Differentiated Team Training In A Multidisciplinary Engineering Projects Course

The ability to function effectively in teams is an important contributor to career success in engineering. Unfortunately, specific training designed to improve team effectiveness is not often incorporated into engineering education. Even when such training is provided, the absence of clear comparisons makes it difficult to evaluate effectiveness. Providing two kinds of team training to two groups of students in an engineering projects course allows comparisons between different methods. Utilizing this approach, two types of team training were offered to senior-level and graduate engineering students in an elective projects course at the University of Missouri – Rolla. The effects of conventional training in handling communication and team dynamics were compared with the effects of Action Science-based training in voicing inquiries and perspectives. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used to evaluate the two approaches to training.