#1069: Boundary Crossing for Pedagogical Transformation: How High-Coupling Encounters Enable Professional Development Across Maritime and Education Communities

This action research study examines how education researchers and maritime faculty partnered to transform teaching practices at an Indian maritime institute, motivated by concerns about cadets' underpreparedness for sea. Through ethnographic observations, interviews, and analysis of six professional development workshops over nine months, we demonstrate that professional identity profoundly shapes pedagogical beliefs and constrains change efforts. Maritime faculty's seafaring identity dominated their teaching identity, requiring partnership approaches that honored rather than bypassed this reality. Our boundary-crossing analysis reveals that abstract pedagogical workshops stalled at identification, while high-coupling encounters using maritime-embedded boundary objects, role-switching, and co-designed lessons enabled coordination, reflection, and transformation. Four design principles emerged: using domain-specific boundary objects, redistributing authority through role-switching, framing problems locally, and integrating professional identities respectfully. This study contributes actionable insights for designing purposeful partnerships across specialized training contexts where practitioner expertise must anchor pedagogical innovation.