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Session 2330

A Pilot Study of the Performance of Student Teams In Engineering Education

Stephanie G. Adams, Ph.D., Laura Carmen Simon Vena, M.S. and Bianey C. Ruiz-Ulloa, M.S. University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Abstract

Teams are increasingly used in the professional world although a clear understanding of what is required to be a high performing team does not seem to exist. Many studies have identified characteristics that can improve performance; however not many studies have tested whether the existence of these characteristics determines a high performing team. The purpose of this study is to test whether seven team characteristics (productive conflict resolution, mature communication, role clarity, accountable interdependence, goal clarity, common purpose and psychological safety) can be used to predict team performance. Hypotheses were developed and tested for positive correlations between each of the seven constructs and team self-performance.

This paper and presentation will report the results of two studies conducted using the Team Performance Questionnaire (now referred to as the Teams Effectiveness Questionnaire) developed at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). The first study was conducted on the UNL campus with senior engineering students. The second study was conducted as a web-based survey with students participating in E-Teams sponsored by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance. The statistical analysis produced significant results, which support the hypotheses and produced a predictive equation, which can be useful in forming teams in the future.

Introduction “In the complex world of the next decade, teamwork is going to grow beyond its already high importance”. 1 “Many organizations are moving toward an internal structure based on work teams or groups rather than the traditional ranks of individual contributors”, and having workers with the proper training in these areas is an essential element for any organization’s success. 2 The escalating use of teams in industry and academia creates a need for a workforce with excellent communication and interpersonal skills, as well as an understanding of what it takes to be an effective team, but this growth also creates a number of unanswered questions about the inner workings of teams and the means to achieve and measure team effectiveness. Questions such as: 1) what does it mean to function on a multi-disciplinary team? 2) what should be used to measure students’ ability to do so? 3) how will teaming in the classroom be used to enhance this ability? 4) what role effect does teamwork have on the enhancement of learning? “Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2002, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Adams, S. (2002, June), A Pilot Study Of The Performance Of Student Teams Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10054