Is information technology education betters learned in teams? An exploratory study of teamwork effectiveness at a higher education institution.

摘要

The purpose of this research was to determine if the effectiveness of technology education can be significantly increased through use of team-based activities including both real-time team encounters and results-driven team assignments. The research addresses this purpose by examining perceptions regarding effectiveness of team-based learning in several degree programs in Information Technology education. Survey data was gathered from adult students about their experience with recent team assignments. All participants were enrolled at a large private non-profile university on the west coast within the School of Engineering, Technology and Media. The Team Work Survey was administered and hosted on the Survey Monkey website and released to about 200 courses in programs for a Bachelor of Science or a Master of Science degree. Over four periods, survey responses were returned for 96 learners enrolled in undergraduate courses and 126 learners enrolled in graduate courses. The researcher was granted permission by DiFonzo (2010) to use a survey instrument adapted and piloted that was based on an earlier Team Performance Survey originated by Peters (1997) who developed, validated and determined its reliability. Several comparisons were made using statistical analysis to determine the interesting patterns relevant to this research. The interpretation of findings included evidence that team effectiveness was indeed positively aligned with team members' perceptions about ability to learn, with their interest in the topic and the motivation of individual members to commit time and energy to the team assignments.