Developing team-work skills through a core design thread

An approach to evolving teaming skills through a sequence of core design courses starting in Freshman Year is discussed. In the first course in the sequence basic concepts are given for effective teamwork and related individual behaviors. A survey is used at this point to assess students' prior team and group work experience as well as their attitudes toward team-based work. After participation as a team member in the major design project, students are given a first exposure to a peer feedback questionnaire in which they assess their own attitudes and performance on the team and as well as those of their team-mates. This thread in teaming is continued in the second design course by revisiting the peer-feedback questionnaire at midsemester and the use of team charters where individuals work together in the team to identify and document personal and team development goals. At the end of the semester a final peer-feedback questionnaire is used to assess team development and also to modulate an individual group project grade to reflect the contributions of the individual team members. Extension of the teaming thread into subsequent design courses is planned. In this paper, the experience and assessments from the freshman year part of the teaming thread are discussed. In particular, we provide analysis of the relationships between prior teaming experiences and actual behavior as measured through peer and self-evaluation and provide inferences on how these can be used as assessment tools and for personal development.