Towards a Technology-Enhanced Team Coaching Framework for Higher Education

In the landscape of computer science education, there is an increasing emphasis on collaborative problem-solving and adaptability. The incorporation of coaching methodologies into computer science courses holds the potential to foster students’ teamwork and professional competencies. In this paper a coaching framework which was piloted in a bachelor-level, course on project management and developed for a Human-Computer Interaction course at a European university will be presented. The framework combines person-centered coaching approaches, agile practices, visualizations, and support via interactions with generative AI tools to support team collaboration.The Person-Centered Approach focuses on the needs of an individual through transparency, active listening, and fostering the self-directed growth thus motivation while progressing in the project. Agile practices focus on collaboration, iterative progress and adaptive feedback cycles thus leveraging constructive communication within the team. Visualizations support transparency and understanding, and generative AI helps suggesting responses whenever technical, linguistic, or other support or ideas are needed. The integration of these four complementary assets into a unified framework aims to leverage the cultivation of key professional competencies, including communication, problem-solving, and adaptability in a time effective and inclusive way. A core component of the proposed coaching framework is the integration of emerging technologies like digital tools, smart online whiteboards and generative AI to facilitate collaboration. While whiteboards and visualization tools support keeping an overview, organization, brainstorming and task management, generative AI tools take on new roles in activities such as ideation, coding, and refinement of content. These tools allow students to engage more deeply with agile methodologies and the quality of their interaction and teamwork, in particular if supported by a mindful, person-centered coach. The outlook is that gradually course instructors who utilize the coaching framework would take on the role of coaches to accompany student teams in their self-determined, digitally empowered tasks.This paper presents the design and architecture of the framework, characteristic use cases in the context of the course on Human-Computer Interaction, the benefits as well as challenges of this innovative approach for students’ engagement, their project outcomes, their professional competencies development, and the potential implications for higher education. Preliminary findings suggest that integrating these coaching methods into computer science education not only improves teamwork but also prepares students for dynamic professional settings.