What Does it Take to Become a Team? Group Work in a Final Year Food Science Capstone Module

Trial design and new product development (NPD) is a final-year Food Science module where students are assigned to groups for the year to develop new food products. Group work is an outcome of the module. Group work skills development is often overlooked during curriculum design in favor of disciplinary outcomes. This raises the question: how do we best facilitate student learning toward these outcomes? In this study, group work is designed to include learning opportunities to help students to become effective teams working towards a common goal. Two analytical procedures were used to look at the incorporation and integration of group work: (1) thematic analysis of student reflections using the Johnson and Johnson Cooperative Learning framework; and (2) analysis of the NPD curriculum, using the knowledge-action-self framework as a lens. A key finding is that where teamwork is deliberately taught and included as an outcome, a skilled facilitator is needed to help students make sense of situations that they cannot resolve themselves. Furthermore, regular opportunities for reflection, which can help them make sense of their own learning and growth, need to be created. It takes a collective act for the individual to learn to become a team player. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This research can help universities and educators better prepare Food Science students for real-world careers by teaching them how to work effectively in teams. By integrating teamwork, reflection, and facilitation into the curriculum, students gain valuable interpersonal and problem-solving skills that are essential in modern food industry roles.