Interdisciplinarity and Education

Implementation of Team-teaching in an Interdisciplinary Course

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FOO Maw Lin1 and MUN Lai Yoke2

1Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science (FOS)
2Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)

1chmfml@nus.edu.sg; 2ecsmunl@nus.edu.sg

 

Foo, M. L., & Mun, L. Y. (2023). Implementation of team-teaching in an interdisciplinary course [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/implementation-of-team-teaching-in-an-interdisciplinary-course/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Interdisciplinary courses, pedagogy, co-teaching, team-teaching

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentations 

 

INTRODUCTION

Interdisciplinary courses (IDC) are part of the core basket of courses that all students in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHS) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) are required to read. Interdisciplinary courses are typically thematic-based and team-taught by staff from both Faculty of Science (FOS) and Faculty of Arts and Social Science (FASS) for diverse disciplinary perspectives. In this abstract, the authors from the Department of Chemistry and Department of Economics will describe why and how a particular mode of team teaching (multi-modal) was employed in their IDC: HS2904 “Driving towards the Future: Battery Electric Vehicles” in Semester 1, AY 2022/23 to maximise interdisciplinary learning in students. HS2904 is a course about battery electric vehicles (BEVs) from both technology (chemistry-focused) and social sciences (economics-focused) perspectives.

According to the framework by Cruz and Geist (2019), there are four modes of teaching and learning integration for team-teaching: (1) co-teaching, (2) alternative, (3) blended, and (4) true team teaching, with an implicit hierarchy. They defined these four modes as follows, with increasing degree of integration:

…co-teaching, in which instructors have responsibility for largely independent sections of the same course; alternative teaching, in which instructors take turns providing instruction, requiring further coordination; blended teaching; in which instructors share elements of the pedagogical design of the course; requiring collaboration; and finally, true team teaching in which all aspects of the course are shared; requiring full integration of all aspects of the course.

 

While this framework helps to clarify the different modes of team-teaching, what is the best mode for HS2904? We find that a multi-modal approach is best suited since there are no disciplinary prerequisites for enrolment. Furthermore, being an interdisciplinary course1, linkages between the disciplines can be made salient by applying a multimodal approach. This approach entailed using different modes of the team-teaching framework at different times during the semester to adapt to the progression of the students’ interdisciplinary understanding of the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) ecosystem. The multi-modal approach corroborates with Nikitina’s (2006) three strategies for interdisciplinary learning: contextualising, conceptualising and problem-centring.

 

Table 1 shows the various modes of team-teaching (Cruz & Geist, 2019) used for the main chapters of HS2904 along with accompanying strategy (Nikitina, 2006) and rationale. The reason(s) for choosing a particular mode will be elaborated in our talk.

 

Table 1
The various modes of team-teaching employed in HS2904

Item Content  Mode of team-teaching Strategy: Rationale
Chapter 1
(Introduction)		 Electrification of urban transport Alternative Problem-centring & Contextualising: overarching theme of module
Chapter 2,3 Economics, Chemistry Co-teaching Conceptualising: bringing students up to required disciplinary background
Chapter 4 Supply chain in EVs Blended Conceptualising:
highlighting the interlinks between technology and economy
Chapter 10
(Conclusion)		 Closing remarks Alternative and Blended Contextualising & Problem-centring:
exploring possibilities for further development beyond current context
Group Project Integration True team teaching Problem-centring:
solving a problem or raising new questions with an interdisciplinary perspective

 

Akin to the working world where multidisciplinary teams collaborate and solve problems, good team teaching is important for an interdisciplinary course to succeed. Subsequent iterations of this course will build off this work as we work towards a more seamlessly integrated IDC.

 

ENDNOTE

  1. Jacobs (2010) defines an interdisciplinary approach as “a knowledge view and curriculum approach that consciously applies methodology and language from more than one discipline to examine a central theme, issue, problem, topic, or experience. In contrast to a discipline-field based view of knowledge, inter-disciplinarity does not stress delineations but linkages.”

 

REFERENCES

Cruz, L., & Geist, M. J. (2019). A team-teaching matrix: Asking new questions about how we teach together. Transformative Dialogues: Teaching & Learning Journal, 12(1). https://kpu.ca/sites/default/files/Transformative%20Dialogues/TD.12.1_Cruz&Geist_Team_Teaching_Matrix.pdf

Jacobs, H. H. (2010). Curriculum 21: Essential education for a changing world. ASCD.

Nikitina, S. (2006). Three strategies for interdisciplinary teaching: contextualizing, conceptualizing, and problem‐centring. Journal of curriculum studies, 38(3), 251-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220270500422632

 

Interdisciplinary Learning in Music

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HO Chee Kong, CHAN Tze Law, MIAO Kaiwen, Frances LEE, Rachel HO, Xavier TAN, and Benedict NG*

Career Orientation and Community Engagement
Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YSTCM)

*ngwjben@nus.edu.sg

 

Ho, C. K., Chan, T. L., Miao, K., Lee, F., Ho, R., Tan, X., & Ng, B. (2023). Interdisciplinary learning in music [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/interdisciplinary-learning-in-music/

SUB-THEME

Communities and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Community engagement, music education, interdisciplinary learning, inquiry-based pedagogy

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks 

 

CONTEXT

The traditional role of a music conservatory is to produce professional musicians and emphasises artistic excellence. However, in the rapidly evolving musical landscape, it is no longer sufficient for professional musicians to focus solely on musical excellence to remain relevant. Moreover, the portfolio career that most musicians work in necessitates “entrepreneurial and transferable skills that often go beyond the domain of music” (Smilde et al., 2016). Furthermore, the National Arts Council (NAC) identifies the collaboration between the arts and different sectors, and audiences’ expectation for greater connection between the arts and social causes as macro trends in the industry (National Arts Council, n. d.). As such, musicians must also critically evaluate the impact of their musical practices vis-à-vis their relevance to the communities that they live in (Gaunt et al., 2021). Nurturing these values necessitates a shift from the traditional artist-apprenticeship model of education, which focuses on developing discrete musical skills (Jorgensen, 2011), to a model that develops students who learn independently and are cognisant of how their musical practices impact society.

 

CURRICULAR CHANGES

One of our initiatives was to create space within the Music & Society, Music Collaboration & Production (MS/MCP) curriculum to include problem-based, investigative projects with inquiry dimensions that critically evaluate how their musical practices can have a meaningful impact on wider society. These self-directed projects aim to develop “critical thinking skills and an awareness of the interconnectedness of various domains” (MS/MCP Roadmap, 2023). The inquiry process also aims to instil intellectual curiosity and nurture research-thinking mindsets. These are vital for musicians to be able to seek new knowledge and advance their own professional practices (Aditomo et al., 2011) amidst the turbulent nature of the music industry, especially where there are few developmental career structures (Smilde, 2016).

