Effective and meaningful teamwork requires structure and support, especially for projects that are long-term and multifaceted. This resource provides guidance on the different key aspects involved when implementing effective teamwork in your classes. This includes various effective practices that will help encourage successful group interactions and projects, such as forming teams, supporting collaboration and evaluating teamwork. Instructors play a crucial role in guiding successful teamwork, and the longer the project, the more structure we recommend. Since students are rarely taught teamwork skills, you may also consider making teamwork a learning objective if it plays a major role in your course and discipline.
Through a well-planned and deliberate approach to teamwork, students can experience numerous benefits from these strategies, including improved communication, motivation, creativity, higher-level reasoning skills and career readiness. We know that it can be challenging to successfully implement teamwork - if you would like support, please contact your Instructional Designer!