# Reform and practice of the cross-integration teaching model: A case study of visual communication design

## TL;DR

This paper explores a new interdisciplinary teaching model in visual communication design to improve students' innovation and collaboration skills.

## Contribution

A cross-integration teaching model based on STEAM education is proposed and tested in a design course.

## Key findings

- The model improved students' innovative thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Students accepted project-based teaching and co-teaching by multiple instructors.
- Some students struggled with interdisciplinary theory and teacher coordination needs improvement.

## Abstract

In the context of digitalization, how to effectively carry out interdisciplinary teaching in the field of visual communication design (VCD) to enhance students’ comprehensive innovation ability and interdisciplinary collaboration skills has become one of the key issues in the current educational reform. Based on STEAM education, this study constructed a cross-integration teaching model (CITM) for VCD from four aspects: top-level design of curriculum, innovations in teaching methods and approaches, integration of interdisciplinary teaching teams and industry resources, and optimization of evaluation and feedback mechanism. This study adopted the action research, taking the Brand and User Experience Design course as a case example. Data were collected through classroom observation, interviews, questionnaires and team discussions, and multi-dimensional qualitative analysis was conducted using triangulation. The study found that the CITM effectively improved students’ innovative thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration and practical abilities, and students showed a high level of acceptance of project-based teaching and co-teaching by multiple teachers. However, the study also revealed that some students still faced difficulties in understanding interdisciplinary theory, and the coordination and coherence of teacher team collaboration need to be further enhanced. It is necessary to further optimizing the communication and collaboration mechanisms of teaching team, strengthening the connection of course content, and continuously introducing industry resources to enhance the application of the model in broader educational contexts.