The Effect of the Emergency Shift to Virtual Instruction on Student Team Dynamics

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Nine
  In Roundtable Session: Cooperative Learning: Theory, Research and Practice SIG Roundtable (Table 14)

Abstract

In spite of the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many instructors using team-based pedagogies shifted them online rather than suspending them entirely, but with limited time and resources. Wilcoxon t-tests and a random forest method were used to examine the difference of team dynamics and outcomes for courses in Spring 2019 and Spring 2020. Results show that students reported less improvement in team-member effectiveness, lower psychological safety, and less satisfaction in the semester with the emergency transition, whereas conflict was lower. The most important factor predicting project grades shifted from “Interacting with teammates” to “Having relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities” amid the emergency shift, accompanied by a reduction in team interdependence.

Authors

• Siqing Wei, Purdue University
  Presenting Author

• Li Tan
  Non-Presenting Author

• Yiyao Zhang
  Non-Presenting Author

• Matthew W. Ohland, Purdue University
  Non-Presenting Author