 

Pedagogy in the MS/MCP context also shifts from one-to-one learning to a team-taught process. Students are assigned an overseeing mentor who, in regular consultation with a team of tutors, can tap on a wider pool of expertise. Moreover, collaborative teaching has the potential to raise the quality of teaching as students would be exposed to a wider variety of perspectives and ideas (Knieter, 1963) as the faculty team comprises active practitioners from different sectors of the music profession that stay abreast of current developments in the industry. From the pedagogical perspective, team-teaching also helps instructors to sharpen ideas, role model collaboration, and expand existing networks with industry stakeholders.

 

The mode of assessment also evolves to give greater weight to assessing the student’s learning process. This includes continuous assessment dimensions, where the student is evaluated on their artistic growth and demonstration of critical thinking. Written and presentation assessments are also included to evaluate the student’s ability to communicate their artistic processes. The assignment weightage is also scaffolded where in the first two years, students would be assessed largely through continuous assessment and the focus would gradually shift to the quality of student projects in the later years.

 

EXAMPLES

The changes in curriculum and pedagogy have given rise for expanded possibilities with interdisciplinary dimensions. For instance, the team-teaching concept was expanded to include collaborations across faculties including the NUS Museum. During the seminars, MS/MCP students were introduced to themes surrounding the museum’s artefacts and created informed musical responses to them. This was later expanded in the subsequent semester, where students collaborated with the NUS Baba House to produce a full-length performance. These experiences developed the students’ curatorial and production skills as well as critical thinking in connecting their music to wider issues.

 

The intermodal nature of students’ projects also reflects these new creative possibilities. One of the capstone projects, emergent, combined violin performance with lighting and sound design, composition, and dance, to create an interdisciplinary performance. Rather than producing a presentational style performance that focuses primarily on the music, the student here sought to use interdisciplinary performance as means to explore perspectives on issues of identity. With a critical lens, the student was able to articulate her artistic choices and demonstrate how the arts can be a powerful means to unpack these issues in an impactful manner.

 

The nature of student projects have also developed to encompass non-performative contexts that seek ways to use music to have a wider impact on society. The third-year project ‘Gesture as Connection: A Study of Soundpainting’s Effects on Composer and Performer Communication’, explored intermodal communication between musicians and audiences. The visualisation of music through gestures also has the potential to represent music to hearing-disabled communities, empowering them to appreciate music. Another capstone project, the ‘No Pain More Gain’ symposium, on performing arts health was also instrumental in spreading awareness about wellness for performing artists. The impact is clearly seen when the student was also invited by the Singapore Armed Forces Military Band to facilitate a workshop on wellbeing for their musicians.

 

As the nature of the musical landscape is ever-changing, it is thus pertinent that the academic faculty and curriculum at the conservatory is dynamic and constantly evolving to anticipate the needs of the industry. While the effects of the revised curriculum and pedagogy is still nascent, the preliminary results of these efforts have been positive and we intend for the team teaching concept to be expanded to include collaborations with new faculties, opening up new possibilities for music major students as well as non-music major students. We have also embarked on the Teaching Enhancement Grant (TEG) to explore greater ways to assess the effectiveness of team teaching, establish best practices, and seek ways to expand collaborative instruction to include other disciplines.

 

REFERENCES

Aditomo, A., Goodyear, P., Bliuc, A.-M., & Ellis, R. A. (2013). Inquiry-based learning in higher education: Principal forms, educational objectives, and disciplinary variations. Studies in Higher Education, 38(9), 1239-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.616584

Gaunt, H., Duffy, C., Coric, A., González Delgado, I. R., Messas, L., Pryimenko, O., & Sveidahl, H. (2021). Musicians as “makers in society”: A conceptual foundation for contemporary professional higher music education. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 713648. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.713648

Jorgensen, E.R. (2011). Pictures of Music Education. Indiana University Press, 53-57.

Knieter, G. L. (1963). The creative arts symposium. A four-year experiment team-teaching music and the fine arts. Music Educators Journal, 49(5), 62–66. https://doi.org/10.2307/3389950

National Arts Council Singapore (n.d.). Our SG Arts Plan (2023-2027). Retrieved from https://www.nac.gov.sg/docs/default-source/the-arts-plan/our-sg-arts-plan_2023—2027_phase-4_updated.pdf?sfvrsn=bf188896_2.

Small, C. (1998). Musicking: The meanings of performing and listening. University Press of New England, 2-4.

Smilde, R., Tómasdóttir, B. M., Hall, Þ. D., Pedersen, G., Gaunt, H., Lopez-Real, C., Bork, M., Jonker, R. (2016). Research in NAIP. Musicmaster.eu, 7.

Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. (2023). MSMCP Roadmap (AY2022/2023). National University of Singapore, 1

 

Law Clinics: Microcosms of the Inter-disciplinarity Inherent in Law Practice

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WONG Siew Yin, Eleanor, Sonita JEYAPATHY, and CHEONG Jun Ming, Mervyn*
Centre for Pro Bono & Clinical Legal Education, Faculty of Law

*mervyn@nus.edu.sg

 

Wong, E. S. Y., Jeyapathy, S., & Cheong, M. J. M. (2023). Law clinics: Microcosms of the inter-disciplinarity inherent in law practice [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/law-clinics-microcosms-of-the-inter-disciplinarity-inherent-in-law-practice/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Clinical legal education, law clinics, experiential learning, legal skills programme

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

In practice, a lawyer gets parachuted into the client’s world in all its complexity and chaos, and must help the client come up with a legal solution for the unique challenge at hand. A legal problem is rarely ever just a legal problem. The law transcends every aspect of society, community, and enterprise.

 

The lawyer must be able to understand their client’s specific needs to target a solution to them. Apart from being confident and competent in legal principles and theories, the modern lawyer must be able to appreciate and comfortably operate in landscapes where the law intersects with other disciplines such as technology, finance, psychiatry, and forensics.

 

So really a lawyer cannot just be a lawyer. A lawyer must also be able to operate in the world of a detective, profiler, psychologist, a techie, and much more.

 

How then do we prepare law students for this? The key must revolve around providing students with opportunities to hone their ability to be agile learners and to expose them to legal challenges that present themselves in evolving legal landscapes in a closely supervised way, so that they can develop crucial practical competencies.

 

Our solution is to develop and curate law clinics for our students which are microcosms of the interdisciplinarity inherent in the practice of law, and utilise resources and networks to actively support these students as they participate in the law clinics.

