Team Research at the Biology–Mathematics Interface: Project Management Perspectives

The success of interdisciplinary research teams depends largely upon skills related to team performance. We evaluated student and team performance for undergraduate biology and mathematics students who participated in summer research projects conducted in off-campus laboratories. The student teams were composed of a student with a mathematics background and an experimentally oriented biology student. The team mentors typically ranked the students'' performance very good to excellent over a range of attributes that included creativity and ability to conduct independent research. However, the research teams experienced problems meeting prespecified deadlines due to poor time and project management skills. Because time and project management skills can be readily taught and moreover typically reflect good research practices, simple modifications should be made to undergraduate curricula so that the promise of initiatives, such as MATH-BIO 2010, can be implemented.     

The Dilemma of Pragmatics: Why Schools Don't Use Quality Team Consultation Practices

Research supports that school districts' prereferral consultation teams adhere less closely to quality consultation procedures and are less effective than those conducted through university research projects (e.g., Bahr, Whitten, Dieker, Kocarek, & Manson, 1999). This study investigated whether this finding might be due to incompatibilities between school settings and recommended team consultation practices. First, self-assessment surveys and case evaluation activities verified that teams in this school district-led project were not fully implementing research-recommended team consultation procedures. Then, focus group discussions verified through follow-up ratings were used to describe why the research-recommended procedures were not followed. Results suggest that school teams consider the recommended team consultation procedures to be unfamiliar, discrepant from existing staff roles, unnecessarily complex, and often inefficient. In too many cases, administrative support for team activities is inconsistent and the teams lack sufficient intervention resources to have an impact on student success. Team recommendations for improving the consultation procedures are discussed.     

Student teams’ development over time: tracing the relationship between the quality of communication and teams’ performance

Current discussions in higher education and alumni training acknowledge the challenges training programs face in responding to the authentic needs of the labor market. In addition to academic knowledge, higher education institutions are expected to provide general twenty-first-century skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and interpersonal skills. To meet these challenges, many institutions utilize collaborative pedagogies such as learning in teams. However, teamwork in higher education tends to focus primarily on the task aspects of performance at the expense of the team aspects, and for educators, there may be no feasible way to assess whether the students are learning to work successfully as teams. This paper explores how new student teams (n?=?3) that simulate real business teams by taking a challenging entrepreneur assessment, developed over three semesters for general skills (i.e., communication), and whether the improvement in their communication also indicated the teams’ improved performance (i.e., financial success). As an analytical tool, the study relies on initial parameters on teams’ microdynamics of communication [Losada, M. (1999). The complex dynamics of high performance teams. Mathematical and Computer Modelling, 30, 179–192] normalized with fuzzy logic. In accordance with the current understanding of team development, the results did not show any linear improvement, but the quality of communication in the teams improved episodically. Further, the results provide evidence of the possible relationship between the improved quality of communication and the teams’ collective financial success. However, in future work, due to the lack of sensitivity of the parameters in this context together with the recent criticisms of the mathematical basis of the patterns of team dynamics based on Losada's parameters, they will be reexamined with a Monte Carlo sensitivity analysis.     

Can culturally,disciplinarily and educationally diverse (D3) teams function and be creative? A case study in a Korean university

Drawing from research in team creativity enhancement, this study focuses on a “Creativity, Innovation and Design Thinking” course for the International Summer Semester at Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea. Data were collected among 15 teams of 89 students that participated in the course. Performance of the teams was measured by the grade they received from peers and instructor for all the creative projects. Participants answered a precourse and postcourse questionnaire to compare gains. There was a statistically significant shift in the students’ perceptions from pre-test to post-test in agreeing that diversities help teams to be more productive and more creative.     

