This paper presents a longitudinal case study of a dynamic, multidisciplinary curriculum designed to prepare students for the complexity of contemporary design practice and global challenges. Over seven years, three faculty members at a Midwestern design college collaboratively developed an open-framework, semester-long studio course centered on design thinking, teamwork, and cross-disciplinary integration. The curriculum intentionally develops students’ collaborative capacities—from multidisciplinary awareness to interdisciplinary dialogue—culminating in transdisciplinary outcomes that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Student teams engage real-world problems and produce professional-level proposals for final client presentations that integrate knowledge from all disciplines represented. A focus on human-centered design fosters critical inquiry into the human condition, expands discipline-specific methods, and cultivates holistic, systems-oriented thinking. Students learn to navigate complex, interconnected design challenges with empathy, creativity, and adaptability.

Grounded in leading educational theory, the curriculum emphasizes active learning, design ideation, and collaborative problem-solving—developing essential 21st-century competencies such as cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary communication, flexibility, and anticipatory thinking. Team-based projects deepen contextual awareness and reveal how design knowledge—and knowledge in general—is shaped by and influences adjacent fields.

The curriculum’s flexibility supports both technical exploration and global engagement. Technology is integrated as a core component of collaborative workflows, and exploration of emerging tools such as AI (artificial intelligence), 360 video, XR (extended reality), 3D scanning, and digital whiteboards support interdisciplinary workflows. International collaborations and study abroad partnerships with museums and cultural institutions further expand students’ worldviews and cultural literacy, fostering global citizenship and inclusive, contextually responsive design outcomes.

Throughout, the curriculum promotes experimentation, risk-taking, and resilience—emphasizing the educational value of both success and failure. By immersing upper-level students in interdisciplinary, team-based projects situated in layered cultural contexts, the course challenges conventional paradigms and advances integrated, globally conscious education practices. The model offers a scalable, adaptable approach for institutions seeking to foster interdisciplinary education that equips students to collaboratively address the complexities of an evolving world.

Keywords: Pedagogy, curricular development, innovation.