scholarly journals TEACHING TEAMWORK TO ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS: THE IMPORTANCE OF SELF-REFLECTION AND ACKNOWLEDGING DIVERSITY IN TEAMS

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Long ◽  
Amin Reza Rajabzadeh ◽  
Allan MacKenzie
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Group Work ◽  
First Year ◽  
Engineering Technology ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Transferable Skills ◽  
Technology Students ◽  
Group Members

 Abstract – In their quest to find work-ready graduates, employers are increasingly prioritizing graduates with so-called transferable skills. These transferable skills include critical thinking and problem-solving skills, communication skills, and the ability to work in diverse teams. With the plethora of engineering education literature on the topic of developing undergraduates’ teamwork abilities, there are numerous suggestions and little consensus on the best way to develop these skills in engineering classrooms. This paper adds to this literature and provides an overview of group work workshops for first-year undergraduates. The hope for these workshops was to better equip students for future group work activities by providing them easy-to-remember teamwork tools that were first learned and practiced in low-stakes workshop environments. Following their participation in these workshops, students participated in focus groups and feedback demonstrated an appreciation for these workshops as well as the opportunity to self-reflect on their role as a team member. Further, there appeared to be a shift in the awareness and tolerance of the diversity found among group members, which demonstrates a potential area for further investigation. The authors conclude with a call for more research in order to better understand the role of teamwork as a means for developing tolerance toward diversity among first-year undergraduate students.

Competition and Collaboration in Translation Education

2015 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Tarek Shamma
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Group Work ◽  
University Student ◽  
The Other ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
United Arab Emirates University ◽  
Translator Education

This chapter discusses the results of a pilot study that explored the use of contests in translation pedagogy, proposing methods for designing classroom and extracurricular contests. Three translation contests (two in-class and one extracurricular) were conducted for undergraduate students at United Arab Emirates University. Student questionnaires were used to examine the potential role of contests in translator education and, in particular, the positive and negative effects of competition on students' motivation. The use of group work was also examined as a method of minimizing the potential negative effects of competition, as described in the literature. The study indicates that contests can be useful in stimulating student motivation, especially on the basic levels of education. On the other hand, it is suggested that, while group work is seen as effective and desirable by most students, there are caveats to be considered when planning and implementing this type of activity.

scholarly journals Problem-solving skills and perceived stress among undergraduate students: The moderating role of hardiness

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 1321-1331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abbas Abdollahi ◽  
Mansor Abu Talib ◽  
Per Carlbring ◽  
Richard Harvey ◽  
Siti Nor Yaacob ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Influencing Factor ◽  
Personal Control ◽  
Problem Solving Skills ◽  
Approach Avoidance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

This study was designed to examine the relationships between problem-solving skills, hardiness, and perceived stress and to test the moderating role of hardiness in the relationship between problem-solving skills and perceived stress among 500 undergraduates from Malaysian public universities. The analyses showed that undergraduates with poor problem-solving confidence, external personal control of emotion, and approach–avoidance style were more likely to report perceived stress. Hardiness moderated the relationships between problem-solving skills and perceived stress. These findings reinforce the importance of moderating role of hardiness as an influencing factor that explains how problem-solving skills affect perceived stress among undergraduates.

scholarly journals Engaging students of Engineering & Technology in positive Group Dynamics using randomly generated Instant Virtual Group (IVG) quizzes

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 10-43
Author(s):  
Muhammad Yousif Jamro
Keyword(s):  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Group Work ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Engineering Technology ◽  
Entire Class ◽  
Virtual Groups ◽  
Assessment Activity ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Group Member

A quiz template is developed keeping in mind the group dynamics to engage and encourage group work activities among E&T undergraduates. The Microsoft® Excel VBA programming was used to create random instant virtual groups (IVGs) and to select random questions. Although the IVG quiz selects group members randomly, yet the programming enables “controlled” reoccurrence keeping the entire class in alert state (i.e. allowing previous members from other groups to reappear and regroup). During the quiz, a small group cooperatively engaged working towards solution and at the end of each quiz question each group member is peer assessed by entire class following pre-set rules of engagement. At the end of quiz, the analyses are auto-plotted showing individual and group contributions flagging out, the best, good and the poor performers. The developed quiz workbook can be easily adopted for the reuse in any group assessment activity by simply changing the attendance list and question bank. The quiz template was used in piloting an epistemological study of various taught modules at different programme levels in various pathways of MEng-BEng and MSc Engineering programmes. The results of a survey analysing the effectiveness of such IVG quizzes using Chi-square test predicted an overall 71% net positive student’s responses with an average above 59% for various programme levels. Furthermore, the data analysis suggested that Level 4 and MSc cohorts comparatively need more tutor support in their group work as they have limited exposure to group dynamics. The significance of eye-contact and positioning of peers in-classroom randomised IVGs were also studied, which revealed that increasing separation between peers and their obscured locations obstructing their eye-contacts show adverse effects on group homotopy recommending maximum five members in an IVG creating effective cooperative communication. The random IVG quiz is tutor centred activity and mainly designed engaging students in-class active learning, and is suitable for small to medium class size of 30-35, nonetheless, large cohort size can be supported by splitting in batches.

scholarly journals Effects of University Preparation and Engagement on Achievement

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Elizabeth Marie Chinlund
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Study Skills ◽  
School Achievement ◽  
First Year ◽  
University Preparation ◽  
Academic Challenge ◽  
University Degree ◽  
First Year University ◽  
Mainstream Students

