Building Effective Teams
At a Glance
Discipline
- STEM
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Engineering
Instructional Level
- College & CEGEP
- University
Course
- Elements of Biotechnology
- Food and Drugs
Tasks in Workflow
Social Plane(s)
- Individual
- Group
- Whole Class
Type of Tasks
- Discussing
- Reviewing & assessing peers
- Creating & designing
- Reading
- Writing
Technical Details
Class size
- Small (20-49)
- Medium (50-99)
Time
- Semester long
Instructional Purpose
- Consolidation & metacognition
Overview
This approach uses an adapted version of team based learning to provide an opportunity to students effectively to build teamwork skills on an individual level and improve performance at a group level throughout the semester.
The activities: one workshop at the beginning of the semester on team formation and contract development, two workshops at 1/3 and 2/3 semester on development of teamwork skills and how to manage and develop solutions for tricky team dynamics, and a formative evaluation on the progress towards effective team functioning. Peer and self assessment are performed in teams at 1/2 semester and end-of-semester to assess individual performance.
Instructional Objectives
To apply team work skills at an individual level and to improve team performance at a group level
Workflow & Materials
Activity Workflow
Contributor's Notes
Benefits
Challenges
Tips
Benefits
- This approach provides guidance for avoiding and working through the pitfalls commonly associated with group work in the classroom
- Students also tend to really appreciate the extra investment of the instructor to the development of teamwork skills
- Students tend to like and respect the contracts so they self-regulate instead of the instructor having to intervene
Challenges
Taking on an extra semester-long project of developing team skills and running workshops in addition to delivering what is required of the course itself
Tips
Use and adapt the materials already provided to you- it saves a lot of time. If possible, perform the workshops in a tutorial time slot
Applied Strategies
Published: 14/09/2019
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