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Developing Teamwork Skills in Undergraduate Engineering Students

A Comparison Between Disciplinary and Cross-Disciplinary Projects

Bibliographic Data

ID20295129
AuthorsFrancisco Cima (0000-0002-1453-2353, Old Dominion University), Pilar Pazos (0000-0003-4348-7798, Old Dominion University), Minjung Lee (0000-0002-0479-6523, University of North Dakota), Kristie Gutierrez (0000-0002-9339-7574, Old Dominion University), Jennifer Kidd (0000-0001-9800-1690, Old Dominion University), Orlando Ayala (0000-0003-0604-8606, Old Dominion University), Stacie Ringleb (0000-0003-3376-0252, Old Dominion University), Krishnanand Kaipa (0000-0002-8095-938X, Old Dominion University), Danielle Rhemer (0000-0002-5675-5045, Old Dominion University)
Year2025
Volume68
Issue1
Pages86-94
Publication date2025-02-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueIEEE Transactions on Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0018-9359 • E-ISSN: 1557-9638
PublisherInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1109/te.2024.3456098
OpenAlexW4402775308
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited32

This study contributes to team science and competency development by comparing demonstrated teamwork skills by engineering students participating in disciplinary and cross-disciplinary team projects. Teamwork skills are key competencies necessary to solve complex technical challenges in the workplace. Despite prior efforts to enhance these competencies in engineering students, there is still a lack of empirical research examining the effectiveness of such efforts. This study compares teamwork skills demonstrated by undergraduate engineering students in two conditions: 1) engineering-only teams and 2) cross-disciplinary collaboration with education students. Projects in both settings had similar levels of complexity, scope, team size, and requirements. The differences in teamwork skills were investigated using a mixed methods approach with a main quantitative phase, followed by a secondary qualitative analysis to further examine the nature of the differences. Students in the cross-disciplinary model demonstrated higher levels of teamwork skills than those in the engineering-only condition. Results from this work illustrate how authentic and well-designed cross-disciplinary team projects can facilitate the development of students’ teamwork skills beyond what can be achieved in disciplinary teams, fulfilling an essential ABET requirement and enhancing student preparation to succeed in the workplace

Cross disciplinary · Data science · Discipline · Engineering education · Engineering ethics · Engineering management · Management · Mathematics education · Medical education · Social science · Sociology · Teamwork · Biomedical and Engineering Education · Computer Science · Engineering · Engineering Education and Curriculum Development · Medicine · Psychology · Team Dynamics and Performance

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    Open Access•John Mathieu, John E Mathieu et al.•Journal of Management•2008

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    Open Access•Antoine van den Beemt, Miles MacLeod et al.•Journal of Engineering Education•2020

  • A Meta‐analysis of Teamwork Processes

    Open Access•Jeffery A LePine, Ronald F Piccolo et al.•Personnel Psychology•2008

  • Implementation of PjBL With Remote Lab Enhances the Professional Skills of Engineering Students

    Open Access•Victor Takashi Hayashi, Joel Souza Dutra et al.•IEEE Transactions on Education•2023

  • A Longitudinal Study of Team Conflict, Conflict Management, Cohesion, and Team Effectiveness

    Open Access•Amanuel G Tekleab, Narda R Quigley et al.•Group & Organization Management•2009

  • The role of gender in team collaboration and performance

    Open Access•Julia B Bear, Anita Williams Woolley•Interdisciplinary Science Reviews•2011

Citations per year1
Citation span2025 - 2025 (1)
Highly citedNo

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