 

Through the Centre for Pro Bono & Clinical Legal Education, the NUS Faculty of Law is the first law school in Singapore to establish law clinics as part of the faculty’s regular course listing of elective subjects. The NUS law clinics expose the participating students to legal matters that could have cross-disciplinary aspects in actual live legal matters.

 

Like most experiential learning modalities, the pedagogical approach adopted is: first, for the clinic supervisors to expressly articulate their thought process through discussions on the live legal matters, including the reasoning behind decisions to take certain action or not, and the students are guided through reflection to pick up the learning points; and second, a mastery learning approach by providing students with constant feedback and opportunities to revise and improve their work before giving a final assessment grade for the task assigned.

 

Under the sub-theme of “Interdisciplinarity and Education”, the proposed paper presentation will focus on three of the faculty’s law clinics: the first two relate to the legal-tech and environmental, and social and governance (ESG) space, respectively, and the third deals with criminal law litigation involving serious crimes where forensics and psychiatry issues arise. The paper will elaborate on how these law clinics are curated and carried out and highlight key findings, from past students’ feedback on how the students’ learning journey in the law clinics have impacted their outlook about legal practice. The paper will then conclude that the NUS Law clinics course, new as it may be amongst Singapore’s law schools, provides an appropriate platform for law students to actively appreciate and acquire an ability to confidently think, both critically and creatively, from a wider and more comprehensive perspective, where interdisciplinary aspects are involved in their legal practice, upon their graduation.

 

REFERENCES

Giddings, J. (2014). Contemplating the future of clinical legal education. Griffith Law Review, 17(1), 1-26. http://dx.DOI.org/10.1080/10383441.2008.10854600

Rice, S., Evans, A., Noone, M., Giddings, J., Cody, A., & Copeland, A. (2012). Best practices: Australian clinical legal education. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/296449685_Best_practices_Australian_clinical_legal_education.

Mlyniec, W. J. (2012). Where to begin? Training new teachers in the art of clinical pedagogy. Clinical L. Rev., 18(2), 505-91. https://ssrn.com/abstract=2008973

Wilson, Richard (2018). Legal aid and clinical legal education in Europe and the USA: Are they compatible? In Outsourcing Legal Aid in the Nordic Welfare States. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322009213_Legal_Aid_and_Clinical_Legal_Education_in_Europe_and_the_USA_Are_They_Compatible.

 

Navigating on a Kayak: Transcending Disciplinary Boundaries in Sustainability Education

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Eunice S. Q. NG* and YONG Jia Yu
Ridge View Residential College (RVRC)

*e.ng@nus.edu.sg

 

Ng, E. S. Q., & Yong, J. Y. (2023). Navigating on a kayak: Transcending disciplinary boundaries in sustainability education. [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/navigating-on-a-kayak-transcending-disciplinary-boundaries-in-sustainability-education/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Interdisciplinary education, sustainability education, environmental stewardship, experiential learning, outdoor learning

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks 

 

ABSTRACT

The pressing sustainability crisis has resulted in an increasing number of educational institutions integrating sustainability into their formal curriculum as a way to develop sustainability-oriented attitudes among the youth of today (Leal Filho et. al., 2019). Yet, sustainability education is focused on providing students with a cognitive understanding of issues and challenges in sustainability from a specific discipline’s perspective (Kim & Coonan, 2023). As a result, sustainability education often overlooks leveraging the power of affective reactivity towards sustainability to promote deeper appreciation of sustainability and motivate sustainable behaviour (Brosch & Steg, 2021). Transcending disciplinary boundaries to foster students’ fundamental connectedness to nature – defined as “individuals’ sense of oneness with, and belonging to, their natural environment” (Coughlan et al., 2022, p. 1)—is vital to holistically developing their sustainability-oriented attitudes (Maller, 2018; Nisbet & Zelenski, 2013).

 

As a way to develop students’ connectedness to nature, Ridge View Residential College (RVRC) organised RV Kayak and Clean (RVKC), which provides marine trash clean-up experiences to undergraduate students. Offered beyond the formal academic curriculum, RVKC enables students from multidisciplinary backgrounds to have a common yet personal experience of being in direct contact with nature. Specifically, RVKC aims to achieve three student learning outcomes:

  1. Learn about the biodiversity within Singapore’s mangroves,
  2. Appreciate the extent of marine pollution in Singapore, and
  3. Relate the importance of sustainable living to individuals’ personal lifestyles.

 

First, students develop a deeper appreciation of Singapore’s biodiversity by kayaking through mangroves with explanations of wildlife sighting. Experienced kayak guides facilitate student learning by explaining the importance of mangrove ecosystems, allowing students to discover flora and fauna native to mangrove biomes. For example, students saw a Great Blue Heron and its nestling, a Strangler Fig Tree, and mud lobsters on a trip in February 2023, leading a student to reflect on “how important it is for us to preserve and protect nature for wildlife for future generations to be able to still kayak this route”.

Sea lettuce almost mistaken by participants as green plastic trash bag floating on water.
Figure 1. Sea lettuce almost mistaken by participants as green plastic trash bag floating on water.

 

Second, RVKC provides students with a first-hand experience in witnessing the extent of marine trash pollution, especially in hard-to-access areas around Singapore’s waterways and nearby islands. With students’ direct involvement in collecting marine debris, they obtain a visual representation of the impact of marine pollution. A recent trip in January 2023 saw 77kg of marine trash collected by 20 participants within half an hour (Figure 2). Trash collected is weighed and reported to Ocean Conservancy, which encourages students that their clean-up has made a difference, and reminds them that marine pollution is a far-reaching and ongoing problem.

Trash collected from a trip to Seletar Island weighed 77kg.
Figure 2. Trash collected from a trip to Seletar Island weighed 77kg.

 

Figure 3. Participants pulling out a fishing net entangled on Pulau Ubin’s shore.
Figure 3. Participants pulling out a fishing net entangled on Pulau Ubin’s shore.

 

RVKC also aims to facilitate personal appreciation and connection to the need for sustainable living. For example, students witnessed the rural, disconnected lifestyle by remaining residents on Pulau Ubin on one of the kayak trails. This facilitated site observation led students to rethink their assumptions: both that their current urban way of life and consumption levels are ideal, and how they can apply sustainable practices to their lives even without modern amenities.

Participants interacted with Ah Ma at her residence in Pulau Ubin.
Figure 4. Participants interacted with Ah Ma at her residence in Pulau Ubin.

 

RVKC allowed students to experience nature while being confronted with difficult issues of marine trash and personal lifestyle changes to be made for sustainability. Being in direct contact with nature has been effective in activating students’ affective response towards Singapore’s biodiversity and sustainability, transcending disciplinary backgrounds to foster their human- nature relationship instead.

