Cross-Professional Cooperation in a University Setting

In 2015, a research study on student product development projects was conducted at the Norwegian University of Science (NTNU) in Gjøvik. The student projects lasted eight weeks and were done by twenty-four third year occupational therapy students and twenty-four third year industrial design students forming eight cross-professional project groups. The theme was welfare technology from a Universal Design perspective. Problems to work on for each group were given by the occupational therapy students, based on problems they had experienced or identified while doing their practice training periods in municipal healthcare facilities and in the homes of patients. A general objective of this study was to build a knowledge base for increased cross-professional cooperation among students in higher education. One aim was to better prepare the students for their future professional roles. Another aim was for the students to acquire knowledge, understanding, and experience on how to work in a project with issues related to the knowledge and skills they had previously acquired in their education. Another aim was to reinforce their capabilities and competences regarding use of Universal Design in the area of welfare technology. The main result of the study is extended knowledge on how to form and carry out cross-functional project work in a university environment.