Cards for Dialogue

Universities must prepare students to act as change agents capable of addressing complex societal challenges. Research shows that project-oriented approaches strengthen critical thinking, collaboration, and students’ sense of agency through engagement in real-world challenges, which are essential competencies for addressing complex problems (Ríos et al., 2010).

Interdisciplinary teamwork is central to project-oriented approaches such as Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) and Problem-Based Learning (PBL), where students engage with complex real-life problems that require cross-disciplinary collaboration (Kolmos et al., 2024; Klassen, 2018) to plan, design, implement, and evaluate solutions to complex problems (Ríos et al., 2010).

Despite the benefits, interdisciplinary teams often face challenges related to communication, identity, and collaboration (Chen et al., 2020). Holgaard et al. (2025) found that students struggled to build common ground for project work, get to know one another, and develop trust, confidence, and a shared language.

Such challenges can create frustration, affect productivity and well-being, and lead to communication breakdowns that hinder effectual communication and collaboration (Oakley et al., 2004). Often, teams are unable to resolve these issues without support. Teachers therefore play a key role in framing team formation, facilitating team processes, foster communication and organizing activities that help students become cohesive teams (Fornø et al. 2024; Sjølie et al., 2021). Various activities can support team dynamics; previously, the authors investigated tools for communication in teams (Willemoes et al., 2025).

This workshop explores how teachers can support team communication in project-oriented courses using dialog cards. Participants share experiences and learn how the cards—based on common teamwork situations—can foster constructive dialogue. The workshop aims to inspire new ways of supporting student teams and addressing challenging team dynamics