 

REFERENCES

Brosch, T., & Steg, L. (2021). Leveraging emotion for sustainable action. One Earth, 4(12), 1693–1703. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2021.11.006

Coughlan, A., Ross, E., Nikles, D., De Cesare, E., Tran, C., & Pensini, P. (2022). Nature guided imagery: An intervention to increase connectedness to nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 80, 101759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101759

Kim, E., & Coonan, T. (2023). Advancing sustainability education through a cross-disciplinary online course: Sustainability and human rights in the business world. Sustainability, 15(6), 4759. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064759

Leal Filho, W., Shiel, C., Paço, A., Mifsud, M., Ávila, L. V., Brandli, L. L., Molthan-Hill, P., Pace, P., Azeiteiro, U. M., Vargas, V. R., & Caeiro, S. (2019). Sustainable Development Goals and sustainability teaching at universities: Falling behind or getting ahead of the pack? Journal of Cleaner Production, 232, 285–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.05.309

Maller, C. (2018, August 1). Embracing the chaos: By transcending disciplinary boundaries researchers can reconceptualise human-nature relations. London School of Economics. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2018/08/01/embracing-the-chaos-by-transcending- disciplinary-boundaries-researchers-can-reconceptualise-human-nature-relations/

Nisbet, E. K., & Zelenski, J. M. (2013). The NR-6: A new brief measure of nature relatedness. Frontiers in Psychology, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00813

 

Interdisciplinarity in Science Communication: Promoting Student Engagement and Learning Through the Digital Collaborative Platform Miro

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Amelyn THOMPSON* and Brenda YUEN
Centre for English Language Communication (CELC)

*amelyn.t@nus.edu.sg

 

Thompson, A. A., & Yuen, B. (2023). Interdisciplinarity in science communication: Promoting student engagement and learning through the digital collaborative platform Miro [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/interdisciplinarity-in-science-communication-promoting-student-engagement-and-learning-through-the-digital-collaborative-platform-miro/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Digital collaborative platform, student engagement, science communication, news article writing, interdisciplinary collaboration

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentations 

 

ABSTRACT

Higher education research suggests the use of learning technology promotes student engagement (e.g. Bond et al., 2020; Chen et al., 2010; Fan & Di, 2020; Fonseca et al., 2014). This paper discusses the impact of technology-enhanced inquiry-based learning tasks using the digital whiteboard Miro in SP1451 “Exploring Science Communication through Popular Science”, part of the College of Humanities and Science (CHS) Common Curriculum. This interdisciplinary core course for NUS science undergraduates has the key learning outcome of communicating scientific concepts effectively to educated non-specialised audiences. Miro was chosen because of its vast array of features and tools for real-time collaboration, commenting, and presenting in teams.

 

Technology-enhanced learning supports interdisciplinary learning by integrating different perspectives or facilitating mutual understanding in pursuit of goals or learning tasks (Littlejohn & Nicol, 2008); meanwhile, valuable data otherwise lost in traditional contexts is preserved (Henrie et al., 2015). Research suggests well-designed inquiry-based learning tasks promote positive learning outcomes including deep thinking, knowledge application, and logical reasoning (Harada & Yoshina, 2004; Kuhlthau et al., 2015). Technology-enhanced inquiry-based learning tasks have been implemented in SP1541 to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and enhance students’ engagement and performance.

 

According to Bond et al. (2020), engagement is defined as “energy and effort” expended by students in their learning community, observable through “a range of indicators” (p. 3). In search of these indicators, we adopted Redmond et al.’s (2018) online engagement framework for higher education. This framework extends the traditional definition of engagement (Fredricks et al., 2004), which considers behavioural, cognitive, and emotional dimensions by adding collaborative and social dimensions.

 

The objectives of this study are to:

  1. investigate the extent to which the use of Miro enhances students’ engagement in the discussion of science news articles during synchronous tutorials in online and face-to-face modes; and
  2. examine the correlation between students’ perceived engagement level and perceived science news writing competence.

 

This study employs an embedded mixed-methods design, where qualitative data supplement quantitative data, encapsulated in an online questionnaire administered at the end of the semester. The questionnaire comprises 23 statements measuring the five dimensions of engagement (Redmond et al., 2018) on a five-point Likert scale, and four items for students to self-rate their writing competence based on the criteria established in the criterion-referenced assessment rubric (i.e. criterion-based writing competence). It also includes three open-ended questions regarding students’ perception of their use of Miro and its impact on their learning.

 

The findings indicate Miro is effective in fostering collaborative and cognitive engagement, while comparatively lacking in social engagement, across both online and face-to-face modes. Quantitative results showed a moderate, positive correlation between online engagement and writing performance in the online mode; however, this was not reflected in the face-to-face mode. Qualitative responses corroborated the quantitative results and confirmed the importance of Miro as a useful tool for review in both contexts.

 

This study is particularly relevant to interdisciplinary core courses as technology-enhanced learning is potentially more impactful when integrated in the early years of university (Martin & Bolliger, 2018). The findings provide several pedagogical implications in higher education. First, Miro’s value lies in its ability to foster collaborative and cognitive engagement, especially as collaboration may prove challenging in interdisciplinary environments, although teamwork remains a vital part of the experience (Corbacho et al., 2021). Second, it may be worth extending the use of Miro asynchronously to boost social engagement. Third, Miro is helpful in promoting behavioural engagement, including supporting peers (Redmond et al., 2018). This is crucial for collaborative tasks like peer feedback, where feedback is a sense-making process with students using comments from various sources to improve performance (Carless & Boud, 2018).

 

REFERENCES

Bond, M., Buntins, K., Bedenlier, S., Zawacki-Richter, O., & Kerres, M. (2020). Mapping research in student engagement and educational technology in higher education: a systematic evidence map. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(2). https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s41239-019-0176-8

Carless, D., & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(8), 1315-25. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354

Chen, P., Lambert, A., & Guidry, K. (2010). Engaging online learners: The impact of web-based learning technology on college student engagement. Computers & Education, 54, 1222–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2009.11.008

Corbacho, A.M., Minini, L., Pereyra, M., Gonzalez-Fernandez, A.E., Echaniz, R., Repetto, L., Cruz, P., Fernandez-Damonte, V., Lorieto, A. & Basile, M. (2021). Interdisciplinary higher education with a focus on academic motivation and teamwork diversity. International Journal of Educational Research, 2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2021.100062

Fan, S., & Di, Z. (2020). Technology-enhanced collaborative language learning: theoretical foundations, technologies, and implications. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(8), 1754-88. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1831545

Fonseca, D., Marti, N., Redondo, E., Navarro, I., & Sanchez, A. (2014). Relationship between student profile, tool use, participation, and academic performance with the use of Augmented Reality technology for visualized architecture models. Computers in Human Behavior, 31, 434-45. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.03.006

Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School Engagement: Potential of the Concept, State of the Evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59–109. https://dx.doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059

Harada, V. H., & Yoshina, J. M. (2004). Inquiry learning through librarian-teacher partnerships. Linworth Publishing.

