GIFTS: Improved Team Skill Development through a Semester-Long Teamwork Report

Melissa M. Simonik; Koenraad E. Gieskes

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Conference: 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Portland, Oregon
Publication Date: June 23, 2024
Start Date: June 23, 2024
End Date: July 12, 2024
Conference Session: First-Year Programs Division GIFTS: Great Ideas For Teaching Students
Tagged Division: First-Year Programs Division (FYP)
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/47500

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Paper Authors

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Melissa M. Simonik State University of New York at Binghamton

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Melissa received her B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Union College (Schenectady, NY) in 2014 and her M.Eng. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) in 2015. Melissa started at Binghamton University in 2015 as a Mechanical Engineering doctoral student. She served as a teaching assistant (TA) for Watson Capstone Projects for two years. She continued as a TA for the Engineering Design Division in 2017 where she taught both Introduction to Engineering Design and Analysis labs and Engineering Communications I and II classes. During that time she also served as a graduate student representative on the mechanical engineering student advisory committee (MESAC). She completed her Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering in 2020 with her research focused on design, biomechanics, and finite element modeling. In that year, she also became a full-time instructor for the Engineering Design Division at the Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science at Binghamton University. She currently serves as the Engineering Communications Coordinator for the first-year engineering program, as well as a faculty member for the Scientista Foundation and ASEE student chapters at Binghamton University.

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Koenraad E. Gieskes State University of New York at Binghamton orcid.org/0000-0002-9527-8712

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Koen Gieskes first joined the Engineering Design Division at Binghamton University as a graduate student in 2004, then, in 2009, he was hired on as a full-time lecturer, and in 2017 he became the Assistant Director. Koen has in the past served the ASEE St. Lawrence Section as webmaster, vice chair, and is currently serving as the section chair.

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Abstract

This GIFTS paper describes a novel approach to introducing and assessing teamwork in a first-year engineering program. Teamwork is a fundamental element of ABET accreditation which requires engineering programs to demonstrate and assess their commitment to fostering teamwork skills in students. This first-year engineering communications course aims to address this ABET criteria, as well as satisfy the university’s written composition general education requirement. As part of the general education requirement, students must engage in researching a topic, constructing a well-structured argument with supporting evidence, and demonstrating effective college-level written communication that can inform, persuade, or engage with a specific audience. Additionally, students will showcase proficiency in revising and enhancing their written communication skills throughout the process. A previous assignment designed for these purposes required students to research “teamwork” and write a 5-page essay on it during the first few weeks of their college career. This assignment failed to convey the true importance of teamwork skills and the relevance to their own teaming situation, resulting in the sense that it was only busy work assigned to satisfy the general education requirement. The main objectives of the new assignment are to improve both cognition, or the core mental processes required for productive teamwork, and metacognition which involves empowering individuals and teams to monitor, evaluate, and adjust their cognitive strategies; the result ultimately contributing to the development of effective team skills and improved team performance. To do this, students are engaged in a semester-long process of applying and assessing team skills. They report this information as it becomes relevant by writing a “Teamwork Report” in three phases throughout the semester. Phase 1 is assigned the first week and includes an APA-formatted title page and an introduction to teamwork. In this phase, students are given a list of teamwork resources and use them to write about which characteristics make for a good team and team member. Additionally, students take the High5 Test (strengths test) and share their top five strengths with their team members. Although these characteristics are advertised as strengths, they can have a negative impact if left unchecked or are not expressed in conjunction with other team members’ strengths; therefore, students also hypothesize how their own strengths may help and hinder teamwork and how their team members’ strengths may help and hinder teamwork. Project teams are required to complete two projects during the semester, and Phase 2 is assigned between those two projects. At this point, teams have a team debrief for roughly 45 minutes during class time where they systematically give and receive feedback to each team member. Students come to class prepared with discussion points and in the proper mindset to have difficult and respectful discussions. Afterward, students complete an action plan where they identify team skills they want to improve and develop a plan to work towards that goal. Moreover, students take the Jung Typology Test (personality test) and discuss their results, including communication tips, with their team. Using this information, students write Phase 2 which describes all the methods used to assess teamwork and personal development, as well as the results section explaining how the initial hypotheses were supported or contradicted using evidence from the first project, their action plan, and their personality test results with strategies to improve their communication during the second project. Phase 3 is introduced after the second project is complete and requires teams to have one more team debrief. They discuss and report changes in their teamwork between the two projects, changes to their personal teamwork skills, and their self-perception versus the perception of their teammates. They end by writing a conclusion where they summarize how their self-awareness and understanding of others changed throughout the process and how this exercise can help them in the future. A references page for the entire report is also included in Phase 3. Students have two weeks to complete Phase 1 and Phase 2 and one week to complete Phase 3. All three phases are graded on content, format, composition, and proper use of citations using a detailed set of guidelines and rubrics. A template and in-text and reference page citations are given for the provided teamwork sources, as formatting of documents and references are taught at a later point in the program. All materials are available to instructors and students throughout the semester.

