Teamwork skills development in hybrid and online universities: the perspective of the future teachers

Abstract The development of the teamwork competence is a demand for university education that is particularly difficult to meet in distance education (online and blended learning), where it is still relatively little researched. The teacher plays a fundamental role in introducing this type of activities in the class and motivating students who often do not like this kind of tasks. If the teachers/instructors are not convinced of the interest of teamwork, it will be difficult for them to achieve a successful introduction. Using a survey designed ad hoc for this investigation to collect the data, this article details the results on the perceptions of teamwork by 298 students in the degree of Education, future teachers, from one of the largest blended learning universities in Europe. It is observed that those students who opt for teamwork are more involved with their own learning and the development of new skills. Among them, those who think that teamwork allows them to develop interpersonal skills are more likely to opt for it. Employability also appears as an important factor for the students who prefer teamwork. On the negative side, practical aspects for the student usually appear related to teammate trust and distance in these kinds of learning environments. Our results allowed a better understanding of the future teachers’ perceptions of teamwork and, consequently, new strategies can be designed to boost the use to collaborative learning in their prospective careers.