The Impact of Preparing Faculty in the Effective Use of Student Teams

Abstract

Companies increasingly rely on teams to improve productivity, and consequently employers expect colleges and universities to prepare graduates to effectively work in teams. To help with this need, instructors must be equipped to prepare students to fully capitalize on the power of teamwork. This study examines the effect of college instructor training in and the practice of methodologies to increase student teamwork knowledge, skills, and abilities. Eleven instructors in 17 courses underwent a yearlong program of instruction in the effective use of teams. Instructors participated in an initial one-day workshop conducted by a nationally recognized expert in teamwork and monthly discussion groups, reviewed current literature, and integrated new teamwork pedagogy into their courses. Results of pre- and post-test scores of 359 students indicated significant improvement in their teamwork knowledge, skills, and abilities. In these classes, females and older students were found to have significantly higher teamwork scores than their counterparts. implications of these findings and suggestions for future research and practice are discussed. Introduction Teams have become increasingly prevalent in work organizations (Devine, Clayton, Philips, Dunford, & Melner, 1999; Shortell, et al. 2004). Work teams have become commonplace in many organizations (Sundstrom, Mclntyre, Halhill, & Richards, 2000). Gordon (1992) indicated that more than 80% of organizations employing 100 or more workers use teams. Lawler, Mohrman, and Ledford (1995) reported a similar figure in Fortune 1000 companies. popularity of teams is unlikely to diminish, as work in the postindustrial era requires greater cooperation and coordination than ever--both within and between work units (Ilgen & Pulakos, 1999). Consequently, employers are increasingly expecting colleges and universities to prepare students to work in teams (AACU, 2007; AICPA, 2008; Landrum & Harrold, 2003; NACE, 2008). Recent college graduates agree that teamwork is the most important skill employers look for (AACU, 2007). While some employers may be seeing improvement in student preparation to work in teams (Lattuca, Terenzini, & Volkwein, 2006), many other employers still find college graduates ill prepared to work in teams (Casner-Lotto & Barrington, 2006). As a result of these realities, employers increasingly seek job candidates who possess teamwork knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in addition to traditional basic KSAs, such as writing in English and reading comprehension. A review of workforce readiness studies by Casner-Lotto and Barrington (2006) found that too few college graduates excel in the most important skills. Casner-Lotto and Barrington state, The future U.S. workforce is here-and it is woefully ill-prepared for the demands of today's (and tomorrow's) workplace (p. 9). They go on to conclude that skills like teamwork and collaboration are expected to increase in importance over the next five years. Consequently, there is a pressing need for systematic development of teamwork skills in educational settings to create higher workforce readiness. Benefits of teamwork to students Students can receive many benefits from working in teams. Team assignments provide realistic experience in cooperation, group decision making, and communication; allow team members to accomplish larger and more complex tasks than could be accomplished by one individual; and enhance members' acquisition of discipline-related knowledge (McCorkle et al., 1999; McKinney & Graham-Buxton, 1993; Rau & Heyl, 1990). Research shows that compared to traditional lecture or individualistic learning environments teamwork assignments result in higher student achievement (Cavalier, Klein, & Cavalier, 1995; Freeman, 1996; Hite 1996; Hwang, Lui, & Tong, 2005; McKinney & Denton, 2005), greater use of higher level reasoning and critical thinking skills (Duffrin 2003; Gabbert, Johnson & Johnson, 1986; Gokhale, 1995), more positive attitudes toward the subject matter and satisfaction with the class (Caldwell, Weishar, & Glezen, 1996; Dunaway, 2005; Trempy, Skinner, & Siebold, 2002; Willey & Freeman, 2006), better interpersonal and communication skills (Meyer, 1994; Williams, Beard, & Rymer, 1991), and increased motivation to learn (Frank, Lavy, & Elata, 2003). …

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