  • Dominica Roebuck University of Technology Sydney
  • Susanne Pratt University of Technology Sydney

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v3i1.3735

Keywords:

students as partners, third space, transdisciplinary, liminality, creativity

Abstract

This article explores how transformative higher education approaches can be fostered through an integration of the concepts of third space, Students as Partners (SaP), and transdisciplinarity in practical contexts. We describe a collaborative enquiry that engaged staff and students in a reflexive dialogue centred on the concepts of mutual learning, liminality, emergence, and creativity as enacted in the curriculum of a transdisciplinary undergraduate degree, the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII) at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. The key insights that emerged through this enquiry were: third spaces in curriculum can be enabled but not constructed, all parties need to embrace uncertainty and a mutual learning mindset, and that “stepping in and out” of such fluid liminal spaces can stimulate creativity. Based on our experience and exploration, we offer some practical recommendations to those seeking to create similar enabling conditions for third spaces in their own undergraduate programs.

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Published

2019-05-07

How to Cite

Kligyte, G., Baumber, A., van der Bijl-Brouwer, M., Dowd, C., Hazell, N., Le Hunte, B., Newton, M., Roebuck, D., & Pratt, S. (2019). “Stepping in and stepping out”: Enabling creative third spaces through transdisciplinary partnerships. International Journal for Students As Partners, 3(1), 5–21. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v3i1.3735

Issue

Section

Special Section: Third Space and Partnership