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Impact Of Structured Writing And Awareness Of Cognition On Effective Teaming

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Conference

2005 Annual Conference

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 12, 2005

Start Date

June 12, 2005

End Date

June 15, 2005

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Innovation for ChE Student Learning

Page Count

12

Page Numbers

10.718.1 - 10.718.12

DOI

10.18260/1-2--15560

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/15560

Download Count

376

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Paper Authors

author page

James Newell

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Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Impact of Structured Writing and Awareness of Cognition on Effective Teaming

James Newell1, Kevin Dahm1, Roberta Harvey2, and Heidi Newell1 1 Department of Chemical Engineering and 2College of Communications Rowan University Glassboro, NJ 08028

Abstract Metacognition is the awareness and understanding by a student of his or her own learning own skills, performance, preferences, and barriers. This paper describes a pilot scale effort to develop metacognition in engineering teams at Rowan University, through structured writing, and the use of the Learning Combination Inventory (LCI). The theoretical basis for the LCI is the Interactive Learning Model, which proposes that learning processes occur through four distinct learning patterns: sequential, precise, technical, and confluent. The LCI was used to profile the learning style of each student in the Rowan Chemical Engineering department.

During the Fall Semester of 2004, engineering teams in the Junior/Senior Engineering Clinics were broken into four categories. Category I teams received instruction in use of the LCI and met with a facilitator and their teammates to examine their LCI profiles. In this meeting, potential areas for future conflict were discussed and the teams developed strategies to avoid these conflicts. Category II teams received no LCI instruction but participated in a series of structured writing assignments designed to enhance their awareness of teaming. These assignments included developing and ratifying a team charter and submitting biweekly reports on barriers to success and team dynamics. Category III teams received both the LCI training and participated in the structured writing assignments, while Category IV teams served as a control and participated in none of the activities.

At the beginning of the semester, each person was surveyed to determine their perception of their teaming skills, their opinion of teams, and their level of interest in learning about teaming. The participants were surveyed again at the end of the semester and were also asked to evaluate the usefulness of the strategies. Preliminary data analysis indicates that the teams did not feel that they benefited from the structured writing activities, though several individuals mentioned that they would have been helpful if their team was experiencing problems. Almost everyone that participated in the LCI said that they learned quite a bit and several found it useful in dealing with their teammates. Category III teams showed improvement in their perception of teaming and were less likely to report negative teaming experiences than members from the other categories. Final semester reports were also gathered and evaluated using rubrics to gauge impact on the

Proceedings of the 2005 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright  2005, American Society for Engineering Education

Newell, J. (2005, June), Impact Of Structured Writing And Awareness Of Cognition On Effective Teaming Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--15560

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