Henrie, C. R., Halverson, L. R., & Graham, C. R. (2015). Measuring student engagement in technology-mediated learning: A review. Computers & Education, 90, 36-53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2015.09.005

Kuhlthau, C., Maniotes, L., & Caspari, A. (2015). Guided inquiry: Learning in the twenty-first century (2nd ed.). Libraries Unlimited.

Littlejohn, A., & Nicol, D. (2009). Supporting interdisciplinary studies using learning technologies. In B. Chandramohan and S. Fallows (Eds.), Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Theory and Practice (pp. 30-43). Routledge.

Martin, F. & Bolliger, D.U. (2018). Engagement matters: Student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. Online Learning 22(1), 205-22. http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v22i1.1092

Redmond, P., Heffernan, A., Abawi, L., Brown, A., & Henderson, R. (2018). An online engagement framework for higher education. Online Learning, 22(1), 183-204. http://dx.doi.org/10.24059/olj.v22i1.1175

Thompson, A., & Yuen, B. (2022). Using Miro to enhance students’ online engagement and learning in a science communication module. Teaching Connections. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/teachingconnections/2022/08/26/using-miro-to-enhance-students- online-engagement-and-learning-in-a-science-communication-module/

 

An Evaluation of the Baseline Trait Polymathy of Undergraduates from the NUS College of Humanities and Sciences

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Hui Ting CHNG1*, Ryan Ray Yen LEE1, and Maiya MURPHY2

1Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science (FOS)
2Department of English, Linguistics and Theatre Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)

*phacht@nus.edu.sg

 

Chng, H. T., Lee, R. R. Y., & Murphy, M. (2023). An evaluation of the baseline trait polymathy of undergraduates from the NUS College of Humanities and Sciences [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/an-evaluation-of-the-baseline-trait-polymathy-of-undergraduates-from-the-nus-college-of-humanities-and-sciences/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Polymath, interdisciplinary

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world where problems are multifaceted, complex, and intertwined, interdisciplinary approaches are increasingly recognised as necessary to solve these challenges (Araki & Cotellessa, 2020). History has shown us that many innovations were developed by polymaths, individuals who rejected disciplinary boundaries, learnt deeply about diverse subjects, and could transit seamlessly among disciplines (Araki & Cotellessa, 2020, Burke, 2020, Root-Bernstein, 2003).

 

Recognising the importance of interdisciplinarity, recently NUS formed the College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS), where students from the Faculty of Science (FOS) and Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) learn several core courses including interdisciplinary courses together so that they will be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to thrive in this fast-changing world. However, some questions remain to be answered: Do students value interdisciplinarity or polymathy? How interested are they to engage in disciplines other than their own major(s)?

 

As there is still a lack of consensus on the definition and conceptual domains of polymathy, Araki and Cotellessa (2020) proposed to adapt the 4Ps framework from creativity research to study polymathy. The framework can be used to analyse polymathy in four perspectives: person, process, product, and press. The “person” perspective relates to an individual’s abilities, traits, and fluctuating state characteristics. In terms of trait, Araki (2015, 2018) found that polymaths exhibited both disciplinary depth and breadth, along with the ability to integrate across disciplines. However, at present, there are no psychometric tools available to evaluate an individual’s trait polymathy as past works mainly used biological analyses or hermeneutic-phenomenological methods (Araki, 2018).

 

This study thus aims to evaluate the baseline trait polymathy of undergraduates from NUS CHS based on the constructs described by Araki and Cotellessa (2020). A self-developed survey comprising Likert-scale questions for students to rate their disposition towards and the extent of value they give towards the pursuit of depth, breadth, and integration of diverse disciplines will be used. In August of Academic Year (AY) 2023/24, students from NUS CHS will be invited to participate and respond to the survey. Data analysis will be conducted during Recess Week and data will be available to be presented at HECC 2023.

 

As research about polymathy is still in its infancy, our study will be the first to evaluate baseline trait polymathy using a self-developed survey. It will inform us on NUS CHS’ undergraduates’ disposition and valuation towards interdisciplinarity, which would aid educators in designing effective interdisciplinary courses.

 

REFERENCES

Araki, M. E. (2015). Polymathic leadership: Theoretical foundation and construct development [Master’s thesis, Pontifícia Universidade Católica, Rio de Janeiro]. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3166622

Araki, M. E. (2018). Polymathy: a new outlook. J. Genius Eminence, 3, 66–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.18536//jge.2018.04.3.1.06

Araki, M. E., & Cotellessa, A. J. (2020). Creative polymathy and the COVID-19 crisis. Frontiers in Psychology, (2020), 3580. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.601508

Burke, P. (2020). The polymath: A cultural history from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag. Yale University Press. https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv15pjzh6

Root-Bernstein, R. S. (2003). The art of innovation: Polymaths and the universality of the creative process. In L. V. Shavinina (Ed.), International Handbook of Innovation (pp. 267-78). Elsevier.

 

Co-creating the Research League: Into the Multiverse of REx Workshops

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Losheini RAVINDRAN* and John Leo CAINES
Undergraduate Research Coordinating Team, Office of the Provost (PVO) 

*loshr1@nus.edu.sg

 

Ravindran, L., & Caines, J. L. (2023). Co-creating the research league: Into the multiverse of REx workshops [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/co-creating-the-research-league-into-the-multiverse-of-rex-workshops/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Undergraduate research, collaborative learning, Undergraduates Research Opportunity Programme, UROP, REx, course upgrade

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentations 

 

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on interdisciplinarity and education, and the role of the REx programme in building partnerships with the various departments and disciplines across the campus. Research Experience, known as REx is a course upgrade to the UROP (Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme) course. The pertinence of research in undergraduate education has been underscored in the recent innovation and development efforts of today. Given the rising importance of the research and innovation sector, it is important for the institution to work towards providing quality research education for students in the very early stages of their undergraduate education. In pursuit of contributing to increase the number of undergraduate students engaged in research, the REx course upgrade programme was conceptualised to provide students with a strong foundation in research by introducing them to topics which include formulating good research questions, constructing good hypotheses, choosing optimal research methods, writing a research paper, and communicating research professionally.

List of REx workshops offered by the REx programme
Figure 1. List of REx workshops offered by the REx programme. 