Research Study on an Applied Interdisciplinary Product Development Course for College Sophomores

This research compares the industry readiness, product development skill level, and overall knowledge gains of students taking an undergraduate research course (treatment) to those who did not (control). This 2‐semester Applied Interdisciplinary Product Development (AIPD) course for sophomores brought together interdisciplinary teams of food science, nutrition, and packaging science students in a hands‐on setting to create healthy food products for children, complete with retail packaging. A Subject Knowledge Assessment (SKA) was used to evaluate the mean percent difference value (MPDV) of food science, nutrition, packaging science, and general product development knowledge gained through the course. SKA results indicated that the MPDV were significantly different (α = 0.05) between the treatment and comparison groups in the overall score and in every subject area score except packaging science. Data from an Exit Questionnaire (EQ) was used for evaluation of attitudes pertaining to product development knowledge and skills, department engagement, and pedagogy. EQ results indicated that mean scores between the treatment and comparison groups were significantly different (α = 0.05) in 7 of the 9 statements on product development knowledge and skills, both statements pertaining to pedagogy, and the statement pertaining to department engagement. Overall, the research project was considered a successful intervention for educating sophomores at the University. Overall, the research project was considered a successful intervention for educating sophomores in the Food, Nutrition and Packaging Science department at Clemson University. The student‐lead teams were held to a greater degree of accountability for their success in terms of education gleaned and value of experience gained as metric for the University and other IFT Accredited programs.     

Utilizing Project-Based Learning and Competition to Develop Student Skills and Interest in Producing Quality Food Items

ABSTRACT: Project-based activities and competition incorporated into freshman-level introductory foods course can stimulate students' interest in producing quality food items and achieve positive learning outcomes. This paper describes one example of how project-based learning, with the element of competition, was integrated into a freshman-level introductory foods course for food and nutrition majors. The students reported that the team approach allowed them to enhance their communication, team-building, and problem-solving skills. Numerous other skills, such as food selection, menu costing, and food presentation were also developed as a result of the project. The project was a productive and enjoyable learning experience for both the students and the teacher.     

Implementation of Real‐World Experiential Learning in a Food Science Course Using a Food Industry‐Integrated Approach

Success skills have been ranked as the most important core competency for new food science professionals to have by food science graduates and their employers. It is imperative that food science instructors promote active learning in food science courses through experiential learning activities to enhance student success skills such as oral and written communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and team work. The aim of this study was to incorporate “real‐world” experiential learning into a food product development course. Undergraduate students enrolled in a food product development course worked on a semester‐long product development case study developed by the Instructor of the course and the Manager from ACH Food Companies, Inc. The case study was presented to students in the form of a product development competition. Students were placed into groups and given the task to develop a cake mix with specified parameters. At the end of the semester, student groups participated in a case study competition to showcase their product concepts. Each student group gave a PowerPoint presentation and was evaluated using selected criteria. Students rated the course overall as being very good. Students perceived the case study to be beneficial and informative regarding employer (ACH's) expectations. Students recommended that the Instructor minimize restrictions/specifications for product concepts and increase the quantity of course/laboratory meetings per week. This approach will continue to be used and further evaluated as an approach to incorporate active learning and provide food science undergraduates with a sense of employer expectations.     

Innovative Team Building Practices for Professionals: Developing Inter-Group Skills to Enhance Effective Performance

The complexities of bringing teams of professionals together to work in a sustained and effective manner toward a common goal are considerable. The necessary inter-group skills involved are often not a part of most professional preparation programs. This article describes an innovative workshop for secondary preservice teachers which targeted the development of communication, problem solving, and team building. Results are promising. Any team of individuals, whether it be a group of professors, a program that utilizes a cohort model (a group of individuals who go through a program or process together), or simply a group needing to develop effective inter-group skills, may benefit from similar workshops. The article invites continued discussion and research concerning the training of professionals in team building and inter-group skills.     

提高药学专业物理化学实验教学的趣味性

为提高药学专业学生在物理化学实验过程中的能动性,全面提高学生实验技能,从实验的兴趣性方面入手,从实验内容的专业化,实验现象的丰富化,度液的处理,团队协作以及解决实际问题等方面进行了实验项目的改革.改革后的物理化学实验更贴近药学专业,全面提高了学生的主动探索的欲望,使单调的实验变得丰富,更乐于让学生接受.     

