Inspiration session | Improving student learning through teamwork experiences: from practice to research to practice

Roland Tormey, pedagogical advisor at EPFL, will be giving an inspiration session on 15 October 2020. Tormey will exchange experiences on student learning in teamwork projects at his university. You are warmly invited to this online event with interactive Q&A session.

About the inspiration session

Learning to work in a team on open-ended, complex projects is a key goal for engineering education. However, although engineering education programmes often include team projects, it is not always clear what these experiences actually teach students about teamwork and project management. Indeed, the micro-politics of student groups, the under-representation of women in engineering courses, and a lack of space for reflection, means that teams may even reinforce poor communication and planning practices as well as harmful gender stereotypes and biases. In EPFL we have tried to better understand what happens in student groups and to put in place strategies to aid student learning about (a) the management of interdisciplinary projects and (b) the interpersonal ethics of team membership and leadership. 

Programme

12:45-12:50: Welcome and Introductions (Renate Klaassen)
12:50-13:20: ‘Improving student learning through teamwork experiences – from practice to research to practice' (Roland Tormey)
13:20-13:55: Q&A including 10 minute break
Participants post questions and discussion items in the ‘chat’ during the presentation; Renate makes a selection of these questions and puts them to Roland; Roland responds and invites the participants to also respond to the question.
13:55-14:10: Breakout room discussion
Participants are randomly assigned to breakout rooms of 3-4 people and asked to identify strategies for improving students’ learning from teamwork experiences which they could apply in their own teaching.
14:10-14:15: Closing (Renate Klaassen)

For whom

Lecturers, support staff and others interested in educational research in engineering. 

Registration