Embedding Teamwork Skills in Mechanical Engineering Curriculum

Shadi Balawi; Jonathan Weaver-Rosen; Joanna Tsenn; Mohammad Waqar Mohiuddin; Carlos R. Corleto

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Conference: 2024 ASEE-GSW
Location: Canyon, Texas
Publication Date: March 10, 2024
Start Date: March 10, 2024
End Date: March 12, 2024
Page Count: 6
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--45374
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/45374
Download Count: 14

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Paper Authors

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Shadi Balawi Texas A&M University

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Dr. Balawi is an Instructional Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at Texas A&M. He teaches in the areas of materials, manufacturing, and design. His interests are in the areas of Engineering Design for Disciplinary STEM Educational Research, Team Formation and Team Skill Education. Dr. Balawi earned his PhD in Aerospace Engineering from University of Cincinnati with research focus on experimental design and testing of solids for honeycomb core materials.

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Jonathan Weaver-Rosen Texas A&M University orcid.org/0000-0003-1087-5452

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Joanna Tsenn Texas A&M University

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Joanna Tsenn is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in the J. MikeWalker ’66 Department of Mechanical
Engineering at Texas A&M University. She earned her B.S. from the University of Texas at Austin and
her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University. She coordinates the mechanical engineering senior capstone
design projects and teaches senior design lectures and studios. Her research interests include engineering
education and engineering design methodology.

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Mohammad Waqar Mohiuddin

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Possesses a multidisciplinary background in Mechanical Engineering (BS and MS) and cardiovascular physiology (Ph.D.). Currently working as an Instructional Assistant Professor in the J Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University. Areas of expertise and interest include biomedical and mechanical system design, electromechanical systems, computer-aided engineering analysis, and mathematical modeling of physiological systems. Before joining Texas A&M, worked in industry settings to develop various biomedical technologies, ranging from acute neonatal care to long-term space exploration.

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Carlos R. Corleto P.E. Texas A&M University

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BS, MS, PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University. Experience includes 20 years in industry as a lab director, technical manager and engineering advisor, 8 years of academic experience at the assistant and tenured associate professor level, 4.5 years as a professor of practice, Undergraduate Program Director of the J. M. Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering since June 2022, and active industry consultant. Author and contributing author of 10 patents and multiple publications/presentations at technical and engineering education conferences. Areas of expertise and research interest include, Deformation & Failure Mechanisms, Materials Science, Fracture Mechanics, Process-Structure-Property Relationships, Finite Element Stress Analysis Modeling & Failure Analysis, ASME BPV Code Sec VIII Div. 1 & 2, API 579/ASME FFS-1 Code, Materials Testing and Engineering Education. Professionally registered engineer in the State of Texas (PE).

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Abstract

Engineers work in teams. According to ABET, teamwork should be a major component of any engineering curriculum. Both administrators and educators agree on how important this is in preparing engineering students for their careers. However, they do not necessarily agree on is how to get the students ready! Some try to embed this from the early stages of the curriculum and some heavily rely on the senior design course or the capstone project to achieve this. Based on data collected over the past few years in the Mechanical Engineering department at Texas A&M, we realized that our students are not ready for the capstone experience. This triggered a multi-year NSF-funded project, aiming to better equip our students with the much-needed “soft” teamwork skills before they start their engineering careers. Finding time to fit new teachings materials into an already busy and dynamic curriculum can be a challenge. Substantial changes to the current curriculum are not feasible either. Another important consideration is our class size. The Mechanical Department at Texas A&M has close to 500 students involved in the two-semester capstone projects at a given time. This means that 80 teams are formed every year, many of which are industry-sponsored, that expect a higher level of teamwork and productivity. This paper presents our ongoing work to improve our students’ teamwork skills by introducing new content to an existing curriculum. Our aim is to empower our students with an effective teamwork skill set before they graduate. To accomplish this within constraints, newly developed content focuses on conceptual awareness of teamwork skills. In total, three modules of new content are introduced as one- to two-hour workshops within existing courses with team projects at the sophomore, junior, and senior levels. These workshops highlight expectations and deliverables, team communication, and conflict management, respectively. Even with the short time span, the workshops are designed to be active and engaging so that students can build awareness, gain experience, and have open discussions with their peers. All of this together can instill trust among team members. This paper will introduce the overall plan in more detail relating to the design and implementation of these modules. Preliminary results and challenges will be introduced in addition to future plans. We have already seen positive impacts on our students resulting from this work.

Citation
Format

Balawi, S., & Weaver-Rosen, J., & Tsenn, J., & Mohiuddin, M. W., & Corleto, C. R. (2024, March), Embedding Teamwork Skills in Mechanical Engineering Curriculum Paper presented at 2024 ASEE-GSW, Canyon, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--45374

TY - CPAPER
AB - Engineers work in teams. According to ABET, teamwork should be a major component of any engineering curriculum. Both administrators and educators agree on how important this is in preparing engineering students for their careers. However, they do not necessarily agree on is how to get the students ready! Some try to embed this from the early stages of the curriculum and some heavily rely on the senior design course or the capstone project to achieve this. Based on data collected over the past few years in the Mechanical Engineering department at Texas A&amp;amp;M, we realized that our students are not ready for the capstone experience. This triggered a multi-year NSF-funded project, aiming to better equip our students with the much-needed “soft” teamwork skills before they start their engineering careers. Finding time to fit new teachings materials into an already busy and dynamic curriculum can be a challenge. Substantial changes to the current curriculum are not feasible either. Another important consideration is our class size. The Mechanical Department at Texas A&amp;amp;M has close to 500 students involved in the two-semester capstone projects at a given time. This means that 80 teams are formed every year, many of which are industry-sponsored, that expect a higher level of teamwork and productivity. This paper presents our ongoing work to improve our students’ teamwork skills by introducing new content to an existing curriculum. Our aim is to empower our students with an effective teamwork skill set before they graduate. To accomplish this within constraints, newly developed content focuses on conceptual awareness of teamwork skills. In total, three modules of new content are introduced as one- to two-hour workshops within existing courses with team projects at the sophomore, junior, and senior levels. These workshops highlight expectations and deliverables, team communication, and conflict management, respectively. Even with the short time span, the workshops are designed to be active and engaging so that students can build awareness, gain experience, and have open discussions with their peers. All of this together can instill trust among team members. This paper will introduce the overall plan in more detail relating to the design and implementation of these modules. Preliminary results and challenges will be introduced in addition to future plans. We have already seen positive impacts on our students resulting from this work.
AU - Shadi Balawi
AU - Jonathan Weaver-Rosen
AU - Joanna Tsenn
AU - Mohammad Waqar Mohiuddin
AU - Carlos R. Corleto P.E.
CY - Canyon, Texas
DA - 2024/03/10
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Embedding Teamwork Skills in Mechanical Engineering Curriculum
UR - https://peer.asee.org/45374
DO - 10.18260/1-2--45374
ER -