Teaching and assessing team skills in a senior level design course

Abstract

Industry wants to hire graduates with good teaming skills. As a result, many universities are introducing projects that require students to work in teams. Unfortunately engineering educators find it difficult to assess a student's team skills adequately. Requiring students to work in teams does not necessarily improve a student's ability to be an effective team member. Engineering educators must decide what teaming skills students need, methods for teaching those skills, and strategies for evaluating them. This paper examines the teaming portion of a senior level mechanical engineering machine design course. Each student in the course is assigned to a team that completes a project sponsored by an industrial partner. The authors discuss successful strategies for assigning, developing, and evaluating team skills. Students who complete the course are expected to demonstrate an ability to work effectively in teams. The teaming skills that students are expected to demonstrate in this course are as follows: the ability to share responsibilities and duties, take on different roles when applicable, analyze ideas objectively, discern feasible solutions, develop a strategy for action, and build consensus. Course activities are structured to help students acquire these skills. Activities include team building, project management, team management and defining rubrics for evaluating team skills. Assessment of student performance includes peer evaluation, student self-assessment, and portfolio assessment.