 

The course upgrade design of the programme has been structured in a way that the running of each workshop provides an introductory interaction with the topics and caters to the general research foundational needs of students across the various disciplines. This ensures that there is sustainability and consistency associated with the learning of the REx workshops and programme at large (Hansen, 2000).

 

Workshops such as “Ethics in Research” focused on that idea that educational experience is interaction, particularly in the form of “free communication” (Garrison, 2015, p. 14), where students were given the task of analysing various case studies that posed an ethical dilemma in research. This enabled students to have more space in brainstorming the thought processing of ethical factors without any inhibitions. This interaction facilitated greater critical thinking in developing greater awareness about what were the considerations to be made when dealing with human participants, for instance.

 

It is pertinent to note that these workshops were collaborations with the various units in NUS. The workshop “Research Methodologies” was conceptualised with regular discussions with NUS Libraries, and the expertise of colleagues from the NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates (CFG) was sought for the workshop “Career in Research”. We have also opened our discussion and collaborative efforts with external vendors that aim to explore effective ways in communicating data and also reached out to Kontinentalist to conduct the “Data Storytelling” workshop. This REx-branded workshop received much support from our faculty colleagues and students. The reason for our consistent pursuit in seeking partnering opportunities with the various units (and relevant research organisation/industries moving forward) stems from the sense of shared purpose and mutual interdependence in achieving intended learning outcomes in promoting research to undergraduates, given the benefits of collaborative approaches to higher-order learning (Garrison, 2015). We are focusing in moving towards a collaboration in forming a cohesive research ecosystem than a cooperative one, given that cooperation deals more with a common task than a common goal.

 

We have been cognisant of the importance in measuring the effectiveness of this collaborative pursuit in making research an enriching experience for students enrolled in the UROP+REx programme and collated students’ feedback. For example, in the feedback data for the seminar “Research with Visual Narratives”1, 61% of REx attendees liked the hands-on segment of learning how to design a comic. Most of the REx fellows shared that the seminar was well-facilitated and encouraged them to brainstorm the various illustrative dimensions to any research undertaking.

Quote highlighting feedback findings for Research with Visual Narratives seminar.
Figure 2. Quote highlighting feedback findings for “Research with Visual Narratives” seminar.

 

Although all the REx attendees found the seminar to very useful in communicating research to the general public, the REx attendees from the Faculty of Science felt that most of the time, unless their research is some large scaled scientific discovery, they will be communicating and presenting their work to other fellow peers in the same field as them. Hence, they felt that a formal presentation or something like a scientific poster would be expected in such cases rather than an informal presentation. While these considerations pose the question of the level of relevance of this approach across the disciplines, it is significant to note that more than half the number of attendees saw a visual narrative approach in presenting research as a tool of communication that connects audiences across various disciplines.

 

Hence, REx’s pilot efforts reinstate the possibility of venturing into a “multiverse” of research learning possibilities across various disciplines, with the common shared purpose in making research an insightful experience that propels undergraduate education towards a collaborative learning ecosystem.

 

ENDNOTE

  1. This seminar teaches students how to look closely at visual narratives. The main examples are comics/graphic novels, but including brief discussion of other types of narrative visual media, such as film, animation, and even memes. Looking at some recent publications that present complex theoretical concepts in comics format, students will learn how visual narratives direct our attention and create meaning.

 

REFERENCES

Garrison, D. R. (2015). Thinking collaboratively: Learning in a community of inquiry. Taylor and Francis.

Hansen, R. E. (2000). The role and experience in learning: Giving meaning and authenticity to the learning process in schools. Journal of Technology Education, 11(2), 23-33. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/8234

Kortz, K. M., & van der Hoeven Kraft, K. J. (2016). Geoscience education research project: Student benefits and effective design of a course-based undergraduate research experience. Journal of Geoscience Education, 64(1), 24-36. https://doi.org/10.5408/15-11.1

Semingson, P., Smith, P., & Anderson, H. I. (2018). The Community of Inquiry framework in contemporary education: Emerging research and opportunities. IGI Global

Undergraduate Research Coordinating Team, PVO. (2023). REx Programme Pilot Report.

 

Opening up the Classroom: Student-led Learning in a Law and Society Course

cdtlsd Paper Presentations , , , , ,

George Baylon RADICS
Deparment of Sociology and Anthropology, NUS and NUS College

socrgb@nus.edu.sg

 

Radics, G. B. (2023). Opening up the classroom: Student-led learning in a law and society course [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/opening-up-the-classroom-student-led-learning-in-a-law-and-society-course/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Student-led learning, project-based work, active learning, interdisciplinary, independent thinking

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

ABSTRACT

Upon graduation, students are expected to lead as opposed to follow, collaborate as opposed to compete, and think broadly as opposed to narrowly. Thus, university education is changing in response to evolving student needs and the realities of workplace. Traditional lectures, heavily weighted final exams, and research papers on narrow topics do not build the skills students need to survive the increasingly competitive job market. Student-led learning provides an opportunity for students to take ownership over their education through leading class discussions and collaborative project-based work. This presentation will explore a student-led learning course at NUS College entitled “Law in the Making”, where students led discussions on legal issues, set up meetings with lawmakers, and drafted a law that they debated at the end of the course.

 

Student-led teaching involves students teaching to their peers, whilst their peers participate actively in the process to facilitate student-led learning (Marvell et al., 2013). Here, educators seek to empower their students by giving them control of and responsibility for their learning (McKeachie, 1990; Candy, 1991). Business schools experimented with case studies to develop more dynamic, well-rounded problem solvers (Christenson, 1987), while the fields of accountancy (Adler et al., 2007), geography (Marvell et al., 2013), and pharmacy (Po, 1994) have also attempted to create student-led teaching approaches to do the same. “When asked what student skills needed improving there was remarkable agreement across a wide range of employers. All felt that non-technical skills needed further development…namely interpersonal skills, team working, presentation, report writing, CV design, project management, time management” (Sneddon et al., 1995, p. 84). At the same time, there has been a growing recognition that traditional methods of teaching (primarily tutorials and lectures) may perpetuate the opposite, namely dependency and passivity (Kremer & McGuiness, 1998).

 

While NUS has gained international recognition for its research, further efforts can be made to re-envision the classroom and move further away from traditional “chalk and talk” lectures and tutorials. NUS College, the university’s new honours college aims to “break open the classroom” and to provide “rigorous and stimulating interdisciplinary education designed to help students cultivate the necessary skills to work effectively across boundaries, so that they are able to respond to the challenges of the 21st century.” In the NUS College course NHS2059 entitled “Law in the Making,” students were each assigned a reading to discuss in class, worked in groups to set up meetings with lawmakers, and formed teams to draft a law that they debated at the end of the course. While the course attempted to place more control in the hands of the students, certain challenges emerged, such as complaints of being overworked, underdeveloped professional communication skills, and an overreliance on technology to support public speaking.

