Improving interdisciplinary teamwork competence and team functioning in higher education using a role-based reflective teamwork improvement method

Bibliographic Data

ID22165441
AuthorsRoosmarijn van Woerden (0000-0001-6619-1151, University of Amsterdam), Alexander Njal van Woerden (Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences), Michaela Hordijk (0000-0002-5328-9894, University of Amsterdam)
Year2026
Volume11
Publication date2026-06-08
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2504-284X • E-ISSN: 2504-284X
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/feduc.2026.1840604
OpenAlexW7163907383
LanguageEN
References cited38

Introduction Interdisciplinary research, often done in teams, is needed to face complex problems. This means that teamwork competence is becoming ever more important in researchers. Educators in higher education have incorporated teamwork learning in their programs, but what is often lacking is explicit teamwork competence teaching and learning. Teaching teamwork is complicated, as there are about 94 teamwork competence areas in which a person and/or team requires competence for good teamwork and about 250 different aspects of teamwork can be differentiated. The aim of this paper is to provide a developed and exploratively tested method for explicitly teaching teamwork competences in interdisciplinary higher education programs. Methods The proposed method, the Role-based Reflective Teamwork Improvement Method (RRTIM), builds on four roles that students take on during their teamwork. These roles are in line with overarching aspects of team work: Task Manager, Process Manager, Relationship Manager and Communications Manager. Using an educational research design path, the method was piloted and improved based on feedback from both students and teachers. The final version of the RRTIM was then evaluated by comparing similar reflections in a non-RRTIM course and a course in which the RRTIM was implemented. Results and discussion Exploratory findings suggest that in the course where the RRTIM was implemented, students showed greater awareness of different aspects of teamwork, slightly more in-depth and nuanced reflections upon and analysis of their own teamwork, and more indications of agency in changing sub-optimal team processes and strengthening already good team processes

Higher education · Task Analysis · Team effectiveness · Teamwork · Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration · Interprofessional Education and Collaboration · Team Dynamics and Performance

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