Student learning teams: viewpoints of team members, teachers and an observer

Abstract

This paper presents results from a research project focused on group learning as experienced by students enrolled in a new Integrated Engineering programme (IGEN). Data from student survey responses, ethnographic observations of class meetings, and faculty commentary were collected continuously over one semester. Supporting group function and minimising dysfunction emerged as challenges for teachers, thus one research focus was the variance in teamwork function that student teams exhibited. The extent to which functional team-based processes were implicitly and explicitly modelled by teachers and student teams was also assessed. Results demonstrated that students perceived value in team projects, especially when instructors provided adequate support and appropriate role modelling.

Modelling research: a collaborative approach to helping PhD students develop higher-level research skills

“…The authors believe this is best achieved by group techniques where students learn both from each other and from experienced practitioners. Such an approach ties in with the findings of Aman et al (2007) who concluded that role-modelling and instructor support is particularly relevant for team-based learning in engineering. The authors considered using established participative techniques such as structured discussions, action learning, and traditional group work (Laird et al 2003, p.153).…”

Psychological Capital Profiles and Their Relationship With Internal Learning in Teams of Undergraduate Students

“…In the academic field, learning in teams has been stimulated to contribute to the development of practical knowledge preparing students for the challenging workplace ( Cheryl et al, 2007 ; Park et al, 2015 ). The ability to work effectively in a team environment within the classroom contributes to academic performance ( Soares and Lopes, 2017 ) and might be considered an essential competence in the workplace ( Brown and Latham, 2002 ).…”

“…A review of the literature on internal learning in teams highlights the need to analyze the circumstances that can drive learning ( Druskat and Kayes, 2000 ; Bresman and Zellmer-Bruhn, 2013 ; Vignery and Laurier, 2020 ). Thus, identifying the antecedents that influence the variation in the internal learning in teams process allows us to understand why some students are not successful ( Cheryl et al, 2007 ; Martínez et al, 2019 ; Geremias et al, 2020 ).…”

Opportunities for the development of professional skills for undergraduate civil and environmental engineers

“…All three year groups consider the problem-based workshops to provide opportunities for problemsolving and team-working, which is to be expected. Given that the workshops are not credit bearing, Murray, Hendry & McQuade, (2020) concluded that the informal climate prevalent during workshops had helped to de-risk some of the traditional problems that are known to result in student engineering team projects becoming dysfunctional (Cheryl et al 2007;Shen et al 2007). It is encouraging to see that all three groups considered the problem-based workshops to offer opportunities to engage in leadership.…”

“…Whilst the interpersonal nature of group design projects, laboratories, field exercises (e.g. surveying field project) and other coursework are intended to simulate collaborative and cooperative professional behaviours, there is no shortage of evidence(Cheryl et al 2007;Shen et al 2007) documenting dysfunctional student group working. To mitigate such problemsGreetham and Ippolito (2018)…”