Making teamwork work: enhancing teamwork and assessment in higher education.

Area of Science:

• Higher Education Pedagogy
• Collaborative Learning
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Teamwork is a highly valued graduate skill, yet students frequently express dissatisfaction with team-based learning and assessment activities.
• Common issues include logistical challenges and interpersonal conflicts, negatively impacting student perceptions and satisfaction with teaching quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate current strategies for team assessment in higher education.
• To enhance student engagement, satisfaction, and learning gains through collaborative activities.
• To identify pedagogical deficiencies contributing to negative student perceptions of team-based work.

Main Methods:

• A four-way review of existing literature on team-based learning and assessment.
• Analysis of student reactions and perceptions of collaborative activities.
• Examination of successful pedagogical approaches and their underlying principles.

Main Results:

• Team-based activities are essential for developing sought-after graduate skills.
• Student dissatisfaction often stems from logistical and interpersonal difficulties within teams.
• Successful team-based learning requires proactive and supportive pedagogical strategies.

Conclusions:

• Improving team-based learning necessitates explicit instruction on team dynamics, planning, and conflict resolution.
• Addressing pedagogical deficiencies can transform negative student perceptions into positive learning experiences.
• Effective team-based learning strategies are crucial for enhancing higher education curricula and graduate employability.