Robert W. Lingard

California State University, Northridge

EEET July 11, 2009

Overview

The Problem Teamwork Performance Criteria Techniques for Teaching Teamwork Assessing Teamwork Skills Recent Results

EEET July 11, 2009

The Problem Teamwork skills are considered important

for Engineering and Computer Science graduates,ABET requires they be taughtIndustry demands that graduates have them

But programs often do not adequately address the teaching of themLittle specific instruction is givenSkills are typically not evaluated

EEET July 11, 2009

Teamwork Teaching Fallacies It’s not the responsibility of Engineering and Computer

Science faculty to teach teamwork and communication skills But then who does it?

Experience is the best teacher Poor team experiences create negative feelings regarding

teamwork

Students will learn to work on teams once they graduate and get jobs Their lack of teamwork skills can make it harder to get jobs in

the first place

EEET July 11, 2009

Teamwork Performance Criteria Attend (nearly all) team meetings Arrive on time for (nearly all) team meetings Communicate clearly with other team

members Share knowledge with others Introduce new ideas Openly express opinions

EEET July 11, 2009

Teamwork Performance Criteria (Cont’d) Consider suggestions from others Adopt suggestions from others Try to understand what others say Provide help to other team members Ask for help form other team

members Complete assignments on time

EEET July 11, 2009

Teamwork Performance Criteria (Cont’d) Complete assignments with acceptable

quality Do research and gather information Do a fair share of the work Be committed to team goals Show respect for others Distinguish between the important and the

trivial

EEET July 11, 2009

Techniques for Teaching Teamwork Specific Instruction on the Group

Process and Group Roles Developing Individual Skills Oral Team Presentations Meeting Reports Individual Reflection Understanding Individual Differences

EEET July 11, 2009

Group Process and Group Roles Instruction

Basic instruction in the group process and group roles can be helpful

The Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University is an excellent online resource for this material (http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58474/wigintro.html)

EEET July 11, 2009

Developing Individual Skills

“Think, Pair, Share” is an excellent teaching approach in which students can practice their communication and collaboration skills.

The approach was developed by Frank Lyman at the University of Maryland (http://clte.asu.edu/active/usingtps.pdf)

EEET July 11, 2009

Oral Presentations by Teams Teams provide oral presentations

(status reports, design reviews, etc.) to the rest of the class

This helps develop both internal and external oral communication skills

EEET July 11, 2009

Meeting Reports

Each team documents the results of team meetings, including attendance, duration, decisions made, and action items (http://www.ecs.csun.edu/~rlingard/comp480/MeetingReportForm&Rules.htm)

This encourages meeting attendance and contribution by individual members

EEET July 11, 2009

Individual Reflection

Students are asked to reflect on the group process and difficulties they are having

This reflection can help students to focus on ways to make improvements to the group process

EEET July 11, 2009

Understanding Individual Differences

Several instruments are available to help students understand their individual approaches to problem solving

By understanding the different ways others approach problems, they can better appreciate and work with others.

EEET July 11, 2009

The Kolbe Concept®

It identifies the conative instincts that drive the way one operates, e.g., the way one approaches problem solving.

It focuses on strengths and provides insight on how to help people be more productive and effective

It is universal, unbiased, and an individual’s Kolbe index tends to remain the same over time

EEET July 11, 2009

The Kolbe Instinctive Talents Fact Finder

Collects data, asks questions, probes Follow Thru

Makes schedules, plans ahead Quick Start

Innovates, takes risks, improvises Implementor

Builds and constructs, creates models

EEET July 11, 2009

Sample “Kolbe” Results

EEET July 11, 2009

Assessing Teamwork Skills

Independent observation Evaluating the evidence of individual

team member contributions Conduct peer reviews

EEET July 11, 2009

Independent Observation

Instructors, lab assistants, or outside observers attend team meetings

But this observation can influence student behavior

And only some team activities are practical to observe

EEET July 11, 2009

Evaluating Individual Team Member Contributions Individual contributions can be

independently evaluated Requiring students to post

contributions online is an easy way to gain access to these contributions

But, not all teamwork skills involve artifacts produced by individual team members

EEET July 11, 2009

Peer Evaluations Each team member evaluates the

performance of other members Evaluations should be anonymous and

include self ratings Team members are in the best

position to evaluate teammates But, students are often reluctant to be

critical of fellow students

EEET July 11, 2009

Peer Evaluation Form

EEET July 11, 2009

Recent Results Three courses with ten teams and a

total of 45 students were assessed Results showed the lowest scores for

the following:Ask for help from other team membersProvide help to other team membersIntroduce new ideasDistinguish between the important and the

trivial

EEET July 11, 2009

The Help Certificate

http://www.ecs.csun.edu/~rlingard/COMP110/HelpCertificate.htm

EEET July 11, 2009