Post on 16-Jan-2016
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