Implementing Experiential Learning Activities in a Large Enrollment Introductory Food Science and Human Nutrition Course

ABSTRACT:  Experiential learning activities are often viewed as impractical, and potentially unfeasible, instructional tools to employ in a large enrollment course. Research has shown, though, that the metacognitive skills that students utilize while participating in experiential learning activities enable them to assess their true level of understanding and mastery of the subject matter. The objectives of this study were to (1) create and implement 2 experiential learning activities in our introductory, large enrollment course and (2) evaluate their cognitive and affective impact on student learning. For the 1st activity, completed in class during the nutrition and health section, the instructional team asked the students to complete a dietary intake assessment. For the 2nd activity, completed via the course website, the instructional team asked the students to complete a food safety survey prior to the commencement of the food microbiology and processing section to assess the students' own personal food safety behaviors. The students were asked to evaluate both the cognitive and affective aspects of the experiential learning activities by completing a reflective questionnaire after participating in each activity. The majority of the students that participated in the experiential learning activities reported that the activities helped them learn the course material (97% for the dietary intake activity and 77% for the food safety activity) and that they liked participating in the activity (85% for the dietary intake activity) or were engaged by the activity (77% for the food safety activity). These results indicate that experiential learning activities can be successfully created for and implemented in large enrollment courses.     

识读合作学习

合作学习是指学生在小组或团队中为了完成共同的学术任务，有明确责任分工的互助性学习。一般来说，合作学习的基本特征有：积极的相互依赖，责任，面对面的相互促进，关注社交的技巧和小队运作的技巧；合作学习的实施过程包括：形成异质学习小队，呈现活动内容，小队讨论与实践，评估个体学生的掌握程度，计算小队提高分并确认小队的贡献；有效的合作学习需要一定环境(特别是物理环境、组织环境和指导环境)的支持。     

A two‐sided medal: On the complexity of international comparative and collaborative team research

In recent years, more and more international comparative research has been conducted in internationally and geographically spread project teams and international research networks, and comparative research has become a fundamentally collaborative effort. Accordingly, research in such projects has to cope with a higher level of methodological complexity than non‐comparative research as well as with a particular sociocultural complexity. This complexity can have an influence on the research process and therefore on the quality and validity of the results, an issue that has so far not been discussed much, either in Higher Education research or beyond. Thus, this article refers to studies that provide empirical insights into comparative collaborative research teams and illuminates why international collaboration in comparative research projects is both a source of better solutions and of amplified complications and how they are interrelated. On this basis it provides a conceptual reflection and delineates dimensions of task‐related, methodological complexity and team diversity. While comparative research has specific methodological challenges that can be alleviated by international team collaboration, collaborative research has particular social challenges that can be aggravated in comparative research. The conclusion makes propositions for further analyses, discusses lessons for comparative Higher Education research and sets out implications for its institutional development.     

The Efficacy of Consulting Practicum in Enhancing Students’ Readiness for Professional Career in Management Information Systems: An Empirical Analysis

Consulting practicum (CP) is a form of experiential learning technique to prepare students for professional careers. While CP has become a popular way to help students acquire the essential practical skills and experience to enhance career readiness and ensure a smooth transition from college to employment, there is a lack of empirical studies that establish any link between CP and the career readiness of students. This study seeks to fill this gap. Undergraduate students enrolled in practicum classes undertook consulting projects for several organizations in the areas of management and information systems (MIS) with the purpose of implementing projects and solving real‐life business problems while gaining valuable professional experience and career specific skills. Each team had a mentor who was also the contact person representing the client organization. At the end of the projects, the teams’ supervisors evaluated the performance of the consulting teams based on 10 criteria, classified into behavioral and technical skills. The results show that students developed essential career‐related competencies and behavioral skills as an indication of career readiness, thus affirming CP as an innovative pedagogical strategy that can enhance students’ readiness for professional careers in MIS.     

Preventing Stalled Quality Improvement Teams: A Written Test of Project Selection ability

Organizations which use quality improvement teams (QITs) in total quality management (TQM) can benefit from training the team personnel in how to select projects with a low risk of stalling. Projects with a high risk of stalling have typical shortcomings, including: failure to focus on a finite or observable process, failure to select a project within the team's authority and resources, and failure to establish importance related to key customers' needs. Training sessions on how to select viable projects may be warranted because stalled teams set a negative example and discourage potential TQM participants. If the organization institutes training on project selection, however, the cost should be justified through systematic evaluation of the training's impact. Designed for those who conduct evaluations of training sessions, this paper demonstrates an efficient written assessment test of project selection ability. The test requires judgments on the suitability of various projects derived from field interviews about projects which were selected by teams which stalled. Testing with a sample of novice and expert quality team leaders shows that the test is sensitive to differences in skills and could thus be used to document the effect of training on students' ability to select projects.     

