Transdisciplinary Innovation Pedagogy as a Catalyst for Institutional Transformation in Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18060/29182Keywords:
Innovation, Experiential Education, Organizational Change, Adaptive Leadership, Project-based LearningAbstract
This article examines James Madison University’s X-Labs as a model of institutional innovation through transdisciplinary, experiential learning. Grounded in theory and sustained through strategic partnerships, X-Labs supports student leadership, faculty renewal, and institutional learning. The initiative illustrates how relationship-centered practices, rooted in trust, collaboration, and autonomy, can foster systemic change. Drawing from literature on organizational change, leadership, and innovation, the paper explores how X-Labs contributes to institutional resilience and offers replicable insights for higher education leaders navigating complexity and transformation.
References
Baxter Magolda, M.B. (2004). Learning partnerships model: A framework for promoting self authorship. In M.B. Baxter Magolda, & P.M. King (Eds.), Learning partnerships: Theory and models of practice to educate for self-authorship (pp. 37-62). Stylus.
Berger, J., & Milem, J. (2000). Organizational Behavior in Higher Education and Student Outcomes. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, (Vol. XV, pp. 268-338). Agathon Press.
Binks, M. (2014). The crucial role of universities in promoting radical innovation. In D. Greenway & C.D. Rudd (Eds.), The business growth benefits of higher education (pp. 91-108). Palgrave Macmillan.
Bolden, R., Jones, S., Davis, H., & Gentle, P. (2015). Developing and sustaining shared leadership in higher education (Research Report). Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.
Cai, Y. (2017). From an analytical framework for understanding the innovation process in higher education to an emerging research field of innovations in higher education. The Review of Higher Education, 40(4), 585–616. https://pullias.usc.edu/download/change-leadership-toolkit-a-guide-for-advancing-systemic-change-in-higher-education/
Ehrlichman, (2021). Impact networks: Create connection, spark collaboration, and catalyze systemic change. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Elrod, S., Kezar, A., de Jesus González, Á., & Holcombe, E. (2024). Change leadership toolkit 2.0: A guide for advancing systemic change in higher education. Pullias Center for Higher Education.
Etzkowitz, H. (2003). Innovation in Innovation: The Triple Helix of University-Industry-Government Relations. Social Science Information, 42(3), 293-337. https://doi.org/10.1177/05390184030423002
Heifetz, R.A., & Linsky, M. (2002). A survival guide for leaders. Harvard Business Review, 80(6), 65–72.
Heinrich, B., Lewis, E., Louson, E., Ludwig, P., McCarthy, S., & Swayne, N. (2022). Teaching transdisciplinary courses: We’ll help you unravel the mystery. JMU X - Labs, Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Kezar, A. (2014). Higher education change and social networks: A review of research. The Journal of Higher Education, 85(1), 91–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2014.11777320
Lawrence, R. J. (2015). Advances in transdisciplinarity: epistemologies, methodologies and processes. Futures, 65, 1-9.
Lewis, E. J., Hesse, M., & Copeland, C. (2024). Assessing student learning in an innovation interdisciplinary course. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 35(2). https://celt.miamioh.edu/index.php/JECT/article/view/1152
Lewis, E. J., Ludwig, P. M., Arce-Trigatti, A., Geist, M., Kurti, S. P., Nagel, J., & Sanders, R. (2023). Persistent outcomes for college graduates who completed an innovation course, Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 34(1). Available from: https://celt.miamioh.edu/index.php/JECT/article/view/144
Lewis, E. J., Ludwig, P. M., Nagel, J., & Ames, A. (2019). Ethical reasoning confidence: Pre/post an interdisciplinary empathy based design course. Nursing Education Today, 35(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.01.011
Liu, X., Boldt, G.T., Leu, D.J. & Kaufman, J. (2005). Two’s company: How academic diversity in dyads enhances divergent thinking. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 59(1), 1 - 14. https://doi.org/10.1002/jocb.1539
Ludwig, P., Nagel, J., & Lewis, E. (2017). Student learning outcomes from a pilot medical innovations course with nursing, engineering, and biology undergraduate students. International Journal of STEM Education, 4(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-017-0095-y
McCarthy, S., Barnes, A., Holland, K. S., Lewis, E., Ludwig, P., & Swayne, N. (2018, July). Making it: Institutionalizing collaborative innovation in public higher education. In 4th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'18) (pp. 1549-1557). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València.
McMurtrie, B. (2019). No textbooks, no lectures, and no right answers. Is this what higher education needs?. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 65(22), A14.
Selznick, B. S., & Mayhew, M. J. (2019). Developing first-year students’ innovation capacities. The Review of Higher Education, 42(4), 1309–1334. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2019.0077
Selznick, B., McCarthy, S., Ludwig, P., Swayne, N., Lewis, E. (2019). University innovation and innovators: A response-able conceptual model. In EAIR 41st Annual Forum Proceedings, Leiden, Netherlands.
Selznick, B., Ludwig, P., & McCarthy, S. (2023). Promoting social innovation through learning partnerships. In Fostering Sustained Student-Faculty Engagement in Undergraduate Education (pp. 163-181). Routledge.
Singh, S., & Aggarwal, Y. (2021). In search of a consensus definition of innovation: a qualitative synthesis of 208 definitions using grounded theory approach. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research, 35(2), 177–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/13511610.2021.1925526
Tierney, W.G., & Lanford, M. (2016). Conceptualizing innovation in higher education. In M. B. Paulsen (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 31, pp. 1–40). Springer.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Patrice M. Ludwig, Tyler L. Hough, Erica J. Lewis

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