Citation
Format

Simonik, M. M., & Gieskes, K. E. (2024, June), GIFTS: Improved Team Skill Development through a Semester-Long Teamwork Report Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47500

TY - CPAPER
AB - This GIFTS paper describes a novel approach to introducing and assessing teamwork in a first-year engineering program. Teamwork is a fundamental element of ABET accreditation which requires engineering programs to demonstrate and assess their commitment to fostering teamwork skills in students. This first-year engineering communications course aims to address this ABET criteria, as well as satisfy the university’s written composition general education requirement. As part of the general education requirement, students must engage in researching a topic, constructing a well-structured argument with supporting evidence, and demonstrating effective college-level written communication that can inform, persuade, or engage with a specific audience. Additionally, students will showcase proficiency in revising and enhancing their written communication skills throughout the process. A previous assignment designed for these purposes required students to research “teamwork” and write a 5-page essay on it during the first few weeks of their college career. This assignment failed to convey the true importance of teamwork skills and the relevance to their own teaming situation, resulting in the sense that it was only busy work assigned to satisfy the general education requirement. The main objectives of the new assignment are to improve both cognition, or the core mental processes required for productive teamwork, and metacognition which involves empowering individuals and teams to monitor, evaluate, and adjust their cognitive strategies; the result ultimately contributing to the development of effective team skills and improved team performance. To do this, students are engaged in a semester-long process of applying and assessing team skills. They report this information as it becomes relevant by writing a “Teamwork Report” in three phases throughout the semester. Phase 1 is assigned the first week and includes an APA-formatted title page and an introduction to teamwork. In this phase, students are given a list of teamwork resources and use them to write about which characteristics make for a good team and team member. Additionally, students take the High5 Test (strengths test) and share their top five strengths with their team members. Although these characteristics are advertised as strengths, they can have a negative impact if left unchecked or are not expressed in conjunction with other team members’ strengths; therefore, students also hypothesize how their own strengths may help and hinder teamwork and how their team members’ strengths may help and hinder teamwork. Project teams are required to complete two projects during the semester, and Phase 2 is assigned between those two projects. At this point, teams have a team debrief for roughly 45 minutes during class time where they systematically give and receive feedback to each team member. Students come to class prepared with discussion points and in the proper mindset to have difficult and respectful discussions. Afterward, students complete an action plan where they identify team skills they want to improve and develop a plan to work towards that goal. Moreover, students take the Jung Typology Test (personality test) and discuss their results, including communication tips, with their team. Using this information, students write Phase 2 which describes all the methods used to assess teamwork and personal development, as well as the results section explaining how the initial hypotheses were supported or contradicted using evidence from the first project, their action plan, and their personality test results with strategies to improve their communication during the second project. Phase 3 is introduced after the second project is complete and requires teams to have one more team debrief. They discuss and report changes in their teamwork between the two projects, changes to their personal teamwork skills, and their self-perception versus the perception of their teammates. They end by writing a conclusion where they summarize how their self-awareness and understanding of others changed throughout the process and how this exercise can help them in the future. A references page for the entire report is also included in Phase 3. Students have two weeks to complete Phase 1 and Phase 2 and one week to complete Phase 3. All three phases are graded on content, format, composition, and proper use of citations using a detailed set of guidelines and rubrics. A template and in-text and reference page citations are given for the provided teamwork sources, as formatting of documents and references are taught at a later point in the program. All materials are available to instructors and students throughout the semester.
AU - Melissa M. Simonik
AU - Koenraad E. Gieskes
CY - Portland, Oregon
DA - 2024/06/23
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - GIFTS: Improved Team Skill Development through a Semester-Long Teamwork Report
UR - https://peer.asee.org/47500
ER -