This book delves into essential yet often overlooked aspects of educational and scientifi c
practices: the involvement of the body in knowledge acquisition and production the collective
nature of creativity and the potent role of improvisation in all living actions. It is the
culmination of a 4-year research endeavour on Performing Arts as a Pedagogical Tool in Higher
Education conducted in collaboration between the School of Engineering at the Ecole
Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Institute of Psychology and Education at the
University of Neuchâtel (UNINE). The authors meticulously describe analyse and evaluate two
courses - one in engineering and the other in psychology - that employ performing arts
practices to enhance students' learning processes and facilitate boundary crossing from school
to out-of-school contexts as well as between theory and practice. From the diversity of
perspectives and forms inherent in the encounter between vastly different disciplines and
cultures there emerges a compelling plea for an education that integrates art and science
within the same scenario.
