CAREER: Designing Effective Teams in the Engineering Classroom for the Enhancement of Learning

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The research objective of this career-development project is to develop, test and validate a model of effective teaming for the engineering classroom. The goals of the model are to facilitate teamwork in the classroom; to measure individual growth when learning a subject and learning how to work in a team; and to measure teamwork effectiveness. The primary goal of the education component of the project is redesign engineering management courses; develop a new cross-listed undergraduate/graduate course on the principles of group/team dynamics; develop and implement faculty training workshops on the application of the model; and the development of interactive web training modules to provide ongoing tutorials on problems and issues encountered by teams. In response to a plea from employers for engineering graduates prepared to work in teams and redefined program outcomes from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), more teaming activities are being incorporated into the engineering classroom. To build on her previous work, the PI has developed her plan to analyze the nature of teamwork in the engineering classroom, develop a measure to assess teamwork and use that measure to investigate methods of promoting team development. Pennsylvania State University, the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) and the PI.s own University of Nebraska-Lincoln will make their engineering students available for data collection. The proposed model is novel because it will focus on both the individual.s and the team's mastery of effective teaming constructs. The activities will strengthen the ability of engineering educators to fully prepare students to utilize teams in science, mathematics, engineering and technology.