Successful teams don’t just happen magically – they require skills and intention.
What can you do to support effective student teams?
Teamwork is essential to successful engineering projects. Generally speaking, however, there is a gap between what we know are important skills and the time we dedicate to intentionally teaching and developing student teamwork skills. To help close this gap, the Center for Innovation in Engineering Education has partnered with Dr. Mary Lynn Raelff from Georgia Tech to adopt their Effective Team Dynamics (ETD) curriculum for our students.
Students often struggle when working in teams and instructors often wonder how they can better support their success. Issues of uncertainty, shifting priorities, and grade anxiety detract from teams’ success. ETD provides undergraduates with intentional training to advance their skills in:
- Inclusive communication
- Task delegation
- Accountability
The end goal is to achieve more functional, inclusive, and effective teams.
One size does not fit all!
We work with you to customize our approach to your individual needs. The typical components are:
Phase 1: Individual reflection. Using CliftonStrengths as a framework, students reflect on their individual strengths and engage with their teammates to learn what each person brings to the team.
Phase 2: Team roles and responsibilities. Teams decide how they will leverage their individual strengths to help the team be successful and discuss the specific roles and tasks each team member will take on.
Phase 3: Conflict management. Using “Crucial Conversations” as a framework (based on the book of the same name), students work through the process to identifying conflicts and directly engage in a crucial conversation.
Phase 4: Actionable feedback. Students learn critical skills for how to give and receive actionable peer feedback that helps them be more successful.
Customized workshop or course module topics offered:
- Leveraging your Strengths-based Team
- Team Values & Demotivators
- Developing your Team Contract
- Structured Peer Feedback
- Growing your Crucial Conversation Skills
Are you interested in this program?
Let us know!
Interest Survey
Audience for this program:
- All College of Engineering instructors teaching team-based courses or who have a desire to improve student professional skills
- Faculty and staff working with student teams in co-curricular activities (e.g., student organizations, research groups, student workers, departmental meetings)
Value/benefits:
- Help students build professional team skills
- Externally trained facilitators available to lead this work
- Offerings tailored to your course or event needs
Pilot program courses:
- First-year design: InterEGR 170, ME 231, ISyE 191
- Senior capstone design: ME 351
- Engineering Communication: InterEGR 397