 

This paper will begin with a review of the literature on student-lead learning, then discuss how it was applied to the course NHS2059 “Law in the Making”. The presentation will then explore some of the challenges encountered in the course, as well as some strategies employed to address them. It will provide a glimpse into how student-led learning has the potential to empower students to become more engaged and interested in learning so long as the right balance of student-led and traditional teacher-led methods are employed. Additionally, it asserts that the right incentives can encourage prompt and professional communication, and teaching students how to become better teachers can reduce their overreliance on technology.

 

REFERENCES

Adler, R. W., Whiting, R. H., Wynn-Williams, K. (2004). Student-led and teacher-led case presentations: empirical evidence about learning styles in an accounting course. Accounting Education, 13(2), 213-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/09639280410001676620

Candy, P. C. (1991). Self-direction for the lifelong learner. Jossey-Bass.

Christensen, C. R. (1987). Teaching and the case method. Harvard Business School.

Kremer, J., & McGuinness, C. (1998). Cutting the cord: student‐led discussion groups in higher education. Education + Training, 40(2), 44-49. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400919810206848

Marvell, A., Simm, D., Schaaf, R., & Harper, R. (2013). Students as scholars: evaluating student-led learning and teaching during fieldwork. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 37(4), 547-66. https://doi.org/10.1080/03098265.2013.811638

McKeachie, W. J. (1990). Research on college teaching: the historical background. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(2), 189–200. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-0663.82.2.189

Po, L. A. (1994), Brainstorming a pharmacy syllabus: involving employers in curriculum design, in I. Sneddon, & J. Kremer (eds), An Enterprising Curriculum: Teaching Innovations in Higher Education, HMSO, Belfast.

Sneddon, I., Kremer, J., & Lindsay, B. (1995). Evaluating Enterprise at Queen’s, APAS, Belfast.

 

Teaching a Large-class Transdisciplinary Course—Challenges and Enablers

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Aaron Eng Seng CHIA
Department of Industrial Systems Engineering and Management,
College of Design and Engineering (CDE)

aaron_chia@nus.edu.sg

 

Chia, A. E. S. (2023). Teaching a large-class transdisciplinary course—Challenges and enablers [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/teaching-a-large-class-transdisciplinary-course-challenges-and-enablers/

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education 

 

KEYWORDS

Transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary, large-scale systems engineering, systems thinking

 

CATEGORY

Paper Presentation 

 

INTRODUCTION

A master’s elective, IE5404 “Large Scale Systems Engineering (LSSE)” was converted into a core course this year. As such, the class size ballooned from about 30 students to 82 students. This requires rethinking on how to teach already challenging systems concepts to large classes. This paper describes the challenges and enablers of conducting such a course.

 

LSSE deals with the complexities of large-scale systems using systems approach and systems engineering to understand and conceptualise the planning, design, and management of large-scale systems. Large-scale systems are inherently transdisciplinary/interdisciplinary. For example, an economic system is not just about business, but politics, technology, people, environment, the legal system, and so on. In addition, students learn about interconnections between different parts of the system, stakeholder’s behaviours, ecosystems, decision making and unintended consequences, cost analysis, and so on.

 

CHALLENGES AND ENABLERS

A large part of an engineer’s education is often technical/analytical in nature, and this makes teaching systems concepts challenging (Azad & Moore, 2022). Moreover, systems concepts cover organisations, behaviours, and dynamics, topics that engineers are often not familiar. In previous courses, the pedagogy includes lectures, cases, stories, role play, videos, class discussions, e-forum, assignments, group projects, examinations, readings, and self-reflection. With smaller classes, lectures took up about 50% of the time, with cases, stories, role play, and discussions taking the remaining time. However, it will not be possible to engage students well, given the same amount of time and almost triple the class size. Hence, questions to myself were:

  1. Which pedagogy needs to be modified/ changed to engage large classes?
  2. How to use student and lecturer’s time more effectively in class and assessments?

 

Teach Less Learn More

The concept of teaching less is doing things differently (Blankenship, 2019). Hence, the lecture materials were reduced, giving more time for discussions and questions. This was supplemented by more reading materials for students to learn by themselves. For master’s courses, the amount of tutorial time is either reduced or non-existent. A 30-minute tutorial was introduced for each session. This allowed time to work on difficult problems or concepts. It also allowed students to work on their projects. The project was structured such that students could carry out one part after each session. Students applied immediately what they have learned and clarify any doubts they have. This would also reduce their time to meet up for discussions later—important for part-time students where time is a premium.

 

Assessment as Pedagogy

The use of assessments in promoting deep learning in higher institutions have been advocated by many (Masuku et al, 2021). In the past, students did an individual assignment and comments/ feedback were given to the students. In the large class, students carried out a group assignment by watching a video (e.g., poverty) before answering questions. They got to discuss and learn from one another. It was also found that feedback to the group assignments were less than the individual assignments. This also reduced the amount of marking required.

 

Another new element introduced was a peer review of each other’s interim group project. Previously, groups presented their projects at the end of the semester. Students were able to get more formative feedback on their learning through their peers (although this introduced more work for the lecturer).

 

With large classes, there would not be enough time for all the groups to present during class time. Here, students made a video of their group presentation. In this way, they could improve their presentations and the lecturer had more time to evaluate them. The drawback was that there was no question-and-answer (Q&A) from the lecturer and class. This was mitigated by the earlier peer reviews and lecturer feedback via the report.

 

Student Feedback

The students like the concepts learned and the case studies. The common feedback given (even in previous courses) was that while they understood the need to cover diverse topics, the scope was wide, and some topics (especially non-engineering ones) were difficult to understand. More than half of the feedback respondents (57) for the large class nominated the lecturer for teaching awards (first time this has occured).

 

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The axiom ‘Teach Less, Learn More” is often true. Students can obtain facts from the Internet and even answers from CHATGPT. Hence, class time is best spent teaching metacognitive thinking. Assessment as a pedagogy is even more important now.

 

REFERENCES

Azad, A., and Moore, E. (2022). Lessons learned from teaching systems thinking to engineering students. Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA-ACEG22) Conference Proceedings.

