Designing Interdisciplinary Workshops to Build Institutional Capacity for Inclusive and Evidence-Based STEM Outreach

Yiduo Wang

Bio

Yiduo Wang is a fully funded PhD candidate in Engineering Education at Warwick Manufacturing Group, where she collaborates with the Royal Academy of Engineering to evaluate the Lord Bhattacharyya Engineering Education Programme. Her research focuses on STEM outreach, inclusivity, and interdisciplinary pedagogy. She convenes the interdisciplinary Creating Digital Futures module in IATL and holds postgraduate awards in Teaching & Learning, as well as Curriculum Design. As a PMP-certified project manager and Associate Fellow of Advance HE, she bridges research, practice, and policy to design innovative and inclusive learning frameworks.

Case Study Summary

Yiduo demonstrates how interdisciplinary pedagogy can transform the way universities approach STEM outreach in her case study. Drawing on her fully funded PhD in Engineering Education, conducted in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering, she developed two workshops that translate theSTEM Outreach Lifecycle Framework into accessible, practice-oriented training. Designed for postgraduate researchers, early-career academics, and outreach-active staff, the workshops deliberately integrate engineering logics, inclusive pedagogy, and evaluation methods.

In the first workshop, participants co-designed an inclusive outreach activity for pupils. ALow-Threshold Starter Task worksheet enabled even those without prior outreach experience to contribute, with engineers bringing technical insights, educators suggesting inclusive strategies, and researchers proposing evaluation measures. The second workshop focused on inquiry-based evaluation. Participants drew on their prior knowledge and used anEvaluation Indicator Menu to debate what counts as evidence, identify meaningful indicators, and link outreach designs with feasible evaluation strategies.

What makes this work distinctive is its design-based innovation. Yiduo created a forward-looking intervention supported by reusable resources that provide concrete tools for inclusive practice. These resources exemplify Shulman’s idea of pedagogy as “visible practice-in-formation” and foster a sustainable community of practice around inclusive outreach.

Her approach reflects a unique interdisciplinary identity. Positioned at the intersection of engineering, education, and evaluation, Yiduo draws on her neurodivergent perspective to notice patterns, connect boundaries, and lower entry barriers without reducing academic challenge. Looking ahead, the workshops will be piloted with the Warwick Institute of Engagement, with the ambition of extending beyond interdisciplinarity towards transdisciplinarity by involving schools and learners as co-design partners. This case study highlights how inclusive, research-informed pedagogy can enhance institutional capacity and enable more meaningful participation across disciplinary boundaries.