Abstract:

Introduction:
This paper discusses the benefits of using Agile as a guiding methodology for student teamwork associated with interdisciplinary, project-based-learning courses and projects that cross time zones and national/sociological boundaries. The authors note that based on years of trial and error running interdisciplinary, project-based learning courses (in local and international contexts), with varying forms of project management over time, students appear to produce higher quality completed work and have better team experiences when using a rigorous application of Agile and Scrum for managing and collaborating on their work.
Additionally, based on recent course surveys and alumni interviews, students report having a more supportive and inclusive engagement with their teamwork experiences when using Agile. Students also report on more effective team communication and more positive team cohesion when using Agile, especially when placed in comparison to their dissatisfying experiences from other project courses that do not use Agile or Scrum.

Methodology:
Following the integrative precepts put forward from the National Academies in Science, Engineering and Medicine, and the latest studies examining the use of Agile in cross-disciplinary academic settings, the authors survey what they learned first-hand from using Agile for the design and administration in two recent collaborative education projects, one of which was specifically local and another that was international in scope. Both projects at the center of this discussion focus on service-learning and community engagement through applied creativity and the practical application of design thinking.
The authors compare recent student survey data on student opinions about the use of Agile in their teamwork and project management with data gathered from lengthy alumni interviews covering prior years when these same courses (with similar projects) did not use Agile for managing teamwork. The paper then examines different ways that Agile and Scrum can be used for projects focused on local concerns and local communities; and for projects that cross many time zones and span corresponding differences in culture and instructional/management practices.

Results:
The authors conclude that the instruction of Agile principles to students in project-based learning courses, paired with careful assessment of how those management principles are applied throughout a project’s lifespan appears to provide students with positive work and learning experiences, while also providing students with lasting skills in leadership, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and effective time-management. Additionally, the authors find that the use of Agile appears to provide for the effective coordination of iterative design and development teamwork when teams are separated by distance, time zones, and culture, but are united by a shared understanding and coordinated use of Agile for producing their work.

Conclusion:
Based the positive comments from students about their experience with Agile for managing course work, in both local and international contexts, the paper concludes by offering a few basic guidelines that other instructors and interdisciplinary programs could use when deploying Agile in their own interdisciplinary, project-based learning courses, and when using Agile for iterative design/development projects in international contexts.

Keywords:

Service-Learning and Community Engagement, Active and Experiential Learning, Collaborative and Problem-based Learning, STEM Education Experiences, Leadership and Educational Management.