Blankenship, S. (2019). Teach Less Learn More. Kreatif Beats. https://kreatifbeats.com/2019/03/16/teach-less-learn-more/

Masuku, M. M., Jili, N. N., & Sabela, P. T. (2021). Assessment as a pedagogy and measuring tool in promoting deep learning. International Journal of Higher Education, 10(2). https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v10n2p274

 

Scaffolding Team Dynamics for Team Effectiveness in Project-based Learning Courses

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Vinod VASNANI1*, Ameek KAUR2, and Randall SIE1

1Institute for Engineering Leadership, College of Design and Engineering
2NUS Business School

*vinod@nus.edu.sg

 

Vasnani, V., Kaur, A., & Sie, R. (2023). Scaffolding team dynamics for team effectiveness in project based learning courses [Lightning talk]. In Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2023, 7 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecc2023proceedings/scaffolding-team-dynamics-for-team-effectiveness-in-project-based-learning-courses/
 

SUB-THEME

Interdisciplinarity and Education

 

KEYWORDS

Team dynamics, interdisciplinary, coaching, entrepreneurship, scaffolding

 

CATEGORY

Lightning Talks

 

ABSTRACT

Experiential learning, a process in which learning occurs through experience (Kolb, 1984) is increasingly being used in several domains of education, namely, engineering, medicine, business etc. (e.g. Conger et al., 2010; Yardley et al., 2012; Kosnik et al., 2013). Experiential learning can take many forms, such as case studies, simulations, and projects. The experience of working on real-life team projects provides a rich learning opportunity for students where real-life stakeholders offer students the opportunity to integrate and apply the knowledge they acquire. In the experiential learning course MT5920 “Enterprise Development” (National University of Singapore, n.d.), students work in teams to identify new market opportunities for real existing technologies from participating companies, ranging from multinational companies, small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) to growth startups. The class setting emulates a real industry environment and process for new product/solution design and validation. Students benefit from working with stakeholders from real organisations. At the same time, the course provides a safe and sheltered environment to experiment and take risks.

 

Team dynamics is a key component for the success of projects in the real world, and it is also a key component in this course. Student teams manage team dynamics throughout the course whilst working and completing their various project assignments and deliverables. This course follows a project-based learning pedagogical approach (De Graaf & Kolmos, 2003). Project-based learning enables a process in which the students can learn, experience, reflect and manage team dynamics. This is accompanied by a deliberate effort by the instructors to scaffold the process of managing team dynamics, which subsequently impacts the team effectiveness in carrying out its project with the actual companies.

The teams are typically multidisciplinary and multicultural. Along with the challenges of finding new market opportunities for these companies, a common challenge that arises for the students is team dynamics. The right team dynamics greatly impacts the success of the team and the intended outcomes (Delice et al, 2019; DiTullio, 2010 ). As mentioned in Kokotsaki et al. (2016), project-based learning is a student-centred form of instruction characterised by students’ autonomy, constructive investigations, goal setting, collaboration, communication, and reflection within real-world practices. The team dynamics scaffolding effort in MT5920 exhibits the above-mentioned characteristics.

 

In this course, these tools are applied to manage team dynamics:

  • GRPI [Beckhard, R. (1972)],
  • A self-assessment (National University of Singapore, n.d.)
  • Team reviews and interventions
  • Individual self-reflection

 

Please refer to the chart below for an overview of the course and the various tools that we apply.

MT5920: Course overview with team dynamics scaffold

 

The scaffolding on team dynamics takes students through a structured process. It begins with self-assessment and understanding of personal strengths and weaknesses followed by a Team Dynamics Workshop. This explores conflict management, communication styles using the self-assessment, and culminates in the creation of a team GRPI1. Data about the team dynamics is collected on a continuous informal basis through student mentors (alumni who act as mentors and join the teams), as well as on a formal basis through student self- and peer review evaluations and surveys. Mid-semester, based on evaluations and surveys completed, an individual team review takes place between all team members and faculty. This is a critical review to gauge and improve on team effectiveness. Any other team dynamics are dealt with on an ad hoc basis through team meetings with faculty or student mentors. All the while, teams reflect and update their GRPI. At the end of the course, students submit individual reflection papers that have specific questions regarding team dynamics, ensuring students gain practical insights and skills for effective teamwork in the future.

 

We have found that this scaffolding process helps teams to navigate the four stages of Tuckman’s (1965) group development, i.e. forming, norming, storming, and performing. The storming phase is critical for the team to emerge from, in order to work effectively towards the end of the course for the final presentation to all stakeholders. This paper will discuss the motivation for this scaffolding and the benefits for both the instructors and the teams. The approach and steps used will be shared as an approach that can be adapted for use by other such courses.

 

ENDNOTE

  1. GRPI is an acronym that stands for Goals, Roles, Processes, and Interpersonal relationships. The GRPI model is an approach to team development that was introduced in the early 1970s by Richard Beckard, an organizational development expert and professor at MIT.

 

REFERENCES

Beckhard, R. (1972). Optimizing team-building efforts. Journal of Contemporary Business, 1(3), 23-32.

Conger, A. J., Gilchrist, B., Holloway, J. P., Huang-Saad, A., Sick, V., & Zurbuchen, T. H. (2010, April). Experiential learning programs for the future of engineering education. In 2010 IEEE transforming engineering education: Creating interdisciplinary skills for complex global environments (pp. 1-14). IEEE.

Delice, F., Rousseau, M., & Feitosa, J. (2019). Advancing teams research: What, when, and how to measure team dynamics over time. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1324. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01324

De Graaf, E., & Kolmos, A. (2003). Characteristics of problem-based learning. International Journal of Engineering Education, 19(5), 657-62. Retrieved from https://www.ijee.ie/articles/Vol19-5/IJEE1450.pdf.

DiTullio, L. (2010). Project team dynamics: enhancing performance, improving results. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Kokotsaki, D., Menzies, V., & Wiggins, A. (2016). Project-based learning: A review of the literature. Improving Schools, 19(3), 267-77. https://doi.org/10.1177/1365480216659733

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall.

Kosnik, R. D., Tingle, J. K., & Blanton III, E. L. (2013). Transformational learning in business education: The pivotal role of experiential learning projects. American Journal of Business Education (AJBE), 6(6), 613-30. https://doi.org/10.19030/ajbe.v6i6.8166

National University of Singapore (n.d.). Enterprise Development. IEL website. Retrieved June 20, 2023, from https://cde.nus.edu.sg/iel/graduate/overview-of-graduate-modules/enterprise-development/

National University of Singapore (n.d.). Self Assessments -16 Personalities. Centre for Future-ready Graduates. Retrieved June 20, 2023, from https://nus.edu.sg/cfg/students/career-resources/self-assessments

Tuckman, B. (1965). Developmental sequence in small groups. Psychological Bulletin, 63(6), 384-99. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/h0022100

Yardley, S., Teunissen, P. W., & Dornan, T. (2012). Experiential learning: Transforming theory into practice. 63. Medical Teacher, 34(2), e102-e115. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.643264

 

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