Structural equation modeling analysis of factors influencing architects’ trust in project design teams

This paper describes a structural equation modeling(SEM) analysis of factors influencing architects’ trust in project design teams. We undertook a survey of architects,during which we distributed 193 questionnaires in 29 A-level architectural design institutes selected radomly from the altogether 59 ones in Shenzhen,P. R. China,and received 130 valid questionnaires. We used Amos 6.0 for SEM to identify significant personal construct based factors affecting interpersonal trust. The results show that only soc...     

Academic alignment to reduce the presence of ‘social loafers’ and ‘diligent isolates’ in student teams

The acquisition of effective teamwork skills is crucial in all disciplines. Using an interpretive approach, this study investigates collaboration and co-operation in teams of software engineering students. Teams whose members were both homogeneous and heterogeneous in terms of their members' academic abilities, skills and goals were identified and compared. We describe the occurrence of ‘social loafing’, a well-reported phenomenon, in these teams. We also observed a phenomenon which we termed ‘diligent isolation’. Our assumption was that both of these can cause team dysfunction. Additional causes which became apparent during the research are listed. The article includes suggestions for improving team functionality.     

Course teams: myth and actuality

This article argues for the development of group intervention techniques to improve the efficacy of course teams in the preparation of distance education materials. A review of recent commentaries on course teams is presented along with an initial selection and discussion of course team issues. These are presented in the refreshingly frank domestic context of actual interactions. The irritations generated by these will be familiar to practitioners. The author concludes with a series of recommendations to enrich the quality of course team life and output. It is hoped that this provocative analysis of the course team method of producing distance education materials will generate a lively response.     

Interpersonal skill-building for instructional developers

Although competence in the area of interpersonal skills has long been recognized as important by those in the instructional development (ID) profession, few academic programs instruct students in those skills. As they enter the field, students from such programs soon discover that it takes more than ID skills to be an effective instructional designer-developer. Positive interaction with SMES, clients, and colleagues soon emerges as equally important to getting the job done successfully. In an attempt to provide training in interpersonal skill-building, a course was implemented at Syracuse University's Area of Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation. The main goal of this course was for students to gain competence and confidence in their ability to interact with people. This article provides information about and insight into the content and activities of this course and personal reactions of the students who participated in it.     

Designing,implementing and maintaining a first year project course in electrical engineering

Being a modern electrical engineer does not only require state of the art skills in areas such as transfer and processing of information, electronics, systems engineering, and biomedical electrical engineering; it also requires generic engineering skills such as oral and written communication, team building, interpersonal skills, and the ability to take the responsibility of solving assigned tasks. In the development of a new electrical engineering curriculum, it was considered a challenge to introduce these generic engineering skills in a more applicable way. The approach described in this paper has been very successful in implementing and maintaining a challenging first year project based engineering course with a high level of training of generic engineering skills.     

Exploring the Impact of Receiving Sender‐Based Negative and Positive Feedback on Team‐Level Process Outcomes Using a Mobile Application

Team‐based projects continue to be important for structuring work in many organizations, and employees are increasingly using mobile applications (apps) for peer evaluations as part of a performance appraisals process. Since a graduating student can expect to work in a team at some point in their career, exposure to class‐related group projects is important. This study explored using a mobile application (app) called DevelapMe (DMe), which allowed for 273 business undergraduates in 54 teams to give and receive real‐time peer‐based feedback during a 5‐week group project. Prior empirical research has shown that technology can improve the group development process, but such research has not used a mobile app. The general goal of this study was to investigate how receiving real‐time feedback through a mobile app (DMe) can affect the team development process over time. Two online surveys, Time 1 (T1) and Time 2 (T2), were administered over a 5‐week period. Results showed that two of the three team‐level process outcomes, team trust and team commitment (but not team value‐goal fit), significantly increased from T1 to T2. Results also showed that receiving T1 sender‐based positive, but not negative, feedback scales had a significant impact on all three team‐level process outcomes.