Industry scenarios in the classroom: A case for design and merchandising student collaboration

ABSTRACT Students who are highly collaborative continue to gain value in the workplace. It is imperative then for higher education to cultivate collaborative students through learning environments that foster teamwork, critical thinking, communication, and creative problem solving. The researchers used a project-based assignment to illustrate an active learning approach where collaboration between 40 senior fashion merchandising and design students was implemented in a capstone course. A post project survey was conducted at the end of the semester through the online platform Qualtrics. Findings from this project illustrated how student learning was positively impacted and could be replicated in other collaborative learning environments. Students strengthened communication skills with those outside of their close discipline and practiced negotiation skills between varied disciplines to create a cohesive apparel collection. Students were able to acquire a wider understanding of their specialised roles within the fashion industry through an applied real-world project.