How Does the CREL Framework Facilitate Effective Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Experiential Learning Through Role-Playing?

James Lipuma, Cristo Leon

Traditional models of interdisciplinary collaboration in higher education often struggled to transcend disciplinary silos, resulting in fragmented Communication and superficial integration. The Components of Role-playing in Experiential Learning (CREL) Framework offered a transformative alternative by embedding role-playing mechanics into structured learning environments, enabling participants to embody perspectives beyond their disciplinary boundaries.

First, this paper introduced the five core components of the CREL Framework—Scenario, Social Contract, Collaboration, Choice, and Experience—and explained how they function as an integrated system for designing and assessing collaborative learning environments. Then, it argued that the framework catalyzed effective interdisciplinary collaboration and authentic experiential learning by simulating complex, real-world scenarios that demanded mutual understanding, adaptive thinking, and co-constructed solutions.

Next, drawing from theoretical foundations in ludology, experiential education, and transdisciplinary Communication, the authors demonstrated how CREL facilitated role adoption, dialogic engagement, and reflective inquiry. Finally, by positioning play as a rigorous epistemic practice rather than a pedagogical supplement, the article advanced a more inclusive, participatory, and dynamic vision of interdisciplinary education. It concluded by outlining the theoretical foundations of the framework, addressing key limitations, anticipating common critiques, and calling for curricular, institutional, and policy reforms to legitimize role-play as a mode of scholarly engagement and professional development.

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