Student work groups/teams: current practices in an engineering and technology curriculum compared to models found in team development literature

Summary form only given. This paper presents the findings of a research survey/questionnaire project conducted by the Organizational Leadership and Supervision Department at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, USA. The paper provides a model for appraising any engineering and technology school´s current practices in the use of student work teams. The authors focus on “best practices” found in team development literature and provide important information to professors wishing to form student teams. The information is also immediately applicable and valuable to those desiring to improve the outcomes and performance of teams currently operating in classroom situations. The paper itself is evidence of the practicality of the outcomes that may be achieved by trained and directed student work teams