The integration of ideas, defined as the process by which students organize and connect new knowledge for deeper understanding, is essential for lifelong learning. (Government of Canda, Employment and Social Development Canada, 2017; Rateau, Kaufman, & Cletzer, 2015). Integration across sub-disciplines in biology requires an understanding of organizational scales (molecular to ecosystems) and time frames (physiological to evolutionary), and how they inter-relate. The challenge lies in allowing students opportunity to integrate knowledge, given that sub-disciplines are taught in relative isolation through individual courses. To promote integration, we designed a poster assignment in which ~700 students in three foundation courses worked together (130 groups) to investigate empirical research in multiple subdisciplines. While a major goal was to enrich understanding by integrating knowledge, we also sought to develop transferable skills (e.g. teamwork, information literacy). Hence, this cross-course assignment provides benefits that exceed that of equivalent assignments in individual courses; we believe that "the whole is greater than the sum of the parts." Assignment grades indicated that the majority (81%) of students successfully met or exceeded our expectations. This assignment lends support to the positive impact of learning communities, is easily adapted to other disciplines, and aligns with calls for educational reform advocating for curiosity-driven learning (American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2011; Bradforth et al., 2015).