IN-PERSON MADRID FOCUS ON PEDAGOGY. SECTION A

Abstract

Higher education is challenged to prepare students for times of unprecedent change, where the ability to navigate uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity is essential. Global issues exemplify complex problems characterized by the absence of clearly defined problem formulations, standardized solution pathways, and pre-defined outcomes. Learning to handle knowledge uncertainty requires learning experiences that students often perceive as stressful and demanding. However, research on how teachers can design supportive learning environments for uncertainty remains limited. We argue that learning to acknowledge the uncertainty of complex real-world problems is vital for its management. This paper explores how metaphors can serve as creative pedagogical tools to support learning for uncertainty. Specifically, we examine how students perceive the metaphor “Groan Zone”, introduced to capture situations where the problem and solution path are still unknown. The research is based on a qualitative study within an interdisciplinary master’s course at a Norwegian university, where student teams from diverse programs collaborate on authentic innovation challenges. We collected data through qualitative questionaries, a focus group interview, and narratives from student team reports. Our findings indicate that most students associated “Groan Zone” with uncomfortable uncertainty. However, students perceived the metaphor as a helpful tool to normalize uncertainty and support creative problem solving. We conclude that metaphors such as “Groan Zone” can serve as powerful cognitive scaffolds in teaching uncertainty. By offering insight into students’ experiences, this study contributes to developing pedagogies that prepare learners to manage unpredictable and uncertain futures.