<p>This study comprised an investigation of the longitudinal achievement of New Zealand first-year undergraduate students (n=967) who transitioned to their degrees through the Certificate of University Preparation (CUP) programme at Victoria University of Wellington between 2008 and 2012 and the role of preparation and engagement on their achievement. Certain student behaviours, development of study skills, importance of academic challenge, and emphasis on academic support were all correlated with later university achievement. Although engagement is a highly acclaimed concept, its links to achievement were unsubstantiated. Using linear regressions, students' academic perseverance and their achievement in CUP each uniquely predicted first-year university degree programme achievement. CUP students' university achievement was higher than mainstream students with similar secondary school achievement, based on a statistical model of achievement that accounted for the relative difficulty of achieving each result. These findings indicate that the CUP programme was effective in preparing learners to access and achieve in university.</p>

Chinese students’ group work performance: does team personality composition matter?

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-309
Author(s):  
Kwok Hung Lau ◽  
Qian Jin
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Group Work ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Group Performance ◽  
Chinese Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Team Personality

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate if team personality composition has any effect on group work performance of undergraduate students in China. Design/methodology/approach Using a questionnaire based on the Big-Five framework to collect data on personality traits, this study investigated whether in the Chinese education setting overall effectiveness of university students working in groups was related to the different personalities of the group members. Students of two undergraduate business programs jointly run by an Australian university and a Chinese university in Shanghai participated in the research. Findings The findings reveal that aggregated personality traits have no effect on team effectiveness but homogeneity in emotional stability among group members does have a positive impact on group performance. Based on a comprehensive review of studies concerning the Chinese education approach, it is believed that the outcome of this study may reflect to a certain extent the influence of traditional learning method on how university students interact with team members in group work hence affecting group performance. Research limitations/implications This study has surveyed 166 undergraduate students on their personality traits and performance in group work. A larger sample size can help improve the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications The findings of this study shed light on how group work can be used more effectively in learning through proper assessment task design and guidance from the facilitator. Social implications The outcome of this research also provides insight on how group work in higher education can better prepare students for the Chinese workforce. Originality/value While studies on relationship between personality mix and team effectiveness in business setting are plenty, there is relatively little research on how team personality composition can impact on group performance in education especially in Asian countries. This study is one of the first attempts to supplement the inadequacy in this regard.

scholarly journals Teaching Picturebooks in First Year Literature Courses

2021 ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Danielle A. Morris-O’Connor
Keyword(s):  
Group Work ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Class Discussion ◽  
First Year ◽  
Essay Writing ◽  
Work Activities ◽  
Transferable Skills ◽  
Arts And Sciences ◽  
Secondary Sources

In many universities, first year literature courses are required for students in a wide variety of programs, including arts and sciences. These courses are generally focused on teaching transferable skills and strategies, such as critical analysis, essay writing, and research. This article argues that picturebooks are an exceptional teaching tool for these broadly focused first-year courses, because they quickly engage students as learners, encourage participation, and open students to new approaches of critically reading texts while challenging their assumptions and personal biases about children’s literature. Examples of picturebooks, secondary sources, class discussion, and group work activities used in first year literature courses are shared, along with students’ responses to these approaches. The article ends with an explanation of a short, low-stakes assignment that instructors can assign students to help build essential skills with picturebooks, and exercises to do around picturebooks to work on critical thinking skills. Picturebooks are often perceived as being simple and only for children, but many picturebooks are layered texts that make great teaching tools for any literature course.

scholarly journals SOCIAL METACOGNITION IN THE PROCESS OF DECISION MAKING

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana V. Folomeeva ◽  
◽  
Ekaterina N. Klimochkina
Keyword(s):  
Group Work ◽  
Social Situation ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Individual Work ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Social Metacognition ◽  
Made In

"Individual metacognitions are responsible for monitoring and controlling our knowledge, emotions and actions, while social metacognitions are included in the process of monitoring and controlling each other’s knowledge, emotions and actions by group members. The distribution of metacognitive responsibilities among group members increases the visibility of individual metacognitive abilities. The study aimed to investigate the role of social metacognitions in the decision process of choosing current fashion trends: to compare how participants interact and social metacognitions influence their decisions in contradiction to the decisions made in individual work, where only individual metacognitions were available. The study consisted of several stages: starting from current trends analysis and follow up interviews, as well as, filling in individual journals. The last step was group work: discussion. The sample was 40 participants (M=24,35, Sd=2,27). Gathered data was processed through a descriptive qualitative analysis using the phenomenological method. Lack of knowledge or confidence to make a decision about which trends represent what is current in fashion in individual work, participants compensate with knowing about their own metacognition. Thus, in teamwork, these individuals’ level out limitations on knowledge or confidence by choosing the behaviour that can increase their knowledge. Choice of the behaviour strategy relies on individual metacognition. Therefore, teamwork provides individuals with additional resources as other team members, which increases the overall significance of work due to the contribution of individual metacognition. Social metacognitions help to distribute responsibilities among group members according to individual metacognitions. In group work, the visibility of individual metacognitions increases and favourably affects learning between participants, facilitates interaction and improves cognitive processes. Due to social metacognitions, participants who lack knowledge or confidence to make an individual decision solve their difficulties in a social situation, where limitations of individual metacognition are mitigated with social metacognitions."

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document