Team Science
MSCI 307-0
Winter 2015, Registration#23492
Wednesdays, January 7, 2015 – February 4, 2015; 6:00-9:00PM
Kellerman Classroom, 232W McGaw Building, Chicago Campus
0.5 Credit Course
Instructors: (office hours by appointment)
Bonnie Spring, Ph.D.
Fruma Yehiely, Ph.D.
Director, NUCATS Team Science
Director, Office of Research Development
Professor of Preventive Medicine
Office for Research, NUCATS, Department of Preventive Medicine
680 N. Lake Shore Drive, Suite 1400
750 N. Lake Shore Drive, Rubloff, Room 705
Chicago, IL. 60611
Chicago, IL 60611
312-908-2293
312-503-4134
bspring@northwestern.edu
yehiely@northwestern.edu
Teaching Assistant:
David Conroy, Ph.D.
Professor of Preventive Medicine
680 N. Lakeshore Drive, Suite 1400
Chicago, IL 60611
312-503-4241
conroy@northwestern.edu
Course Description: Solving complex societal problems (e.g., global warming, poverty, cancer, health
care) requires the integration of specialized knowledge bases. However, as the volume of scientific
knowledge has increased over time, it has become increasingly difficult for any single individual to have
deep expertise in all needed areas of science. Addressing today’s complex problems requires the high
degree of cross-disciplinary collaboration, referred to as “Team Science”. This course offers practical
guidance about how best to engage in team science to: pursue complex science questions, work
effectively with team members, and produce high impact research outcomes that help meet society’s
needs.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this course students will be able to:
 Describe changes in scientific authorship patterns that have occurred in the past 50 years
 Differentiate between multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research
 Describe factors to consider when deciding whether join an interdisciplinary research team
 Discuss factors to consider and steps to take when evaluating others as potential collaborators
 Demonstrate an understanding of how meta-cognitive processes are important for team
functioning
 Analyze the role of conflict in the life cycle of a scientific team
 Formulate a plan to evaluate a scientific team
 Describe factors that contribute to the success of a scientific team
Course Format and Outline: Homework for each class will consist of completion of an online learning
module including pre- and post-tests, readings, and/or written assignments. Written assignments will
include completion of a collaboration readiness self-assessment, submission of a proposed collaboration
agreement, and an evaluation of the assembly, launch, and maturation of a science team (max. 5 pages).
Students will be expected to attend each class, complete individual and team readiness assurances that
assess their mastery of the assigned materials, and actively participate in discussions. Class sessions will
combine lecture and small group exercises.
(1) January 7, 2015: Introduction to the Science of Team Science
History, Definitions, Evidence
Assignments
A. www.teamscience.net: Complete the Science of Team Science Module; Take post-test.
Reading
A. Whitfield, J. (2008, October 9) Group theory. Nature, 455, 720-723.
In-Class Exercise
A. Individual Knowledge Test
B. Team Knowledge Test
(2) January 14, 2015: Team Assembly
Opportunities, Challenges, Collaboration Readiness, Tools, Best Practices
Assignments
A. www.teamscience.net: Take pre-test; Complete Team Science Research Process in Basic
Biomedical Science; Take post-test
B. Complete the Collaboration Readiness Questionnaire
Readings
A. Kong, H.H., & Segre, J.A. (2010). Bridging the translational research gap: A successful
partnership between a physician and a basic scientist. Journal of Investigative Dermatology,
130, 1478-1480.
B. Guimerà, R., Uzzi, B., Spiro, J., and Amaral, L.A.N. (2005). Team assembly mechanisms
determine collaboration network structure and team performance. Science, 308, 697-702.
C. Coller, B.S. (2008). Translational research: Forging a new cultural identity. Mount Sinai
Journal of Medicine, 75, 478-487.
In-Class Exercise
A. Using NU Scholars Database
(3) January 21, 2015: Team Launch
Communication, Meta-Cognitive Processes, Tools, Funding Opportunities, Project Management
Assignments
A. www.teamscience.net: Take pre-test; Complete Team Science Research Process in
Behavioral Science; Take post-test.
B. Submit collaboration agreement. [cf. Bennett, L.M., Gadlin, H., and Levine-Finley, S. (2010).
Collaboration and Team Science: A Field Guide. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health.
From www.teamscience.nih.gov]
Readings
A. Benishek, L.E., Hughes, A.M., Gregory, M.E., Sonesh, S.C., Salas, E., Lazzarra, E.H. (2014).
Promoting teamwork in translational medical teams: Insights and recommendations from
science and practice. Journal of Translational Medicine and Epidemiology, 2(2), 1031.
B. Gadlin, H. & Bennett, L.M. (2012). Dear Doc: Advice for collaborators. Translational
Behavioral Medicine, 2, 495-503.
C. Thompson, J.L. (2009). Building collective communication competence in interdisciplinary
research teams. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 37, 278-297.
In-Class Exercise
A. Team Science toolkit epistemology exercise
(4) January 28, 2015: Team Maturation
Leadership, Distributed Collaboration, Conflict Resolution, Change and Flexibility
Assignments
A. www.teamscience.net: Take pre-test; Complete Team Science Research Process in Clinical
Medical Science; Take post-test
Readings
A. Pentland, A. (2012). The new science of building great teams. Harvard Business Review
(April), 1-11.
B. Wageman, R., Hackman, J.R., Lehman, E. (2005) Team diagnostic s urvey: Development of
an instrument. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science; 4 1 , 3 7 3 - 3 9 8 .
In-class exercise
A. Individual Knowledge Test
B. Team Knowledge Test
Guest Lecture:
Noshir Contractor on social network analyses of science teams
(5) February 4, 2015: Team Evaluation
Outcomes, Methods, Tools
Assignment
A. Submit a written evaluation of a science team. Interviews should delve into (a) the team’s
experiences with team assembly, launch, and maturation, (b) what they did well and what
they would now do differently to enhance their experience, and (c) what institutional
supports they used and which additional supports could have been helpful.
Readings
A. Salas, E. & Lacerenza, C. (2013, July 1). Team training for team science: Improving
interdisciplinary collaboration. In H. Valantine (Chair), Workshop on science team dynamics
and effectiveness/Education and training for team science. Washington, DC: Institute of
Medicine/National Academy of Sciences. Available at
http://nationalacademies.org/teamscience.
B. Datta, A., Yong, J.T.T., & Braghin, S. (2014). The zen of multidisciplinary team
recommendation. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology, 65,
2518-2533.
C. Seeber, I. (2013). Facilitating team processes with recommender systems: A behavioral
science perspective. Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Knowledge
Management and Knowledge Technologies. doi: 10.1145/2494188.2494215.
In-Class Exercise
A. Presentation and discussion of interviews with science teams
Grading/Evaluation:
Active Class Participation (asking questions, providing comments, etc.)
Complete Pre- and Post-test Assessments for the 4 teamscience.net Research Process Modules
Individual Knowledge Tests
Collaboration Agreement
Team Evaluation
30%
30%
10%
10%
20%