Because interdisciplinary thinking is critical to address complex issues, we created and evaluated an interdisciplinary team-taught undergraduate course on mental illness using the kaleidoscope approach. After grounding students in biology, psychology and sociology, we aimed to develop students' abilities to think interdisciplinarily and cultivate their appreciation of the importance of integration. We found that guided integration practice enhanced students' interdisciplinary abilities, whereas repeated application of these skills emphasized their importance. Future interdisciplinary courses should intertwine both types of experiences to increase the likelihood students develop integration abilities and choose to apply them to solve complex problems facing our world.