Abstract
In this workshop, we will explore the design of teaming experiences, and the tensions that arise as we try to address different student outcomes. We often approach teaming in course design with a very simple philosophy: if students are put on teams, they will learn teamwork skills and get the educational benefits of teaming. But the benefits of teamwork in an educational setting are multi-faceted. For example, team projects can be used to facilitate collaborative learning to develop a set of outcomes for all students. Alternately, team projects may be more performance-oriented to develop students' ability to work professionally on teams. In the former case, students may have the opportunity to develop new skills and strengths, and in the latter students must play to their strengths to meet performance goals. We will consider how to design teaming experiences in thoughtful ways that respond to students' needs, interests, and constraints, as well as a particular set of outcomes. Participants will employ design thinking tools (student personas, interaction narratives) in order to explore what a team, and the individual students on the team, might experience within a given teaming framework. We'll identify the team pitfalls, and share a broader set of insights about student engineering teams. Finally, we'll discuss specific approaches to scaffolding the development of teaming skills that responds specifically to the needs of your students and your institution.