Assessment of Team Effectiveness During Complex Mathematical Modeling Tasks

ABET requires that engineering graduates be able to work on multi-disciplinary teams and apply mathematics and science when solving engineering problems. One manner of integrating teamwork and engineering contexts in a first-year foundation engineering course is through the use of model-eliciting activities (MEAs) - realistic, client-driven problems based on the theoretical framework of models and modeling. This study analyzes student team self-reflections of team functioning while engaged in model-eliciting activities as they compare to a researcher´s observations of the team effectiveness. Both the self-reflections and the observations measure team effectiveness using the following qualities: interdependency (cooperation among team members to accomplish a task), goal-setting (team sets outcome goals and sub-goals to accomplish tasks), and potency (shared belief among team members that they can accomplish their goals)