Collaborative Research: Research: Collaboration in Engineering Student and Practitioner Teams: A Study of Beliefs about Effective Behaviors

有效的协作是工程学习和实践的一个关键方面。工程教育领域的研究人员对团队行为、结构和动态的本质及其对设计质量和问题解决方案的影响给予了相当大的关注。然而，我们对工程师为什么选择执行协作行为知之甚少。本项目旨在揭示1)工科学生和实践者在有效团队行为表现方面的异同，2)了解工科学生和实践者在工程设计团队工作时选择或不选择特定有效行为的原因，3)研究工科学生和实践者在选择或不选择特定行为的原因上的异同。在协作环境中有效的团队行为是任何工程师成为专业人员的核心。这个项目将1)确定哪些有效的团队行为在工程设计团队中被学生和实践者执行的频率最低（目标行为），2)描述为什么不同的工程师样本选择执行这些行为或不执行这些行为。该项目的研究结果将为如何支持工程师在学术和专业环境中成为更有效的合作者提供必要的见解。此外，研究产品将增强对工程师的合作行为（以及执行特定行为或不执行特定行为的原因）在学校和工作环境中的相似或不同的理解。扩展当前的文献，我们将提供一个细致入微的特征，为什么目标行为没有在工程团队中执行，重点放在个人信仰的层面上，同时考虑到社会、文化和政治因素在设计团队中所起的作用。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Effective collaboration is a key aspect of engineering learning and practice. Researchers in the field of engineering education have put considerable attention on understanding the nature of team behaviors, structures, and dynamics and their effects on design quality and problem solutions. However, we know little about why engineers choose to perform collaborative behaviors or not. This project aims to uncover 1) similarities and differences between engineering students and practitioners in the performance of effective team behaviors, 2) understand the reasons why engineering students and practitioners choose to perform particular effective behaviors or not when working in engineering design teams, and 3) examine similarities and differences between engineering students and practitioners in their reasons for choosing to perform particular behaviors or not . Effective team behaviors in collaboration settings are central to any engineer’s formation as a professional. This project will 1) identify which effective team behaviors are performed least frequently by students and practitioners in engineering design teams (target behaviors), and 2) characterize why a diverse sample of engineers chooses to perform those behaviors or not. The project findings will provide necessary insight into how to support engineers to become even more effective collaborators in both academic and professional contexts. Also, research products will enhance understanding of how engineers' collaborative behaviors (and reasons for performing particular behaviors or not) are similar or different in school and work contexts. Extending the current literature, we will provide a nuanced characterization of why the target behaviors are not performed in engineering teams, focused at the level of individual beliefs and also considering the role of social, cultural, and political factors that inherently matter in design teams.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.