Robert W. Lingard
California State University, Northridge
EEET July 11, 2009
Overview
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The Problem
Teamwork Performance Criteria
Techniques for Teaching Teamwork
Assessing Teamwork Skills
Recent Results
EEET July 11, 2009
The Problem
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Teamwork skills are considered important
for Engineering and Computer Science
graduates,
 ABET requires they be taught
 Industry demands that graduates have them
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But programs often do not adequately
address the teaching of them
 Little specific instruction is given
 Skills are typically not evaluated
EEET July 11, 2009
Teamwork Teaching Fallacies
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It’s not the responsibility of Engineering and Computer
Science faculty to teach teamwork and communication
skills
 But then who does it?
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Experience is the best teacher
 Poor team experiences create negative feelings regarding
teamwork
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Students will learn to work on teams once they
graduate and get jobs
 Their lack of teamwork skills can make it harder to get jobs in
the first place
EEET July 11, 2009
Teamwork Performance Criteria
Attend (nearly all) team meetings
 Arrive on time for (nearly all) team meetings
 Communicate clearly with other team
members
 Share knowledge with others
 Introduce new ideas
 Openly express opinions
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EEET July 11, 2009
Teamwork Performance Criteria
(Cont’d)
Consider suggestions from others
 Adopt suggestions from others
 Try to understand what others say
 Provide help to other team members
 Ask for help form other team
members
 Complete assignments on time

EEET July 11, 2009
Teamwork Performance Criteria
(Cont’d)
Complete assignments with acceptable
quality
 Do research and gather information
 Do a fair share of the work
 Be committed to team goals
 Show respect for others
 Distinguish between the important and the
trivial
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EEET July 11, 2009
Techniques for Teaching
Teamwork
Specific Instruction on the Group
Process and Group Roles
 Developing Individual Skills
 Oral Team Presentations
 Meeting Reports
 Individual Reflection
 Understanding Individual Differences
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EEET July 11, 2009
Group Process and Group Roles
Instruction
Basic instruction in the group process
and group roles can be helpful
 The Derek Bok Center for Teaching
and Learning at Harvard University is
an excellent online resource for this
material
(http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.to
pic58474/wigintro.html)

EEET July 11, 2009
Developing Individual Skills
“Think, Pair, Share” is an excellent
teaching approach in which students
can practice their communication and
collaboration skills.
 The approach was developed by
Frank Lyman at the University of
Maryland
(http://clte.asu.edu/active/usingtps.pdf)
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EEET July 11, 2009
Oral Presentations by Teams
Teams provide oral presentations
(status reports, design reviews, etc.)
to the rest of the class
 This helps develop both internal and
external oral communication skills
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EEET July 11, 2009
Meeting Reports
Each team documents the results of
team meetings, including attendance,
duration, decisions made, and action
items
(http://www.ecs.csun.edu/~rlingard/comp
480/MeetingReportForm&Rules.htm)
 This encourages meeting attendance and
contribution by individual members
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EEET July 11, 2009
Individual Reflection
Students are asked to reflect on the
group process and difficulties they are
having
 This reflection can help students to
focus on ways to make improvements
to the group process
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EEET July 11, 2009
Understanding Individual
Differences
Several instruments are available to
help students understand their
individual approaches to problem
solving
 By understanding the different ways
others approach problems, they can
better appreciate and work with others.
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EEET July 11, 2009
The Kolbe Concept®
It identifies the conative instincts that
drive the way one operates, e.g., the
way one approaches problem solving.
 It focuses on strengths and provides
insight on how to help people be more
productive and effective
 It is universal, unbiased, and an
individual’s Kolbe index tends to remain
the same over time
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EEET July 11, 2009
The Kolbe Instinctive Talents
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Fact Finder
 Collects data, asks questions, probes
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Follow Thru
 Makes schedules, plans ahead
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Quick Start
 Innovates, takes risks, improvises
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Implementor
 Builds and constructs, creates models
EEET July 11, 2009
Sample “Kolbe” Results
EEET July 11, 2009
Assessing Teamwork Skills
Independent observation
 Evaluating the evidence of individual
team member contributions
 Conduct peer reviews
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EEET July 11, 2009
Independent Observation
Instructors, lab assistants, or outside
observers attend team meetings
 But this observation can influence
student behavior
 And only some team activities are
practical to observe
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EEET July 11, 2009
Evaluating Individual Team
Member Contributions
Individual contributions can be
independently evaluated
 Requiring students to post
contributions online is an easy way to
gain access to these contributions
 But, not all teamwork skills involve
artifacts produced by individual team
members
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EEET July 11, 2009
Peer Evaluations
Each team member evaluates the
performance of other members
 Evaluations should be anonymous and
include self ratings
 Team members are in the best position
to evaluate teammates
 But, students are often reluctant to be
critical of fellow students
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EEET July 11, 2009
Peer Evaluation Form
EEET July 11, 2009
Recent Results
Three courses with ten teams and a
total of 45 students were assessed
 Results showed the lowest scores for
the following:

 Ask for help from other team members
 Provide help to other team members
 Introduce new ideas
 Distinguish between the important and the
trivial
EEET July 11, 2009
The Help Certificate

http://www.ecs.csun.edu/~rlingard/COM
P110/HelpCertificate.htm
EEET July 11, 2009