The architecture of teamwork: examining relationships between teaching, assessment, student learning and satisfaction with creative design outcomes

Abstract

Student satisfaction with teamwork experiences is important for two interrelated reasons. First, students learn about teamwork more effectively when they view their teamwork learning experience more positively. Second, their satisfaction with prior teamwork learning has an impact on future teamwork learning – because team effectiveness is influenced by attitudes and motivations to teamwork shaped by past experience. This paper draws on data collected from almost 196 students at 4 Australian universities. It considers the relationships between architecture students' satisfaction with two dimensions of teamwork – its processes and its outcomes – and five pedagogic factors that teachers can control: team size, assessment, team formation, the teaching of teamwork skills and knowledge, and feedback on teamwork skills and processes. The results indicated that a student's perception of whether assessment was fair was the greatest predictor of satisfaction. Through an understanding of the factors that contribute to positive learning experiences for students in teams, suggestions are given on how design educators might better support student learning in teamwork assignments and student learning of how to design in teams.

Keywords:

• design
• pedagogy
• teamwork
• assessment
• teaching
• learning

Acknowledgements

The Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching (OLT) has provided support for the production of this paper. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Australian Government Office for Learning and Teaching. The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of the partner investigators, Prof. Michael Ostwald, Prof. Tony Williams, Prof. Graham Thorpe and Louise Wallis.