Teamwork benefits in tertiary education

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of the development of students' skills in the context of team-based learning. Academics have heeded the call to incorporate team learning activities into the curricula, yet little is known of student perception of teamwork and whether they view it as beneficial to them and their future professional career. Further, this study presents an instructional framework to guide best practice in higher education practitioners with regard to the design of teamwork assessment. Design/methodology/approach -The paper adopts a qualitative approach utilising 190 students' reflections to examine their perception of the benefits of teamwork and whether it will contribute to their future professional work. Findings -Results indicate students perceive team-based assessment tasks require them to adopt a deep approach to learning together with a deep approach to study, as well as improving their skills in the areas of collaboration, team unity and cultural diversity. Further, the study identified a best practice approach that higher education practitioners should adopt in teamwork assessment design giving this study both national and international significance and aids fellow educators in their practices.Research limitations/implications -Because of the chosen research approach, the results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further. Practical implications -The paper presents important implications for those involved in the development of assessment items where objectives include the development of team skills and quality learning outcomes. The findings are vital for unit and course planning and design generally, and assessment planning, design and processes, specifically, both nationally and internationally. Originality/value -This paper fulfils an identified need to study students' perceptions of teamwork, whether they view it as beneficial to them and their future professional career, and presents a best practice approach for teamwork assessment design.

The acquisition of teamwork skills in university students through extra-curricular activities

“…These should complement the acquisition of hard skills, and thus need to be included in the curriculum. Universities are aware of the increasing demand for soft skills on the part of companies; over the past years, the importance of mastering soft skills has been voiced in this arena, specifically those skills related to teamwork, thanks to their relation with employability (Volkov and Volkov, 2015) and some universities have integrated them as part of the core units of bachelor degrees (Riebe et al, 2010). Previous studies have indicated high satisfaction levels in both students and employers regarding the mastery of teamwork skills at the end of university studies (Mareque et al, 2018).…”

Experience in Evaluating the Educational Results Obtained by Students Carrying out an Educational Group Project

“…Theoretical and applied research on group learning shows that it increases students' mental activity and deepens their field of knowledge (Entwistle et al 1988;Fearon et al 2012;Huff, 2014) students quickly adapt to the specifics of the profession (Normane et al 2004;Jackling et al 2009), they learn based on experience and co-education (Mahenthiran et al 2000;Barron, 2003), develop group work skills (Ballantine et al 2007;Hannaford, 2017). Despite of all the advantages of group work, there is a number of problems that impede its introduction into the educational process of universities, among which is low motivation of students and tutors (Morgan, 2002), free-riding (Strong et al 1990;Brooks et al 2003;Maiden et al 2011), unpreparedness of tutors and students (Norman et al 2004;Davies, 2009), the vague logic of achieving goals; poor relations between the activities, tasks, and goals of the project; lack of a schedule for the project activities and tasks; determination of necessary resources "by eye"; lack of resources distribution according to time and tasks; non-use of objective criteria for the plan implementation (Lazarev, 2011); the lack of objective metrics for measuring the group project results because a visual overview of intermediate results is often unavailable (Tucci, 2008;Volkov et al 2015). It's difficult for the tutors to control the students' progress of the project.…”

Accounting graduates’ competences

“…One of the demands of the workplace is the ability to work together with co-workers (Kotey, 2007). The results from the study conducted by Volkov and Volkov (2015) on accounting students showed that students who worked in a team understood the accounting materials more effectively and could complete the tasks given compared to those who did not work in a team. In fact, several universities suggested that accounting education should apply the method of team work in their classes so the students possess readiness, flexibility, and ability for adaptation in the workplace (Fearon et al 2012;Mutch, 1998).…”