Enhancing Teamwork Skills in Engineering Education: Iterative Development of Interactive Lecture Modules

Teamwork is a fundamental skill for success in engineering education and professional practice.Engineering projects often demand collaboration across disciplines and expertise, requiring the development of competencies in team dynamics, effective communication, and conflict management.Critical elements of teamwork include understanding team stages, recognizing members' strengths and weaknesses, fostering mutual trust, and managing roles and expectations through tools like team charters.To address the gap in teamwork skill development, the UNdergraduates Improving TEamwork Skills (UNITES) project was launched to integrate vertically aligned lecture modules into the engineering curriculum.The foundational module initially consisted of slide-based content focused on characteristics of successful teams, team dynamics, and expectation management.However, instructor feedback revealed challenges such as unfamiliarity with concepts, lack of student engagement, and excessive time required to cover materials during lectures.The module was improved to increase student engagement, effectiveness, and time management.Icebreaking activities, such as MEEN-Go and Engineering Superhero Persona Building, were introduced to build rapport among team members.Pre-recorded videos replaced slides to reduce the instructional burden of not being a subject matter expert and save time for interactive activities.These changes allowed for the inclusion of a role-playing exercise, where teams collaboratively created a charter for a hypothetical project.Similar iterative revisions are being applied to effective communication and conflict management modules to improve their adaptability and impact.These iterative enhancements illustrate our commitment to refining pedagogical practices and equipping students with essential teamwork skills critical for their academic and professional success.