Teamwork and ABET Review: A Template for Assessment

Abstract

The latest methodology for ABET accreditation of engineering and technology programs requires the assessment of, among other things, teamwork skills. However, determining and assessing the skills of the team members is problematic. To be effective, engineers and technologists must work in teams to reduce the knowledge load, to share the work so that it may be completed in a timely fashion and to provide a means for error checking. Each of these reasons requires a particular skill set. It is natural to assess for an ABET review the extent to which these skill sets are being taught in a curricula. But what skill sets should be assessed. In this paper critical skills that differentiate working in teams from working in groups are identified. These skill sets can then be used as a template in constructing an assessment methodology for “teamwork”.